Ticket Alteration and Refund on 12306 China Railway

Apart from ticket purchase, 12306 also processes alterations and refunds to cope with your travel plan. This is a more convenient way than going to station for the same service.

Friendly reminders:

Passengers can alter or refund their tickets via 12306 website or mobile app. It is recommended to use mobile app for a better customer experience. To download the app, users can download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Simply search "12306" on the App Store or Google Play Store.
12306 mobile app will be upgraded from time to time. Please ensure you have downloaded the latest version.
Please note that you can collect a Reimbursement Receipt at stations before you travel or within 180 days of the date of travel. We suggest you collect your Receipt after completion of your train journey. If a Receipt is collected before you travel, tickets cannot be altered online, and online refunds will also be affected.
A ticket bought from Hong Kong ticketing channel and is altered through Mainland ticketing channel afterwards. It will be treated as ticket bought from Mainland ticketing channel, and vice versa. Reimbursement Receipt should be collected from the above designated collection points.
Service hours of the website/app: 05:00am – 01:00am (next day) for ticket sales and alteration; 05:00am – 23:30pm on Tuesdays / 24 hours daily for ticket refund.
The cut-off time is 45 minutes before the train scheduled departure from Hong Kong and 30 minutes before the train scheduled departure from the Mainland.

Online Alteration

Below is alteration process through mobile app. The flow is similar on 12306 website.

Step 1: Account login

Step 2: Alteration

Click "Ticket orders" and select your upcoming trips
Select the ticket which needs to be altered and then click "Endorsement" Click "Confirm" to proceed

Step 3: Select new train

Select new departure date and search for the available trains
Select the train and class of travel, then click "Book"

Step 4: Submit booking

You will be redirected to the train information page for checking ticket and passenger information. Follow the instruction to “Place order” and “Confirm” your alteration within the time limit.
If the fare of the new ticket is higher than the original one, you are required to pay the new fare in full while the original payment will be refunded to the original payment account. In case of lower fare, the difference will be refunded to the original payment account.

Tips:

Cross Boundary Tickets can only be altered for the departure date, train number and Class of Travel
Each ticket can only be altered once. Altered ticket is non-refundable
Round trip tickets must be altered separately

Step 5: Transaction completed

Transaction completion message will be displayed. Click to check the ticket information. Ticket information is also available in your order records.

Tips:

Alteration confirmation will also be sent to the registered email address
If you have collected the Transaction Receipt/Reimbursement Receipt before you travel, tickets cannot be altered on 12306 online ticketing platform. Ticket alteration can only be processed at station by presenting the original identification document used to buy your tickets and the Receipt

Online Refunds

Below is refund process through mobile app. The flow is similar on 12306 website.

Step 1: Account login

Log in your account with username and password
Tickets once altered cannot be refunded

Step 2: Refund

Click "Ticket orders" and select your upcoming trips
Select the ticket to be refunded, click "Refund"

Tips:

Fare of refunded ticket will be credited to original payment account
Only one ticket can be processed for each refund application through 12306. If there are more than one ticket in an order, please repeat the refund procedures one by one.

Step 3: Confirm refund

Check the information and follow the instructions to confirm the refund.

Step 4: Complete transaction

Transaction completion message will be displayed. Click to check the details. Details are also available in your order records.

Tips:

Refund confirmation will be sent to the registered email address
Ticket refund is only allowed for 3 times daily. If you exceed the limit, you cannot buy, alter or refund ticket on that day