Booking Policy

Reservation

1. Please make sure the passengers’ information you fill in the booking form are exactly the same as what they appear on the passports, correct passport No. (It includes letters/or digital for some countries), no abbreviation of any part of passengers’ names, no changes, or typos.
2. Any difference will result in your not being able to collect the tickets at the stations. That will be a disaster because China Rail cannot accept name changes or passport number changes, and you have to buy a new ticket probably without refund. Tickets with your wrong name or wrong passport number can not be refunded. You will be responsible for any damages or losses incurred in such a situation. China Highlights will not shoulder any responsibility for rejection caused by incorrectly-filled information.
• FAQ: China Rail Ticket Name Requirements
  China Rail requires that names on rail tickets must be exactly the same as on your passport. Please submit your family name and given name(s) exactly as on your passport; no names or spaces omitted, no abbreviations, changes, or typos.
  On passport:
  Surname: Lake
  Given name(s): Emily Ava
  On China Rail ticket: Name: Lake Emily Ava
3. Passport: The passports used for booking train tickets should be the same used for collecting train tickets and boarding the train, otherwise you can’t get tickets at the train station or board the train.
   If you make the booking with an old passport and have the passport renewed shortly, you will be rejected while collecting tickets with the renewed passport.
4. Disclaimer: China Highlights shoulders no responsibility for any rejection for ticket issuing, collection or boarding that are caused by incorrectly-provided passenger information.
5. Submit the booking order and pay online. Our travel advisor will respond to you within 12 working hours. No contract between China Highlights and the purchaser shall come into existence until China Highlights issues a formal confirmation by email.
6. A payment link will be sent to the email address provided later if you miss the instant payment online. Full payment for all tickets is required prior to the issue of the tickets.
7. According to the ministry of China Railways’ policy, the availability of tickets for selling will be advised 60 days before the travel date. (The selling period for train tickets often changes. The China Railways has total control of it. China Highlights will update the days in real time). If ticket is in 60 days later, we will put it in the priority list once the tickets are released.
8. Please provide train alternatives, which help us act promptly and prevent any loss for you. There is a possibility that your chosen train can go unavailable. Situations that can cause unavailability include: tickets are sold out before you finish payment; limited number of same-class railway routes in operation on the very date you chose; China Rail’s adjustment on routes and tickets. Tickets can be sold out fast while we wait for your reply.  
9. China Highlights has decisional rights of when to issue (or deliver) your tickets.
10. It is advisable to avoid train travel during peak times, including Chinese New Year (2 weeks in January/February) New Year’s Day (January 1st-3rd), Labor Day (May 1st-3rd) and National Day (October 1st-7th), during which the tickets are often sold out.
11. The train info list on our website is for your reference only. Please refer to the ticket info issued by the railway authorities as the final confirmation. China Highlights is not responsible for schedule changes by China Rail.
12. Issuing of tickets is under the total control of China Rail. China Highlights will purchase tickets as soon as possible, but has no influence over the release of tickets. We will do our best to buy train tickets, but can’t 100% guarantee it.

Price

1. The ticket total price includes net price, service fee, credit card processing fee, and the delivery fee (it depends on your requirement).
2. The service fee is varies from $5 to $9, which depends on the different net price. Train to and from Lhasa can be higher, because it’s always in a shortage and very difficult to purchase.
3. Our quotation is based on the updated exchange rate between US Dollar and CN Yuan.
4. Our sleeper train ticket price is quoted based on the lower berth, but tickets are issued stochastically in China. Due to the very slight price differences among upper, middle and lower berths, we will take the benefits no matter which berth we issue finally.
5. There is no further fee if you collect your ticket at the DEPARTURE station shown on your ticket. RMB 5 will be charged at the ticket counter at other stations. RETURN TICKETS ARE TREATED SEPARATELY. E.g. if you have booked Beijing–Harbin and Harbin–Beijing tickets, and you collect them all at Beijing, you will be charged 5 yuan each for the Harbin–Beijing tickets, but if you pick up the return leg tickets separately in Harbin you will avoid the charge.

Payment

1. Payment is available via PayPal, Skrill, Visa/Master Card by authorization way.
2. China Highlights require the payment paid by one of the passengers. If the purchaser is not a passenger, we’ll require other document to verify the payment.
3. If payment is made by credit card authorization way, China Highlights will draw Chinese currency (CNY) from your credit card. The credit card company or bank will convert this amount to the currency that is normally shown on your credit card. This procedure may result in a higher amount being charged than quoted by China Highlights. These additional fees are not the responsibility of China Highlights and are caused by additional fees charged by the credit card company/bank or exchange rate variation.
4. The transfer fee of 3% charged by PayPal will be added onto the total price.
5. Full payments are 100% refundable if we are unable to supply the required tickets.

