Text | Deng Yujie Wang Jingyi
Editor | Wang Jingyi
Recently, "free train ride" boarded the hot search, and 12306 also responded that past rides can accumulate points for redeeming train tickets.
According to the railway points system, every time you spend 1 yuan, you will get 5 points, and every 100 points will be deducted from 1 yuan. This means that every time you spend 20 yuan, you can arrive in 1 yuan in the future. Many netizens said, "I feel that I have lost 100 million quietly."
However, it is not as easy as expected to "catch wool". According to the actual measurement of one passenger (ID:carcaijing), the threshold for redemption of points is 10,000 points, the validity period of points is one year, and the number of convertible trains is limited.
The point mileage system is most common in airlines. Each major airline has its own membership system, and its points and membership rights are also perfect. As an airline member, you can enjoy different levels of services according to the card surface, usually including multiple mileage points, exclusive VIP access and terminal, and exclusive flight attendant service.
Compared with the perfect membership system of airlines, the integral function of railways is relatively simple, and at present it only stays in redeeming points for tickets. A traveler (ID:carcaijing) called 12306 to ask about it. It is rumored on the Internet that five-star members can take the business seat channel to enter the station. The official said that such services are not provided at present. Some netizens lamented: "In addition to exchanging free tickets, railway members also want to sit in the VIP waiting room."
The epidemic has brought huge losses to the railway and transportation industries. How to play the "integral economy" well and open the road of marketization, China Railway still has more room to explore.
Every time I spend 20 yuan, I will arrive in 1 yuan in the future.
How to get points is a topic of concern to many passengers. According to the integral system of 12306, every ticket in 1 yuan can accumulate 5 points, that is, a ticket with a price of 512 yuan will accumulate 2,560 points, and users do not need to operate, and 12306 will automatically accumulate points.
If the ride points are omitted, members need to submit an application for points replacement through the website, service window and customer service center within 90 days after the driving date (including the day).
According to the actual measurement of one traveler (ID:carcaijing), the validity period of the points is one year. For example, if a reporter travels by train on May 3, 2022, the points will expire on May 7, 2023.
The threshold for redemption of points is 10,000 points, that is to say, users can only open the redemption channel after spending more than 2,000 yuan on railway travel in the past year.
On the whole, every flower spent in 20 yuan will arrive in 1 yuan in the future.
It is worth noting that children’s discount tickets and students’ discount tickets that have been registered members and purchased under their real names can enjoy the points redemption service. Reward tickets and international trains redeemed for points do not participate in the accumulation of points.
To use points to redeem tickets, the first step is to screen out the trains that can be redeemed with points. Not all trains can be redeemed.
In 12306 official website, a passenger (ID:carcaijing) was measured and found that there were 49 bus trips from Beijing to Shanghai on March 31, and there were 6 trains that could be redeemed for points; On March 31st, there were 44 bus trips from Zhengzhou to Lanzhou, which could be exchanged for 11 trips.
When confirming the order, click on "Select the transferee" to pay with points. The payment method is similar to the general payment method, and it is more convenient to use.
Among them, each member can set up a maximum of 8 transferees (excluding himself), that is to say, the points are transferable. However, the point takes effect 60 days after the successful addition of the transferee, and the waiting time is slightly long.
Every 100 points can reach 1 yuan, and a passenger (ID:carcaijing) has 12,900 points, which can be exchanged for a ticket with a price not exceeding 129 yuan.
However, a traveler (ID:carcaijing) found in the operation that there is still room for polishing the specific functions. For example, the entrance is "select the transferee", and it may be difficult for unfamiliar users to find this payment method; You can’t use the combined payment method of points and cash. If the points are not enough, you can’t exchange them.
Membership rights are relatively simple.
At present, the membership rights of the railway are only one ticket exchange.
A traveler (ID:carcaijing) called 12306, and the other party said that the service included in "Smooth Railway" only stays in ticket exchange, but the statement that five-star members can take the business class channel to enter the station and wait for the flight on the Internet has not been notified, and such services have not been provided.
"Holding tens of thousands of miles, in addition to redeeming free tickets, railway members also want to sit in the VIP waiting room." Some netizens lamented.
China Railway 12306 launched the "Railway Smooth Travel" membership service, which is a two-star member with real name registration. When the kilometers reach 50,000, 150,000 and 250,000, it can be upgraded to three-star, four-star and five-star respectively.
