Mainland Chinese travel agency Ctrip has upgraded its rail-booking service to offer a centralised online platform to book tickets from any Chinese station.
The improvements include allowing customers to pick up tickets at any train station across the country as well as accepting UnionPay debit cards.
There are also significant benefits for international travellers. Not only is Ctrip the only travel portal to offer train-booking service in nine languages (including Chinese), but the agency now accepts payment from credit cards issued outside of Mainland China. This means that American Express, Visa and Master Cards are all accepted.
Note: a three per cent surcharge will be levied on bookings made with an international credit card via the website, however, this fee will be waived for customers using the Ctrip mobile application.
Tickets may be booked up to two hours and 15 minutes before departure, and customers will need a valid proof of identification and the pick-up number to collect tickets from their chosen railway station.
The train-booking service upgrades are part of a series of improvements the online travel agency has unveiled over the past few weeks, including integrating a unique OAG Dynamic Schedules airline information system into its platform.
This system is a data feed providing Ctrip with immediate updates on flight schedules from around 900 global carriers, thereby allowing the company to enjoy lower processing fees, fewer passenger re-booking and better customer service.
For more information, visit english.ctrip.com
Clement Huang
