Settled
China Railway warns travellers over third-party ticket-grabbing platforms
In short
China Railway issued a reminder that 12306 is its only official online ticket sales channel and said it has never cooperated with any third-party platform, according to IT Home and China News Service. The railway described bloggers in railway-style uniforms promoting “internal ticket channels” and travellers who paid extra fees or saw their 12306 credentials used without their knowledge. It said abnormal accounts are placed in slow queues and abnormal payment accounts are refused ticketing.
Why it matters
The warning tells travellers that extra fees paid to third-party platforms do not buy a better chance of a seat, and that handing over 12306 credentials can expose accounts and personal data. Because the platforms and bloggers are not named, readers get no way to identify the specific services described, and the documents give no indication of any enforcement action beyond the advisory.
Key facts
- China Railway said 12306, including its app and website, is the only official online train ticket sales platform and that it has never cooperated with any third-party platform. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The railway said all third-party platforms produce no ticket inventory of their own and that their ticket-grabbing activity ends at 12306. [ 1 ]
- China Railway said it charges no ticket acceleration packages, membership fees or carriage seat selection fees, and pointed to added charges, bundling, misleading marketing, inconvenient refunds and changes, and personal data leaks as risks on third-party platforms. [ 1 ]
- It described bloggers wearing railway-style uniforms posting short videos that claim “internal ticket channels” and direct users to third-party platforms. [ 1 , 2 ]
- One traveller said a video promising discounted high-speed business class tickets led to a page where prices matched 12306 exactly. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Another traveller said a “exclusive referral code” led to opening a membership and paying more than 20 yuan in extra fees, and that the code was the blogger’s commission channel. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A traveller identified as Mr Zhang said he entered his 12306 account and password on a page that mimicked 12306 and later received an 12306 purchase confirmation for a ticket from Yichang East to Chongqing North that he had not bought. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A traveller identified as Mr Chen said he paid a 38 yuan “dual-channel” ticket service fee on a third-party platform and the ticket was never confirmed. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- 12306 is the only official online train ticket sales platform and has never cooperated with any third-party platform, China Railway said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- China Railway warned that bloggers in railway-style uniforms post short videos claiming internal ticket channels and direct users to third-party platforms. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Travellers reported that promised discounts did not materialise, including one case where a video’s claimed discount tickets cost the same as on 12306 and another where a referral code led to more than 20 yuan in extra membership fees. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Mr Zhang reported entering his 12306 account and password on a lookalike page and later receiving an 12306 confirmation for an unrequested ticket from Yichang East to Chongqing North. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Ms Zhao reported that after authorising her 12306 account on a third-party platform she received repeated messages urging her to upgrade to VIP ticket-grabbing and repeated automated sales calls. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- No third-party platform or blogger is named in either document. Both documents refer only to “some third-party platforms” and “a blogger”, so the specific services and accounts described cannot be identified or checked.
- Whether regulators or other authorities have taken action beyond China Railway’s reminder. The documents describe a public advisory from China Railway; they do not mention any investigation, penalty or regulatory action.
- How Mr Zhang’s case was resolved and whether his account was restored or the ticket cancelled. The documents say he called 12306 customer service but do not state an outcome.
- The scale of the problem, such as how many travellers have been affected or how many tickets were involved. No figures are given; the accounts cited are individual complaints reported by the railway.
- Whether the 38 yuan “dual-channel” service fee Mr Chen paid was refunded. China News Service reports the payment and that the ticket was never secured, but not any refund.
What local media are saying
Technology mediaIT Home carried China Railway’s full advisory with its numbered cases, leading on the statement that third-party platforms generate no ticket inventory of their own, and detailed 12306’s technical countermeasures against abnormal accounts and payment accounts.
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Official sourcesChina News Service reproduced the same advisory, organising it around the common scams — fake uniform bloggers, lookalike pages that harvest 12306 credentials, pressure marketing and paid “dual-channel” services — and repeated the call to buy only through official channels.
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