Can foreigners use railway 12306?

Can foreigners buy China high speed rail tickets?

Foreigners? Buying high-speed rail tickets in China? Piece of cake, my friend. Easier than herding cats... though maybe not as fluffy.

You'll need your passport. Think of it as your golden ticket, but instead of Willy Wonka's factory, you're headed for a bullet train to Xi'an or wherever your adventurous spirit takes you.

• Online: Websites exist. Apps too. It's 2024. You're not using a carrier pigeon, are you?
• Train Station: Old school? Sure. Expect lines longer than my patience on a Monday morning.
• Passport Number: Absolutely essential. They're not letting you board a rocket without identification, are they?

Seriously, it's simpler than unwrapping a particularly stubborn piece of bubble wrap, I've done it myself, twice. Once to see the pandas, once because I lost a bet to my brother, stupid thing. The whole process is far less stressful than navigating my mother-in-law's garden gnome collection. It is a truly remarkable piece of engineering, I've seen it myself.

Pro Tip: Download a translation app. You'll thank me later. Especially if you order the spicy noodles on the train. Trust me on that. And pack snacks! Trains in China are fast, but the snack carts... well let's just say they're not exactly speed demons. They move slower than a snail on vacation. Last time, I survived on a bag of peanuts and pure willpower.

Can foreigners use WeChat Pay in China?

WeChat Pay... yeah, foreigners can use it. Kinda. It’s not straightforward.

But still, it’s a hassle.

• Yes, non-Chinese citizens can use WeChat Pay. The official line is it’s possible.
• But. Huge but. You need a Chinese bank account linked. Always.
• Some users had luck with international credit cards for small transactions. That lasted briefly, though. Really briefly.
• I tried, back in February. My Visa didn’t work everywhere. Most places actually. Disappointing.
• Linking to a bank account requires a Chinese phone number, too.

Getting WeChat Pay set up completely is difficult. It demands more than it offers. Easier to just carry cash, tbh. Or just give up.

My friend from Denmark tried for weeks. Eventually, he did a Chinese bank account. It helped. Sort of.

How much does high-speed rail cost China?

It's quiet. I remember seeing those trains once. Blurring past. How much?

Seventeen to twenty-one million... per kilometer. The cost. Average cost, yeah. In USD.

That number... so vast.

It's all concrete and steel. I traveled one time. Shanghai to Beijing. Fast.

• Construction Costs: $17 million - $21 million USD/km (average)
• My trip: Shanghai to Beijing, 2024. Took less than five hours, I think.
• Network Size: Massive. Covers much of eastern and central China.

I wonder where the money goes.

Can I use WeChat Pay with a foreign card?

Okay, so, like, WeChat Pay, right? I found this out the other day when I was trying to buy that weird bubble tea at that place near my aunt's, and well, no. They don't really accept foreign cards like that.

I mean, they say they do, but it's super limited. You can only use Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and Discover. Period. No American Express! Total bummer.

• Accepted Cards:
  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • JCB
  • Discover

And honestly, it's a pain anyway. I tried it with my Mastercard, and it kept declining, and declining, and declining! Ended up just using cash.

Plus, there's all these weird fees and limits.

• Problems I face:
  • Declining Card
  • Weird fees and limits
  • Never able to work and just use cash.

So yeah, while they technically accept them, don't expect it to actually work smoothly, you know? It's always something like that for me.