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Update: The Barclaycard Arrival Plus no longer offers a free TripIt Pro subscription.
TripIt is a website and mobile app that helps folks manage their travel plans. It’s easy to use. Because it shows all your travel plans in 1 place.
There are 2 versions of TripIt: the regular free version and TripIt Pro. I’ll go over the main differences. And help you decide if you should pay for TripIt Pro!
Although, you may ALREADY have access to the app as 1 of your credit card benefits!
How to Use TripIt
Link: TripIt
Link: TripIt Features
Link: Tripit Pro Features
To get started, sign up for TripIt with the same email you use when you buy your plane tickets and hotel reservations. Because you’ll forward your plans to TripIt. It will match up the emails, then add your travel plans to your TripIt account.
Send everything to plans@tripit.com.
But there’s a shortcut. TripIt can automatically check Gmail, Yahoo mail, and Outlook accounts and import any travel plans it finds. I love this because it means I don’t have to do anything!
TripIt will organize all your plans into a timeline. For your flights, it clearly shows departure and arrival times, flight numbers, and confirmation codes.
And for hotel reservations, it displays the hotel’s address, check-in and check-out times, and your confirmation numbers.
If there’s anything else travel-related, TripIt can handle that, too. If you’ve rented a car, you can find out where to pick it up and return it. TripIt will create a map with directions from the airport to your hotel.
You can also import tickets to museums and events. This is handy for when you are visiting a new city!
And best of all, it’s FREE!
Why the TripIt App Is a Travel Must-Have for Some
If you have a smartphone, download the TripIt application. After you’ve imported all your travel plans, the application makes it easy to access them when it matters most: on the go!
I love that the app works offline. So if you are in another country without access to phone data or Wi-Fi, you can still see your travel plans.
Remember to refresh TripIt before you depart. So it will tell you the most up-to-date information about your flight status. Like which gate and terminal you’re flying from.
This information is valuable because it reduces stress and saves you time at the airport!
TripIt syncs automatically to your calendars. So you can see all of your plans for the day in 1 place.
And you can easily share your trip (or part of it) with others on the website or through the app.
TripIt makes it easy to add notes and photos to my travel plans. That way if a friend tells me about a restaurant I MUST try, I don’t have to fumble to find it. And I can share it with Emily either on the website or through the app!
TripIt Pro Features
Link: Barclaycard Arrival Plus
Link: My Review of Barclaycard Arrival Plus
TripIt Pro is a step beyond the free version of TripIt. It costs $49 per year. But it’s also loaded with time and money-saving features!
And if you have the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, you’ll get TripIt Pro for free!
Seat Alerts
TripIt Pro will help you find the best seats when they open up on a flight, and send you an alert. No more middle seats!
Select a seat when you book your flight. Once your plans are in TripIt, you can set an alert in case you’d prefer a different seat. It’s customizable, so you can set an alert for aisle or window seats, front or back of the plane, or even a block of seats together!
Sometimes TripIt Pro tells me about flight changes before the airline does! This includes gate changes, delays, and cancellations. So I know everything about my flights before I arrive at the airport.
If you’re flying domestically and making a connection, TripIt Pro will tell you your next gate as soon as you land. Or if your flight is late. No more checking the screens at the airport!
Locate Alternate Flights
If you’ve missed your connection, TripIt Pro will automatically pull up alternate flights for you. That way the desk agent can rebook you right away.
You can add your traveling companions in the app. So you can all add plans and share with each other automatically. TripIt Pro makes it easy! The people you add to your plans do NOT need TripIt Pro. But they do need a TripIt account.
Fare Refund Alerts
TripIt Pro will scan your itinerary until the day you fly out to let you know if the fare drops. That way, you can call the airline to get some of your money back!
The amount you’ll get back is after any change fees. Because most airlines have hefty fees to rebook your flight, this feature is most helpful when the price drops significantly.
Note: An exception is Southwest, which does not charge fees for changing your plans.
If you use this feature a time or 2, and it saves you more than $49, you’ve already recovered the annual cost. TripIt says that 1 in 10 flights trigger a refund alert.
VIP Perks
TripIt Pro also has “VIP” benefits. Currently, you get 4 free months of CLEAR (which can help you skip long security lines at certain airports), Hertz #1 Gold Plus elite status, and 10% off Hertz car rentals.
Point Tracker
One other perk with TripIt Pro is the ability to track all of your points and miles in 1 place. They call this the Point Tracker.
However, I like AwardWallet a lot better. AwardWallet has a better interface and the information is easier to read. But it’s nice to have the option in case you want to add your accounts to TripIt Pro, too.
Also remember that you get a subscription to TripIt Pro with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. Here’s my review of the card. Emily and I don’t receive a commission for the card, but we’ll always tell you about the best deals!
Drawbacks
TripIt might not be for everyone. Some folks still prefer to have paper copies of their flight and hotel information. You might want a paper copy as a back-up anyway, in case your phone battery dies or if there is an issue with your reservation.
Other folks prefer apps and websites that accomplish similar things such as FlightStats, Yapta, or Gate Guru. You might prefer the layout of these other services instead.
Before you pay for TripIt Pro, make sure you’re going to use it. Download the regular version 1st and get used to the features before you pay to upgrade. Or test out TripIt Pro with the 30-day free trial.
Bottom Line
TripIt is a helpful application for any traveler. It’s easy to use, and can save you a lot of time at the airport. It’s also useful internationally or when you’re without internet because it lets you see all your plans offline.
The flight and seat alerts are invaluable. And the refund tracker can help you save money on flights you’ve already paid for.
TripIt Pro usually costs $49 per year, but is loaded with lots of extra features to save you even more time – and money! And you get a complimentary subscription with the Barclaycard Arrival Plus!
Emily and I don’t receive a commission for this card, but we’ll always tell you the best ways to make your traveling easier!
Have any of y’all used TripIt or TripIt Pro? Tell me about your experience in the comments!
I’ve used Tripit for several years and found it helpful. I find it’s easier to modify my plans via laptop and then sync to my phone. If you have multiple trips coming up and add a new event, such as a hotel reservation, it will automatically add it to your first trip, so you’ll have to go into the first trip and move it. Other than that, I’ve found it very useful, especially having offline access to the info.
Some consulting companies offer the app for free to employees. I know Accenture and McKinsey do it for sure.
@Nina. The link is available for Barclay Arrival Plus when you log into your account. Now, it is free for the Arrival Plus but not for the no fee Arrival card.
I know lots of people love it but I don’t find the benefits of TripIt Pro to be worth signing up for even though i have it free with the Arrival+. If you are interested, I did a review of the 4 major itinerary managers and found that Kayak Trips worked best for me. You can find that here: http://thewanderingengineer.com/2015/03/30/the-best-travel-itinerary-mangers-tripit-kayak-tripcase-and-worldmated/
Sorry for duplicate, I put the link in the previous comment but it deleted it.
I know lots of people love it but I don’t find the benefits of TripIt Pro to be worth signing up for even though i have it free with the Arrival+. If you are interested, I did a review of the 4 major itinerary managers and found that Kayak Trips worked best for me. You can find that