China - never a dull moment!

[Cruiser Elite]

Keep in mind:

 

[mrsterryn]

When should I register for alipay and trip considering passport is required

Just hoping for pros and cons on my ideas
Booking via Trip.com
Maglev (can that be done at Shanghai airport ?)
Shanghai to Beijing bullet train (business class just for ease )
Booking via Marriott app
Hotel in Shanghai
Probably ditto in Beijing
Disneyland and universal will be on their own sites
I have set up alipay and about to a token card MasterCard Australia post prepay till our dates are set

 

[MEL_Traveller]

When should I register for alipay and trip considering passport is required

Just hoping for pros and cons on my ideas
Booking via Trip.com
Maglev (can that be done at Shanghai airport ?)
Shanghai to Beijing bullet train (business class just for ease )
Booking via Marriott app
Hotel in Shanghai
Probably ditto in Beijing
Disneyland and universal will be on their own sites
I have set up alipay and about to a token card MasterCard Australia post prepay till our dates are set

My friend set up alipay about a week before departure. Did all the verifications and linked CC.

Note for alipay they charge 3% for transactions over RMB200. So you can just as easily tap and pay with a fee-free credit card where it’s over 200 (and the place accepts credit cards! But places like hotels and restaurants where you’re paying that sort of money are likely to anyway).

Trip.com was easy to book trains, You habe to enter all your passport details as the passport is your ticket. Do it once and it pre-populates all the details for your next ticket purchase. So you can buy subsequent tickets in less than a minute.

Business class is fun. Flat beds, lounges before departure, and you’ll be escorted from the lounge to the platform. Which is useful because there’s like 500-1000 people all waiting to get through once the gates open (and you have to scan your ID or passport to get through).

Maglev is easy, and you used to get a discount if you can show a boarding pass.

Use a rideshare from Longyang Lu to your hotel… don’t accept a taxi. While most taxis are ok, I’ve been bitten more than once by rogue drivers from that station. Double or triple the standard fare.

If you are wanting maglev for speed… that’s no longer the case. If you want it to ride a maglev, yup, it’s worth doing once. I’d probably do it in reverse if you can… ride share to longyang lu and then maglev to pudong.

 

[moa999]

Just note Business on that long route is about A$500 (slightly more on the quickest trains). First about half that.

Hotel apps fine for booking and generally ensure you get the right credits.

 

[SYD]

Just note Business on that long route is about A$500 (slightly more on the quickest trains). First about half that

For an upcoming trip, Xian to Shanghai was exactly that. $500 Biz, $250 First, $150 in cattle….

 

[mrsterryn]

For an upcoming trip, Xian to Shanghai was exactly that. $500 Biz, $250 First, $150 in cattle….

I was also looking at the relatively new Premium First class

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 3:27 AM

My friend set up alipay about a week before departure. Did all the verifications and linked CC.

Note for alipay they charge 3% for transactions over RMB200. So you can just as easily tap and pay with a fee-free credit card where it’s over 200 (and the place accepts credit cards! But places like hotels and restaurants where you’re paying that sort of money are likely to anyway).

Trip.com was easy to book trains, You habe to enter all your passport details as the passport is your ticket. Do it once and it pre-populates all the details for your next ticket purchase. So you can buy subsequent tickets in less than a minute.

Business class is fun. Flat beds, lounges before departure, and you’ll be escorted from the lounge to the platform. Which is useful because there’s like 500-1000 people all waiting to get through once the gates open (and you have to scan your ID or passport to get through).

Maglev is easy, and you used to get a discount if you can show a boarding pass.

Use a rideshare from Longyang Lu to your hotel… don’t accept a taxi. While most taxis are ok, I’ve been bitten more than once by rogue drivers from that station. Double or triple the standard fare.

If you are wanting maglev for speed… that’s no longer the case. If you want it to ride a maglev, yup, it’s worth doing once. I’d probably do it in reverse if you can… ride share to longyang lu and then maglev to pudong.

The maglev is just for fun to have done it
We were going to use the cabs via didi on alipay

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I was also looking at the relatively new Premium First class

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 3:27 AM

The maglev is just for fun to have done it
We were going to use the cabs via didi on alipay

Oh, on that… taxis are also part of the didi platform. When you enter your destination there are half a dozen or more options. Naturally you select the cheaper (standard car) option but that often comes back with ‘driver shortage’ and asks you to select other alternatives, or even default selects some of the other alternatives for you.

That default selection often includes a taxi, which still runs a meter… just you don’t pay the taxi driver directly, it’s paid by didi (via alipay).

This means the taxi price may not be the price shown when you order the car and can vary slightly depending on route and travel time. A true didi will be a fixed price.

At the end of the day it’s only a dollar or two difference, but there’s the added step with a taxi of having to show a PIN.

For short trips the cost of the didi may only be twice the price of taking the metro. And gets you door to door.

 

[moa999]

short trips the cost of the didi may only be twice the price of taking the metro. And gets you door to door.

I was generally using Didi Flash (electric cars) on recent trip as generally a little newer and not much more than the basic car.

Metro fares range I think Y3 to Y10 depending on distance.
Short Didi fares generally Y10-15. Cross-town (eg. Pudong to Honquiao Y200+ and you might have to pay highway fees in cash.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

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