Compared with the perfect membership system of airlines, the railway points system is obviously "low-key". According to the point mileage system, airlines calculate the point mileage given to members according to the standard mileage they get from purchasing air tickets. The higher the mileage, the higher the membership level and the more services and benefits they enjoy. The essence of their business model is to reward members’ loyalty.
Major airlines have their own membership systems, such as the "Phoenix Companion" frequent flyer program of China International Airlines, the Pearl Club of China Southern Airlines, and the Golden Panda member of Sichuan Airlines.
Take Air China’s "Phoenix Companion" frequent flyer mileage reward program as an example, members can exchange miles for various prizes and concessions, including air tickets.
Passengers who have reached the age of 12 can submit an application form to become members for free. According to the mileage accumulated for 12 consecutive months after joining, members can be divided into ordinary cards, silver cards, gold cards, platinum cards and lifelong platinum cards.
Among them, the Platinum Card is the ceiling of most passengers, and its rights and interests are quite comprehensive, including extra mileage rewards, extra luggage kilograms, priority boarding channels, exclusive VIP lounges, etc. When faced with abnormal flights, it will also enjoy priority line customer service to solve problems quickly.
Upgrade to Platinum Card requires 160,000 kilometers of grading mileage or 90 grading segments. In addition to continuous upgrading, members also need to be relegated. If the mileage is insufficient, they will continue to be downgraded until they fall into ordinary cards.
"Phoenix Companion" also joined hands with Star Alliance, that is to say, it became a member of Air China’s "Phoenix Companion" silver card and above, and enjoyed the membership treatment of Star Alliance, while the latter included 26 airlines around the world such as Air China and Shenzhen Airlines.
On the surface, the point system is that merchants give profits to consumers, but in fact, it reduces the marketing and promotion costs of merchants, makes them gain loyal "repeat customers", and achieves the dual purposes of increasing sales and establishing brand image.
Play the "integral economy" well and reverse the loss situation
The integral mileage system is very common and mature in the civil aviation field, but why doesn’t the railway vigorously implement this system?
The main reason is that civil aviation and railway have different operating modes and face different market competition environments.
There are many companies on the same track, and the competition in the civil aviation industry is very fierce. At present, there are 52 airlines in China. Except for the three major airlines (Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines), most of them are controlled by state-owned assets, but there are also some private airlines.
When traveling, passengers will see that there are different airlines to choose from on the same route. At this time, in the buyer’s market, passengers will choose the best airline and flight according to their own situation.
Railways are not like this. China Railway is under the unified management of China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd.") for both passenger and freight transportation. Passengers can only buy tickets at 12306 by train or high-speed rail. In this way, the benefits lie in stable fares and punctual trains, which serve as infrastructure and provide people’s livelihood benefits. However, due to the high investment and operation cost, the railway still faces great operating pressure.
During the epidemic period, China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. was seriously affected. The net profit loss in 2020 and 2021 reached 55.505 billion yuan and 49.85 billion yuan respectively. By the first three quarters of 2022, the net profit loss in China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. reached 94.7 billion yuan, and the total liabilities rose to 6.04 trillion yuan.
Before the epidemic, although China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. was profitable, its liabilities were increasing. Taking 2019 as an example, China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. achieved a net profit of 2.52 billion yuan, but its total liabilities reached 5,485.9 billion yuan, an increase from 5.23 trillion yuan at the end of 2018, with an asset-liability ratio of 65.98%.
"The operating pressure of the railway is great, but there are also a lot of resources that have not been fully utilized. Railways can learn from the service models of some airlines to improve services and compete in the market. " Ceng Gang, dean of the Urban Development Research Institute of East China Normal University and a tenured professor, told a traveler (ID:carcaijing).
In recent years, the railway has made a series of market-oriented attempts. For example, in advertising marketing, in addition to the advertisements displayed on the body, table board, luggage rack and other planes, "XX-named high-speed train" is a new measure of the railway in the field of advertising marketing, and many enterprises and governments actively participate in the naming of high-speed trains.
On January 3, 2023, China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. held a working meeting, stressing that it will promote the market-oriented operation of railways, open the competitive links of passenger and freight transport in an orderly manner, and establish a scientific and reasonable market-oriented liquidation method and a market-oriented platform that is legal, fair and transparent.
Ceng Gang believes that the railway can make more attempts at socialized operation, let more professional service providers enter the railway field, improve the "golden card" membership service similar to airlines, provide more convenience for passengers, and at the same time, make full use of the huge passenger flow to provide advertising business, diversify operations, create healthy competition and increase revenue; At the same time, we can expand the freight business, explore goods suitable for high-speed rail transportation, and tap the freight potential.