susiesan

So is this wrong, from chinatraintickets.net website? It seems to indicate you just need to give someone a copy of your passport to go buy tickets for you. It's all very confusing. I wouldn't want to be in China now trying to buy train tickets.

China trains to adopt real-name ticket system

CTT, 23 May, 2011

From 23 May 2011, China adopt real name train ticket policy, including G train, D Train, C Train, ( Train Numbers start with G, D, C , not including T train, K train ) ,you must provide all passengers passports copy ( images ) to us, better 15 days ago, then we can issue the tickets for you. Please send all your members passports images , to our email address: [email protected] , and write down your booking numbers in subject, Thank you for your urgently attention.

moondog

I'm simply not buying this; really bad ideas tend to die off quickly in these parts.

Jiatong

Dont know on all the new policy, But my train ticket was a G ticket on a june fast train, only 40 minutes from Hangzhou to SH hongqiao station.

And, as said a good concierge can do wonders, BTW my tip to him was only 10 rmb, ( I know there is no need to tip in China, BUT i still do tip some staff at the marriotts i stay at, & its amazing how they recall you when you return to the hotel !)
Keep in mind, all PRC hotels keep a copy of your passport on file when staying at the hotel. And most 5 star hotels have good travel desks, and or concierges. Some times the travel desk is located in the business center of a hotel.

moondog

Okay, assuming all of this is true, I fail to see why it's a big deal. Yeah, maybe we (foreigners) will be excluded from using the ticket machines during the short term, and it might be harder for us to procure tickets from restaurants or spas (in the past, I would tell the manager where I wanted to go and I'd have a ticket in hand by the time I was done with my meal), but a passport scan is a pretty easy requirement to fulfill. I usually carry a printout or two with me, and I have a soft copy saved in my gmail account. The concierge at any hotel worth its salt should have little trouble making due with either of these options.

By the way, I suggest you cross chinatraintickets.net off of your list of trusted resources about China train travel simply because their prices are off the charts... i.e. they seem to be relying on the "fear card" in order to dupe gullible tourists into using their services.

allset2travel

What a drag I usually use the hotel to fetch tickets for me.
With a high-tech rail system, yet reservation system sucks

mosburger

Considering Chinese fluid market economics, I'd think the hotels will rise their ticket procurement prices for foreigners from the current 15RMB or so.

After all, prohibiting non-Chinese to use the ticket vending machines means more hassle and longer lines at stations and ticket offices and so the value of the ticket service can be seen as increased.

mnredfox

Hilarious. But people getting busted never stopped anything in China, esp fake tickets and scalpers.

I've NEVER showed my PP to anyone at the train station, if they ask I just tell them I'm a US citizen and don't have one, they just wave me by.

The bigger question is has anyone confirmed now that hotels cannot buy them for you? What about companies? I've ALWAYS used agents to buy my tickets, who has time to go queue up at the train station?

susiesan

Looks like there is already complaining coming from travel agencies who buy tickets for groups:

http://www.visitshanghaicity.com/201...-by-train.html

This is good. Might help overturn this ridiculous policy sooner.

Also, maybe copies of passports will be acceptable to have someone buy tickets for you:

http://www.visitshanghaicity.com/201...id-number.html

moondog

There is a no fee kiosk 5 minutes away from your house that rarely has lines of any sort. Again, while I hope this "real ID" thing bites the dust in short order, it's not the end of the world.

thinthin

u can use the photo copy of passport to book G/C/D tickets, but please don't just give them your passport number.

moondog

To the best of my knowledge, none of us have tried this yet, but the photocopy/scan option seems to be okay.

susiesan

Do you know this to be true from personal experience, that a copy is acceptable to be shown by someone buying tickets for you?

The passport number will show up on the copy. Are you suggesting we black it out? What part of the ID do they want to know? Just a name and photo?

moondog

None of us have any personal experience, yet, susie. Why would you want to "black it out"? It's not like the Chinese are going to drain your bank account because they know your passport number (the border control people and your hotel people would be first/second in line any way).

ETA: I am willing to buy your train tickets for you (no service charge at all), susie, in light of your enthusiasm for China and participation in this forum, but if you send me passport scans with blacked out numbers, and I get turned down at the window, you'll be on the hook for drinks at Paulaner... naturally, I will invite jiejie, as well.

susiesan

moondog: I guess I'm a bit paranoid about identity theft as it has happened to me three times, where someone got a hold of credit cards and charged up a storm. One of the times the cc number was swiped during a visit to Hong Kong. I've also had a passport either lost or stolen twice while in the mail being sent to get a visa for travel. The first time was before my first trip to China in 2001 and the second before a trip to Vietnam in 2004. I don't know if identity theft is a problem in China or not.

Thanks for the offer to get train tickets. I won't need them while in Beijing though. Isn't that where you live? I will need them to leave Shanghai and wherever else I decide to go in that area (Suzhou) and to get to Hangzhou, my final stop. How would you get the tickets to me? Besides, I'd hate to deprive a local Chinese entrepreneur of a way to make a bit more money on the side, getting paid to buy train tickets for tourists!!

moondog

I'm now in SH around half the time (when I'm not traveling the world), but it matters not where I am because I am smart enough to procure train tickets, no matter how onerous the regulations are (i.e. I have other friends here). Insofar as identity theft is concerned, while I'm also not a fan (been burned before), by simply setting foot on Chinese soil, your passport number will no longer be sacred.