So you want to take a quick trip to Shanghai for some shopping, or to Harbin to go on the giant ice slide; how do you go about getting plane tickets? If you speak Chinese and have enough time and initiative there are plenty of local travel agents who can book tickets for you and also a lot of Chinese language websites that do the same. But the majority of them are only in Chinese, only accept cash, and hardly any at all accept foreign cards. If you, like a lot of foreigners, are living on a prayer and a wallet stuffed with credit cards, you need a way too book your plane tickets in English, with a foreign credit card. Fortunately, there are at least three good services which allow you to do all these things and more.

In no particular order I will give you the details on how to use a foreign credit card, or cash, to buy a ticket from Ctrip, eLong, 9558.

The most important thing to keep in mind when booking tickets is to keep calm. The last couple years have seen many changes to the booking and ticketing systems all three of these companies have used. There is a decent chance that when you call to book that Mid-Autumn Festival trip to Guangzhou or even your trip this Spring Festival to Guilin that things may not be quite as I say they are here. This information is based on web research and a series of telephone conversations with customer service representatives of all three companies on January 7th, 2009.

Another crucial element of plane ticket purchasing is timing, and not just in the sense that ticket prices fluctuate quite a bit. If you wait too soon to book your ticket with any of these services and policies have changed or you’re lacking a crucial bit of documentation at that moment, you may not get your ticket in time and you may find yourself in a long line at the train station. On the other hand none of these services will usually let you book tickets more than a couple of weeks in advance. This can be especially frustrating for those looking to travel abroad. Although eLong, Ctrip, and 9558 all offer international flights you may not be able to book early enough in advance to get a reasonable price.

Photo by Andrea Hunt

eLong
Although eLong, a subsidiary of Expedia, has been allowing customers to book tickets using foreign cards on their site for sometime they still have the bulkiest system. Their English language site elong.net provides a wide array of search options for international and domestic flights. Finding a suitable flight is easy. Paying for it is a bit more difficult. If you select payment with a foreign credit card they will check your booking and send you, by email or fax, a form that needs to be filled out. Along with the form and a copy of your signature, you must also send a copy of your passport and images of both sides of your credit card. You can scan and return the material by fax or email. If you, like most people, don’t have scanner or fax handy – you can usually get away with taking a good quality picture of all the documents and emailing them that. If you register with elong, which most customers probably do, you will not have to send them all your information the next time you book tickets. Unless you use a different foreign card.

eLong charges a 3% service charge on international credit cards. The really unfortunate part though is that if the ticket price changes between your initial booking and your completed paperwork being approved and the actual payment being processed you will pay the extra money. And it always seems to be extra money, there is no indication anyone has ever gotten a better deal than they expected.

If you don’t want to send unencrypted copies off all your important information by email or fax (and really you shouldn’t, it’s a dreadful idea) then you can go to one of their offices and use your international card there. eLong has offices in quite a few cities but you will have to go there during normal office hours. eLong will not hold tickets for more than one day pending payment. You need to pay as quickly as you possibly can, and be aware that complications may arise.

 

 

Tickets bought with credit result in e-tickets being sent to the customer that can be printed out and used at the airport, or you can usually just bring the verification number and ticket information along with your passport and credit card. Sometimes airport employees are not aware of new eLong or Ctrip policies (even though they both companies have offices in most Chinese airports) and I ran into some trouble in Xian when the woman at the counter got freaked out about the foreign card we were showing for verification, after the tickets had already been issued without problem.

Photo by Andrea Hunt

You can also book tickets online, or by phone, and have them delivered to you, thus avoiding the service charge and the faxing or emailing of important documents. eLong will deliver tickets to the central areas of most of the major cities in China. If where you’re staying isn’t too obvious you may have to give the delivery driver delivery biker, actually) directions or call customer service to have them mediate. Once they find you it’s simple – they show you the tickets and you show them the money. It’s hard not to feel like you’re doing a drug deal when a guy bikes up to you, stuffs the cash you give him in a wool hat, and furtively hands you a package in return.

Ctrip
Although Ctrip has having a bit of a hard time financially, they’re still worth a couple billion. Their new internet booking system is quite a bit simpler that eLong’s. You book the ticket online – for some reason you cannot use a foreign card to book tickets over the phone – and enter your credit card information. That should be it.

Be sure to book your tickets earlier in the day, if possible, because Ctrip will not hold tickets overnight on an international credit card. If you want to hold the tickets until the next day you’re going to need a Chinese card.

Ctrip also delivers to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. You may also be able to visit their offices in the city you live in or at the airport. Ctrip and elong both have offices at most Chinese airports although finding them is occasionally tricky.

Photo by Andrea Hunt

9558
9558 is another option for credit card wielding travelers. Although not as well known as they other two, many travelers swear by them. One thing I like about 9558 is their customer service setup. You don’t have to click through endless menus to speak to a person; your call is directed right away to a customer service representative. Like Ctrip, 9558 also allows you to just plug in your card number and pay.

Unlike the previous two services 9558 puts a 5% surcharge on non-Chinese cards. They are also a smaller operation; if you want to pay COD and have the tickets delivered you must live in downtown Beijing or Shanghai.

All three companies also offer other booking services – hotels, cars, train tickets, and more – but the booking procedures vary for each service. Some swear by eLong’s hotel prices and others swear they will never book a plane ticket with them ever again. Other people say the same thing about Ctrip. One of the reasons it’s hard to get a consensus on service is all these companies have been constantly changing and updating their systems and procedures in an attempt to deal a crushing blow to their rivals. I’ve had bad experiences, and good ones, with both major companies and will be giving 9558 a try next time I fly in China.

Photo by Andrea Hunt

Customer service depends mostly on who answers your call, there are representatives with varying English levels at all three companies, but in general customer service is unusually good. To make the process as smooth as possible book early (but not too early) and be patient. It’s advisable to call and ask as specifically as you possibly can about payment before you try to book the ticket. You will save yourself hours on the phone and potentially quite a bit of money. Enjoy your trip.

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