Refunds & changes
Cancellation policy for day tours and airport transfers
Four windows, one table, no fine print. This is the policy for every day tour, private tour, layover tour and airport transfer we sell — and it is the one that applies if you ever have to pull out. It is deliberately different from train tickets, which follow the railway’s own scale.
7 days or more before
Full refund
6 to 3 days before
80% refunded
2 days to 1 day before
40% refunded
On the day of the tour
Nothing refunded
The four windows
Counted in calendar days, Beijing timeThe percentage is what we keep, not what you lose. It steps up as the date gets closer because that is exactly when the money stops being recoverable: 7 days out nothing has been committed; two days out the vehicle, guide and tickets are all locked to your name.
| If you cancel | Deducted | Group tour (2 travellers) | Private car + guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days or more before 7+ days |
Nothing | $130 back of $130 | $256 back of $256 |
| 6 to 3 days before 6–3 days |
20% | $104 back of $130 | $204 back of $256 |
| 2 days to 1 day before 2–1 days |
60% | $52 back of $130 | $102 back of $256 |
| On the day of the tour Same day |
100% | Nothing back of $130 | Nothing back of $256 |
Why a late cancellation is charged
Where the money has already goneA day tour is not a ticket sitting in a drawer waiting for a buyer. On the morning you cancel, these five things have already been bought for your date — and none of them can be sold to someone else at two days’ notice.
01The car and driver are held for the whole day
A day tour is 8 to 10 hours plus dead mileage to and from the depot. Your date is blocked on the driver’s diary and the vehicle is off the market — a sedan or MPV that cannot be resold in the last 48 hours is a day of revenue we have already lost.
02The guide is booked by the day, not by the hour
A licensed English-speaking guide is the scarcest thing we buy. Once a guide is committed to your date they turn down other work for it, and two days out there is no way to re-let that day.
03Entrance tickets are bought against your passport
Most sites in China now sell timed tickets against an ID, purchased the day before. Some refund up to 24 hours ahead; some, including the Terracotta Army and parts of Longmen, do not refund at all once issued.
04Cruise, show and cable-car seats are prepaid
West Lake boats, water-town performances and cable cars are paid to a third party in advance and are not transferable to another name — so they cannot be handed to the next customer.
05The morning pick-up slot is fixed
Hotel and station pick-ups are scheduled in a fixed order so that every guest reaches the first sight before the crowds. A late cancellation leaves an empty seat in a sequence that was planned around you.
What we never charge
The part that is not in the table- No administration fee, no processing fee, no “handling” charge — ever.
- We do not keep the percentage if the operator refunds more than the table assumes: any amount we recover above it goes back to you.
- If the guide and vehicle can be re-let for your date, we refund in full even inside the 7-day window.
Changing the date instead
Same table, one differenceA date change is handled as a cancellation of the old date plus a new booking, so the same four windows apply. Outside 7 days it is free and we simply move you. Inside 7 days we try to re-let the day to another guest first: if we succeed, the change costs nothing and you pay only any difference in the tour price.
If we cancel, or the weather does
You choose: money back, or another dateWe cancel when a site is closed, a cable car is shut, severe weather makes the day unsafe, or the operator cannot supply a licensed guide. In every one of those cases you choose between a full refund and the same tour on another date at the same price — we never charge you for our own cancellation. When the decision depends on weather we tell you by 18:00 Beijing time the day before, and we give you our honest read rather than letting you travel to a closed gate.
- Full refund, including the entrance tickets — we absorb whatever the operator will not return.
- Or the same tour on a date that suits you, at the original price even if the new date is dearer.
- Light rain is not a cancellation: these routes are built around covered halls, caves and boats.
Airport transfers and layover tours
The same table, two extra rulesA transfer is not billed by the hour. A driver booked for a 03:00 airport run cannot take another job that day, so the four windows apply unchanged. Two things are added for layovers:
- If your flight is delayed, we wait — at no charge. The clock starts when you actually land, and we track the flight rather than the timetable.
- If your flight is cancelled or you are re-routed, we move the tour to your new connection free of charge, subject to a guide being available.
- If you miss the flight yourself, that is a same-day cancellation — but talk to us before you give up: a later departure often still leaves room for a shortened tour.
