tagged: Expo 2010, moving to China, Shanghai Expo, Shanghai Expo Sold Out, Shanghai Expo Tickets

Shanghai Expo Tickets: How to Buy and Get Tickets

Posted by Mike in China Living, Travel

After reading my article on Shanghai Expo 2010: Location, Description, Metro, Tickets, you know what the Shanghai Expo is all about and are likely ready to make some ticket purchases. This is where today’s guide will come in handy. I present to you an easy guide to getting Shanghai Expo tickets.

This morning (April 21^st), I personally verified the methods shown below. As a note, even when phone calls are made, there seems to be confusion over the availability of certain peak day tickets. The China Post indicated that all May peak day tickets had sold out. The Bank of Communications indicated that only their Shanghai branch (phone number 63299167) had peak day tickets for May 2-3. Either way, both indicate that Shanghai Expo Tickets are not available for May 1st.

An added bonus for those living in Shanghai and registered for over 6 months — you will get a free Shanghai Expo Ticket and a 200 RMB transit card for your travels. Unfortunately, I’ve only been registered for a little less than 2 months, so I will be purchasing like most of you reading this article.

Easiest Method of Getting a Shanghai Expo Ticket: China Post

The China postal service offers two very easy ways of purchasing Shanghai Expo tickets. The first, and most convenient way, is to call China Post at 11185 between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM (China time). When you call, you will be transferred to an English-speaking representative (upon pressing “9” at the beginning) who will be able to assist you with your Shanghai Expo ticket purchases. When I called, I was told that they would be able to deliver tickets to me for free, but they only do cash on delivery and my tickets wouldn’t arrive until around May 15^th. I was told that in order to get the tickets ASAP, I should go to a branch where I would be able to only get standard day tickets (including 3 day, 7 day, and special admission tickets). These branches are open from 7 AM to 7 PM. If you are worried about stock, you can ask for a direct phone number to your nearest branch. Trying to ask about availability in Mandarin is in your own hands…

Backup Plan for Getting a Shanghai Expo Ticket: Bank of Communications

Similar to the China Post, the Bank of Communications also allows you to purchase tickets over the phone or in a branch. To order by phone, you need to have a Bank of Communications card. If you do have a card, call 95559, press 8, and then press 1 for English service. According to the operator I spoke to, the physical branch of Shanghai (phone # 63299167) has peak day tickets from May 1-3 and would be my only option for these peak tickets. Unfortunately, when I called this number I was directly connected with someone who didn’t know English. My girlfriend (Mandarin speaking) called back and verified that the number is a direct line and that they sold out of May 1^st tickets, but they still have May 2-3 tickets available at the branch. If purchased in person, you will need to pay with cash or your bank of Communications card.

Foreigner’s Guide to Travel: CTrip

If you aren’t from Shanghai and are looking to book flights and hotels online, there is no better spot than CTrip. They had some Expo tour packages that included Shanghai Expo tickets at one point, but these seem to be sold out now. Either way, take advantage of CTrip for cheap flights and hotels. Don’t bother with the Expedias or Travelocities of the world when you are on this side of the earth. CTrip is much cheaper. You can buy tickets at the gate or at a China Post if you’d like to do so in person.

Take a Risk on Shanghai Expo Tickets: taobao.com

Thanks to having a Chinese girlfriend, I personally was able to buy my Shanghai Expo tickets through a travel agent on taobao.com. For 10 RMB more than the normal standard admission price, I was able to get a ticket that allowed me to a) pre-register for Shanghai Expo events b) get free transportation to the Expo from Shanghai Museum, Hongkou Football Stadium, Century Park, or Shanghai Stadium and most importantly c) bypass the initial line to get into the Shanghai Expo (since you are considered part of a tour group). While these extras sound good in theory, I can’t attest to the value of them until I try them in person. A similar item can be found here: http://item.taobao.com/item_detail.jhtml?item_id=0eff4db5142c179f279672fdb54d117a&x_id=db1.

To best access TaoBao, I would highly suggest you download Google Translator as I wrote about in my article of Chinese Translator for the Internet: One Quick, Accurate, Convenient, and Free Method. If you don’t do this, you stand no shot at translating.

Purchasing on Taobao can be hit or miss. You never know when you will purchase a fake ticket and it may not be worth using the site if you don’t know what you are doing. I wouldn’t recommend this method of ticket purchase for many of my readers.

Prices of Shanghai Expo Tickets

• Peak Day Admission: Access to Shanghai Expo on any day, including peak days of May 1-3, Oct 1 – 7, Oct 25 – 31. Price: 190 RMB now, 200 RMB after May 1st

• Standard Day Admission: All days except for those in peak days. Price: 150 RMB now, 160 RMB after May 1st.

• Special Admission: Same as above, but available for those that are disabled, born before 1950, students with valid IDs, Children below 1.2m, Chinese military personnel on active duty. Price for Peak Day : 110 RMB now, 120 RMB after May 1st. Price for Standard Day: 90 RMB now, 100 RMB after May 1st.

• Evening Admission: Admission past 5 PM (only available on standard days). Price: 90 RMB after May 1st.

• 3 Day Admission: 3  days of the Shanghai Expo. Price: 400 RMB after May 1st.

• 7 Day Admission: 7 days of the Shanghai Expo: Price 900 RMB after May 1st.

Conclusion

If you don’t have Shanghai 2010 Expo tickets, it really isn’t hard to get them. Don’t be scared of tickets being sold out. I highly suspect that standard tickets will never sell out – instead, you will just see massive crowds on certain days. Don’t bother with high priced travel agents that cater to foreigners. You can get tickets easily at the China Post and the metro is a convenient and user-friendly way of getting to the 2010 Expo.

Any other questions about the Shanghai Expo? Make sure you’ve read my write up on the Shanghai 2010 Expo Basics. If this doesn’t answer your question, feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer. Also, please feel free to clarify or correct any of  my information above.