Ticket Collection and Delivery

1. After the issue of the ticket, China Highlights will email you promptly the detail information of the ticket and a bilingual instruction, such as how to collect the ticket at the train station and tips. You can collect paper ticket(s) at any railway station in China continent with passengers’ original passport(s) and the E-ticket number displayed in the email.
2. If you choose the delivery service, the tickets can be sent to your hotel or appointed address within China. China Highlights cooperate with the China’s best Express Company only, which is safer and more efficient for our customers.
3. Please note some hotels might refused to receive and keep express for guests, especially for the guests with no reservation, or who are not check in.
4. If you appointed a personal address within China, please provide the address in Chinese as soon as possible to make sure we send the tickets to the correct address. Please make sure the addressee can communicant in Chinese and he/she is easily contacted in day time (9am to 6pm), the postmen in China speaks Chinese and he will call before sending.
5. We’ll collect the tickets on behalf of the passenger who chose the delivery service. The passenger will not allow recollecting train tickets at railway station.
6. China Highlights is not responsible for non-receipt of tickets caused by a wrong delivery address, no/incorrect receiver's name, or unconfirmed check-in date, provided by purchasers/passengers and rejection from the receiver. Any relevant loss is on the customer's side.
7. Special note for those who need ticket delivery service: There are literally millions of ticket clerks in China. They went through trainings and work under China Rail and yet sometimes they issue tickets in different ways. If you find your issued tickets is in one of these following conditions, here’s absolutely no worries or no need for ticket cancellation: names not in full spellings; no space between given name and family name; the last numbers of passport are marked with *; given name and family name in opposite order (see the pictures of example). Such paper tickets are accepted by China Rail and you can board the train without any trouble.

Changes

1. From May 29th 2015, change or cancellation of trains tickets to or from Lhasa can only be processed in person at the railway station. Travelers shall present the original passport(s) and paper ticket(s) at any railway station in Mainland China. China Highlights won’t process any change or cancellation after issue of the ticket(s).
2. All changes must be sent to China Highlights by email at least 24 hours prior to the departure time. It is ok to first request for ticket changes by phone, however, an email or message shall be sent later on.
3. Change request before payment, no change fee.
4. Change request before the issue of the ticket(s), no change fee.
5. Change request after the issue of the ticket(s), change fee fluctuates on the basis of the time of the request made and the way of ticket collection:
   (1) If you are collecting ticket(s) at the train station: no further service fee will be charged on China Highlights’ side. China Rail will charge you 5 to 20% of the ticket price as change fee.
   (2) If you are expecting ticket delivery but it hasn’t been sent out yet: USD10 per ticket will be charged on China Highlights’ side as further service fee. And China Rail will charge you 5 to 20% of the ticket price as change fee.
   (3) If you are expecting ticket delivery that is already on the way: change shall be made at the railway station in person. Review the different situations of endorses as aforementioned. You can pay in cash in case of surplus price difference.

   The refunding price difference will be in CNY by cash.

6. Request for change of the delivery address: To avoid inconvenience for your trip, every step of the booking process shall be taken seriously. A delivery address shall be a place that your stay of at least 3 days is assured before you move on to the next destination. Change of the delivery address after the parcel is sent can cause non-received delivery or ticket loss. It is not an acceptable request on our side. Without beforehand notification and approval, China Highlights shoulders no responsibility for any kind of ticket loss/damages or non-received delivery.
   Request of change of ticket collection: Preparing your ticket delivery sometimes means more work will follow our travel advisor outside their regular working hours. It’s frustrating; however, please understand we don’t accept any change of ticket collection after your decision was made at the first place.

Cancellation and Refunds

1. Exempted Rulemaking: We truly regret that uncontrollable situations may interrupt your travel. China Highlights, however, shoulders no responsibility over failure in obtaining tickets due to these uncontrollable situations:
   1. Due to railroad or station construction or operation deployment, interim adjustment of train cars and seats without any beforehand notice regarding seat rearrangement and price differences.
   2. Due to dysfunction or instability caused by system upgrade at China Rail, travelers cannot collect tickets at ticket window after booking successfully online with China Highlights. (Suggestion: try at another window or contact us immediately)
   3. Certain train routes might be cancelled without any beforehand notice.
2. We understand your plans may change and getting refund should be just as easy as it’s supposed to be. Here, give a quick look at the cases of ABSOLUTELY NO CANCELLATION FEE.
   a. Make cancellation before payment
   b. Make cancellation before issue of the ticket(s)
   c. Make cancellation during 24 to 48 hours before the departure time. (Note: China Rail will charge 20% of the ticket price if the tickets are not collected yet.)
   We appreciate for your understanding regarding to the requirements as follow:

When to request for cancellation

Please send us a request at least 24-48 hours prior to the departure time that is printed on your train ticket. Refund amount will be depended on when you make the cancellation. Cancellation request after the departure won’t be accepted by China Rail.

