You Don't Need to Know Chinese to Purchase Tickets on WeChat!

GuideinChina

Quality content daily for China expats

关注

WeChat has brought many conveniences for its users, including online payment and various booking services. Today we are going to show you how to buy a train ticket on WeChat, and where to redeem the ticket. The process is easy and smooth.

First of all, you need a bank account linked to Wechat. Then, we are going to show you an example of a trip from Chengdu to Chongqing. This trip takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

First go to ‘Me’ and then ‘Wallet’. Select ‘Rail and flights’. This is where you can purchase flight tickets and train tickets. 

The home page is going to look like this. You can put in your start and destination. If the display is in Chinese, you can still search by the name of the city using the English alphabet.

Then you choose the date you wish to travel. Once you have selected the date, all options available on that day will be listed out. Select the class you wish to travel with. In this example, we will be traveling in first class.

You will find that once you have put in your personal information, the system will record it, so that you don’t need to fill out again. Once you are familiar with the process, it will only take about two minutes to complete for future bookings.

After filling out your personal information, you can check the box at bottom for 20 CNY of travel insurance (in case of ticket cancellation or rescheduling). Or, if you wish to travel without insurance, you can select “don’t need insurance” from the pop up.

After you hit the 'submit order' at the bottom, you will see this page below. The system will give you half an hour to pay for the ticket, during which time the ticket is on hold for you. Select “支付”(pay) and enter you WeChat payment password or fingerprint.

Here we have completed the whole process of purchasing train tickets on WeChat. You will receive a message on WeChat containing your booking confirmation code. 

How to redeem your tickets?

There are three ways that you can redeem your ticket.

1.    Go to any ticket retailer, also with your passport,tell them where you are going and the time of your train. They’ll be able to print your ticket(s) for you.

2.    Go to the ticket counter at the station, and show the staff your WeChat with the booking confirmation code. They will type in the code and print the ticket for you.

3.    If you are picking up a ticket for someone else, or vice versa, you will need a permission letter from the relative department and ID for both the traveler and the person picking up the ticket. Go to the ticket counter and have someone redeem it for you.

Common Q&A

1

Q: What if we have the new ID card FEC ResPermit? Can we use that at the machines

A: Currently no - if you have the new ID Card FEC ResPermit, it can be used at the machines in the future, but we're awaiting company'sannoucement and confirmation before this method is feasible. 

2

Q: Can foreigners buy tickets on WeChat also? Would if we still need to collect the ticket by the counters? 

A: Yes, foreigners also can buy on WeChat, and you need to pick up your ticket at the counters as well.

3

Q: Is it required to pick up my tickets? Can I board with WeChat confirmation?

A: For now, most of the train stations only allow passengers to board with their IDs and tickets. 

We wish you a pleasant journey！

What is your opinion? Let us know! Comment below！

Don't forget to share this article with friends by pressing "..." in the top right corner.

Editor's Pick

Follow us to receive daily updates with info on China and our newest positions!