鐵路常旅客 (tiělù chánglǚkè): Frequent railway traveler

A railway frequent traveler membership service was launched on Wednesday. It is the latest measure to make rail travel more convenient for passengers after the introduction of online seat selection and online meal ordering.

Frequent flyer programs are offered by airlines as a way to attract passengers through membership schemes that offer points rewards that can be exchanged for fare reductions, upgrades, or other services. This is the first time such a membership program has been offered to railway travelers

According to the railway department, passengers aged 12 or above can apply for railway frequent traveler membership through railway station ticket booths or the official website and mobile app 12306. Similar to frequent flyers, frequent travelers by train will get membership points every time they purchase a train ticket. The frequent railway travelers will receive 500 membership points for every 100 yuan sprent on purchasing a train ticket. Once the membership points accumulate to more than 10,000, they could use their membership points to redeem them for train tickets. Those who travel using the tickets purchased by redeeming points can either be the member themselves or they can specify someone else to use the ticket.

The frequent railway traveler membership scheme is expected to attract more people to take the train.