How to request a cancellation

To avoid any misunderstanding or mistaking, we strongly suggest you send your request for cancellation via email. Oral notification by phone is ok when you are nowhere near a computer. However, we will be on hold until your email of confirmation for cancellation comes in our mailbox later on.

Charges of cancellation fluctuate based on your choice of ticket delivery given different options cost certain work-load and time.

a. Collecting ticket by yourself:

(1) There’s no cancellation fee if you make it 24 hours before you collect the ticket(s). Send us an email and the procedure will be completed within one working day. PayPal will inform you about the refund via email within the same span. However, we will withhold a certain amount on China Rail’s behalf as it will charge 20% of the ticket price as a return ticket fee.
(2) It will be both-side cooperation if you make cancellation after collecting the ticket(s): you will need to bring your passport(s) and paper ticket(s) to any railway station. Find the certain ticket window for cancellation and show the two things to the clerk. A receipt will be offered to you after the cancellation is done and it shall be sent back to us by email. Refund of the exact same amount in accordance with the receipt will be processed within one working day. PayPal will inform you about the refund via email within the same span.  

(Find the ticket cancellation window: 请问网络购票去哪个窗口退票？- Where is the ticket cancellation window for online bookings?)

b. Ticket delivery service:

(1) Ticket(s) not delivered yet: Ticket delivery service costs extra labor time to collect ticket and prepare parcel thus it will be very nice of you to request for a cancellation at least 72 hours prior to the departure time. With 20% of the ticket price charged by China Rail as a cancellation fee, 80% of the ticket price and the pre-paid delivery fee will be refunded to your account. And as the situation of changing ticket before delivery, an extra fee of 10USD/ticket will be charged. We will retain the 10USD/ticket, along with the service fee, as a compensatory cost of our workload and time. Thank your for your understanding.

(2) Ticket(s) already delivered: Please refer to the situation of “make cancellation after collecting the ticket(s)” as above. And please understand that we will retain the service fee as a compensatory cost for our workload and time.

Minimize your loss

China Rail’s policy helps you turn the frustrating situation of missing the train into saving the day. It is the same procedure as change ticket(s) after the departure time”. It is a one-time and free-of-charge action and note that it shall be done no later than 11:59pm of that departure day.

Contacting your travel advisor ought to be a rule of thumb, whatever your case might be.

Checking In and Checking Out

1. Passengers should arrive at the train station 60 minutes before departure and check in with valid ID and the paper ticket together. If you need to collect your paper tickets, you’d better go to the railway station 2-3 hours before departure, especially during the public holidays and weekends, we suggest you get your paper ticket(s) one day before.
2. Ticket widows in most train stations open 7/24.
3. After the train departs, a train attendant will walk through the carriages to collect tickets. The attendant will give each passenger a plastic card. Please keep the card safe. Passengers are required to present the card about half an hour before reaching the destination, when the ticket will be returned.
4. Retain the ticket as tickets are checked before exiting the train station.

Luggage

Baggage space is limited and must be stored in the sitting/sleeping compartment along with the other passenger’s luggage. It is wise to travel with limited baggage, which should not be left unattended.

Most stations have a considerable number of stairs to climb to reach the platforms. Bags have to be carried up and down these stairs. Most stairs have a steep ramp so that wheeled bags can be dragged up as you walk up the stairs. The ramps are usually narrow and inconvenient to use.

Some stations have porters who will carry luggage for 5-10 yuan per piece of luggage. Follow them closely and keep your eyes on your luggage.

Free Carry-on Luggage

1. Ordinary passengers: 20 kg (44 pounds)
2. Children with a half-price ticket ( 1.2m-1.5m) and no ticket (under 1.2 m) : 10 kg (22 pounds)
3. The total length of each item cannot exceed 160 cm, unless rod-shaped.

Note: The above limitation is not applicable to wheelchairs, which can be brought onto the train for free.