KUKU will be putting together a series on places in mainland China where foreign-issued credit cards can be used directly, focusing mainly on common, budget-friendly merchants. These will be published as 101 quick news posts and in the author’s own WeChat articles. DP data points are welcome!
This Edition: 12306
At the moment, there are several ways to use an international credit card on 12306. The methods most readers are familiar with include WeChat Pay, Alipay, Alipay HK, and Klook. Among these, charges through Alipay (excluding AliPay HK) and Klook typically post as travel purchases, which can trigger various travel reimbursements, such as the annual travel credits on cards like CSR and UAR.
Sometime around the end of 2020, 12306 began supporting direct payments with foreign-issued credit cards. It currently supports only Visa, Master, Discover, JCB, and Diners Club.
After booking your ticket, scroll to the bottom of the checkout page and select “International Card.”
You’ll see the option right away. Settlement is processed by Bank of China, and because the charge is made in RMB, there is no DCC risk. The transaction should also post with normal merchant coding, likely as travel or transportation, so feel free to use it.
12306 is fairly user-friendly here: after you pay with an international card once, it will automatically prioritize international card as the default payment method next time.
HT: metahacker
Other Posts in This Series
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“Using US Credit Cards in China” article/quick news roundup:
“Using US Credit Cards in China” featured long-form articles: