Using Uber or Bolt when you land: what to sort out before you fly

Sign in at home, not at the baggage belt

Open the apps you plan to use before the trip and make sure you are signed in on the phone you are taking. Uber is candid about the risk: its help page on 2-step verification says you may not be able to receive text messages if you are travelling or do not have cell service.

The fix Uber suggests is a security app. Uber says security apps work offline, so they are a good option if you travel frequently, and it also offers backup codes for when verification codes do not arrive. To set it up, Uber's route is account management, then Security, then 2-step verification. Do it on Wi-Fi at home, and keep the backup codes somewhere other than the phone.

If you would rather keep codes by text, they go to your phone number, not to a data-only eSIM. Our guide to two-factor authentication while travelling explains how to keep that line able to receive them.

What needs data, and when

• Requesting the ride and seeing the price.
• Following the car on the map and getting the pickup point.
• Calling or messaging the driver through the app.
• Paying at the end and receiving the receipt.
• Reporting a problem or a lost item afterwards.

None of this works on an offline map. Airport Wi-Fi can cover the request inside the terminal, but the call from the driver tends to come when you are already outside at the kerb, so your own data is what keeps the trip on track. With a travel eSIM installed at home, you only need to switch the data line on when the plane lands.

At the airport: when to press the button

Uber's advice for airports is practical. Check the waiting time for the car you want 15 to 30 minutes before you are ready, then collect your luggage and be ready to step outside before you request the ride. Follow the pickup location shown in the app, because some airports require specific areas or levels for app pickups.

After the driver accepts, Uber says the app may ask you to select a terminal location and door, and that you may get a call from the driver to clarify where to meet. If you have lots of bags or several people, Uber suggests picking a larger vehicle so everything fits.

A queue at the official taxi rank needs no app and no data at all, which makes it the fallback if your phone is flat or your connection is not up yet.

Talking to a driver who may not share your language

Uber says you contact the driver by tapping the call or message option in the driver information bar, and that calls can go through a Free Call button in the app, which runs over your data rather than your phone plan. Messages can be typed or picked from suggested replies, which helps when you do not speak the local language. Uber also notes that drivers may not answer while they are driving.

A short, clear message usually works better than a call at a noisy kerb: the door number, the colour of your jacket, the fact that you are coming down from arrivals. If you have downloaded offline translations, you can prepare that message in the local language before you leave the plane. Our guide to offline translations covers how.

Money in the app does not always travel

Payment cards saved in the app generally go with you, but credit inside the app is another matter. Bolt says Bolt Balance can only be used in the currency it was issued in, that if you travel to a country with a different currency your Bolt Balance will not be available, and that it cannot be converted.

Promo codes behave the same way. Bolt says a promo code given for a ride in a particular country cannot be applied to a trip in another, and that new rider codes only apply in the countries where they are issued. So a welcome offer you received at home will not cover the ride from a foreign airport.

For the card itself, any question about charges in another currency is one for your bank. Data is the simpler part: a Snoozim plan comes with a VAT invoice for every purchase, and only starts counting when it connects at your destination.