China Railway 12306 announces an upgrade: passengers who mistakenly purchase tickets can get a free refund within 30 minutes before the train departs, provided that the refund request is made at least

On January 18th, according to China Railway, starting from January 19th, the China Railway 12306 platform (including website and App) officially launched a new service for passengers - free ticket refund within a limited time for mistaken purchases.

According to information released by the railway department, when passengers purchase train tickets on or after February 2nd through the 12306 platform, if they make a mistake, they can apply for a free refund online within 30 minutes after payment is successful and at least 4 hours before departure, without having to pay a refund fee.

The railway department stated that this service optimization aims to further enhance the ticket purchasing experience of passengers and proactively adapt to diversified travel needs. After preliminary research and system upgrades, this feature primarily provides convenience for passengers who may make incorrect operations during the ticket purchasing process. The applicable ticket range includes domestic passenger train tickets with travel dates on or after February 2nd, as well as cross-border train tickets with the starting or ending station being Hong Kong West Kowloon. After purchasing tickets using electronic payment or points, passengers who meet the aforementioned time conditions can self-handle free ticket refunds through online channels. Refunds made using electronic payment will be returned via the original payment method, while those made using points will be refunded with corresponding points, and the validity period of the points will remain unchanged.

The same ticket purchaser is limited to handling only one free ticket refund for mistaken purchase within a natural day, and ticket rebooking, ticket booking reservation, or waiting list ticket purchase are not within the scope of this service.

In addition, the tiered refund policy currently implemented by the railway remains effective. Passengers who apply for refunds within the stipulated free refund period will not use up the number of free refunds for mistaken purchases. If a passenger makes a mistaken purchase at a ticket window at the station, they must inform the staff on the spot so that the correct ticket can be issued in a timely manner.

The railway department stated that the launch of this service will help reduce the economic losses caused to passengers due to mistaken ticket purchases, and better safeguard passengers' rights and interests. Moving forward, the railway department will continue to monitor the operation of this service, collect feedback from passengers, further optimize the functions and services of the 12306 platform, and ensure that passengers can travel safely, orderly, and comfortably during the Spring Festival travel rush.