12306 introduces free refunds for accidental ticket purchases

Starting Jan 19, the national railway ticket platform 12306 has introduced a free refund service for passengers who accidentally buy the wrong ticket. The move is designed to improve the digital booking experience for travelers, and is available on all of 12306's digital channels, including its website and mobile app.

Under the new policy, passengers who purchase a ticket for travel on or after Feb 2 through 12306 may cancel it online without charge, provided the refund is requested within 30 minutes of payment and at least four hours before the scheduled departure.

- Payments made electronically will be refunded through the original channel.

- Tickets bought with reward points will have the points fully reinstated, with no change to their validity period.

- Each passenger is limited to one free mistaken‑purchase refund per calendar day. The service does not apply to ticket changes, advance reservations or waitlisted bookings.

- The new refund service operates alongside the existing tiered refund policy; refunds processed within other free‑refund periods do not count toward the daily mistaken‑purchase limit.

For errors made at station ticket counters, passengers must notify staff immediately to arrange an on‑spot ticket exchange.