Late arrivals and no-shows
The day cannot waitAt an airport or station pick-up we wait 60 minutes from the agreed time and track your flight or train. After that the day has to start without you, because the first sight is timed and the rest of the group is waiting. A no-show is charged as a same-day cancellation. A late start shortens the day with no partial refund — the guide and vehicle remain booked for the whole day.
How to cancel, and when the money arrives
Written request fixes the time- Email support@traintickets.travel with your order number (TD…) and the word “cancel”. A phone call or a WhatsApp message is fine to start, but the written request is what fixes the time and therefore the tier.
- We reply within one business day with the amount, the tier it falls in, and what the operator has confirmed. Nothing is deducted until you accept that figure in writing.
- The refund goes back to the same card or account used for payment. We start it the same day; your bank needs 5 to 10 business days to show it.
- Requests that arrive after 18:00 Beijing time are dated the next day — which matters only if you are sitting on a tier boundary.
Worked examples
The same two prices as above| You cancel… | Group tour $130 | Private day $256 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 days or more before (7+ days) | $130 back, nothing kept | $256 back, nothing kept |
| 6 to 3 days before (6–3 days) | $104 back · $26 kept | $204 back · $52 kept |
| 2 days to 1 day before (2–1 days) | $52 back · $78 kept | $102 back · $154 kept |
| On the day of the tour (Same day) | Nothing back · $130 kept | Nothing back · $256 kept |
Prices shown are the current selling prices of a two-traveller group tour and the smallest private car with a guide. Your own figure is on your order page and in the confirmation email.
Check your own booking
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Questions
10 answeredCan I cancel a day tour for free?
Yes, if you cancel 7 days or more before the tour date. Calculated in Beijing time, that means the cancellation has to reach us before 00:00 on the seventh day before departure. Inside that window the charge steps up: 20% for 6 to 3 days, 60% for 2 to 1 days, and no refund on the day itself.
How do you count the days?
By calendar days in Beijing time, ending at midnight. A tour on the 20th is free to cancel up to 00:00 on the 13th, costs 20% from the 14th to the 17th, 60% on the 18th and 19th, and is non-refundable on the 20th. Your own time zone does not change the count — we always quote the deadline in Beijing time and again in the confirmation email.
Why is a cancellation two days before charged 60% when I have not travelled yet?
Because the money is already committed. The vehicle is off the market, the guide has turned down other work, entrance tickets have been issued against your passport, and any cruise or show seats are paid for. Two days out none of that can be resold. The percentage is not a penalty on your booking — it is the part of the day we cannot recover.
What if I only want to change the date, not cancel?
A date change is handled as a cancellation of the old date plus a new booking, so the same table applies. Outside 7 days it is free. Inside 7 days we will always first try to re-let the day with another guest — if we succeed, the change costs nothing.
What if my flight is cancelled or my visa is refused?
Tell us as early as you can and send the airline or consulate notice. If you can move to another date, we do that at no charge when there are 3 or more days to go. If you have to cancel outright, the normal table applies and we refund on top of it anything the operator recovers — usually the entrance tickets, sometimes the cruise seats.
What happens if you cancel the tour?
You choose: a full refund, or the same tour on another date at the same price. We cancel when a site is closed, a cable car is shut, severe weather makes the day unsafe, or the operator cannot supply a licensed guide. We never charge you for our own cancellation, and we tell you by 18:00 Beijing time the day before whenever the decision is weather-dependent.
What if it rains?
Light rain runs as planned — most of these routes are built around covered halls, caves and boats. If a typhoon, heavy snow or a closure makes the day unsafe or pointless, you get the same choice as above: full refund or free move to another date.
Do airport transfers and layover tours follow the same table?
Yes. A transfer is not charged by the hour: a driver booked for a 03:00 airport run is a driver who cannot take another job that day, so the same four windows apply. For layover tours the clock additionally starts at your flight: if the flight is delayed we wait at no charge, and if it is cancelled we move the tour to your new connection for free.
What if I am late or do not show up?
At an airport or station pick-up we wait 60 minutes from the agreed time and track your flight or train, then the day has to start without you. A no-show is charged as a same-day cancellation, and a late start shortens the day with no partial refund — the guide and vehicle are still booked for the full day.
How long does the money take to come back?
We confirm the exact figure within one business day of your email, then refund to the card or account you paid with. Banks take 5 to 10 business days to post it. Refunds are made in US dollars, the currency you paid in, so any difference in the exchange rate is set by your bank, not by us.