TL;DR

Price the change before you submit it.

Open the ticketed order, read its live 退改签规则 (refund/change rules), and screenshot the quoted fee. Choose 改签 to move the booking or 退票 to cancel it. If passport verification blocks self-service, use Trip.com's international interface or the order's in-app support channel. Confirm the new e-ticket or refund destination before you close the app.

Five rules that protect your money

Do these before the clock moves

  • 01
    Check the next threshold

    Fee windows differ by airline, fare class, sales channel, and ticket date.

  • 02
    Do not assume 24 hours is free

    China has no universal 24-hour cancellation rule for every domestic airfare.

  • 03
    Match the passport exactly

    Name order, spaces, hyphens, and the document number can block self-service.

  • 04
    Protect involuntary rights

    If the airline disrupted the flight, start from the involuntary-change option or support channel.

  • 05
    Save the evidence

    Capture the fare rule, refund calculation, status page, and any agent conversation.

Your finish line

What you'll achieve

By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to locate a Chinese domestic flight booked through Ctrip or Trip.com, an Alipay travel mini program, or an airline's own app; identify the fee window attached to that specific ticket; and complete the change or refund using a foreign passport.

Success means one of two visible results: a revised e-ticket with the correct new flight details, or a submitted refund showing the amount, destination, and processing status. You should not have to guess whether the request went through.

Prepare first

What you need before touching the order

Allow 10 to 25 minutes and keep these items ready. If the departure is close to the next fee threshold, work from a stable connection and open support in a second tab or device.

  • 01
    The booking account

    Sign in to the same phone number, email, or platform account used to pay.

  • 02
    Your exact order number

    Keep the booking confirmation or original screenshot within reach.

  • 03
    The booked passport

    Use the document number and passenger name exactly as saved in the order.

  • 04
    The original payment method

    Make sure the linked card or wallet is still active if a fare difference is due.

  • 05
    A screenshot folder

    Record the policy, calculation, submission time, and final status in one place.

  • 06
    A ticketed order

    Wait for Ticketed or 已出票; self-service controls can be unavailable while issuance is pending.

Read the ticket, not a generic chart

Penalty windows can change hours before departure

Chinese domestic fares commonly price voluntary changes and refunds by both fare class and time remaining. The controlling values are the ones displayed under 退改签规则 in your order. A discounted fare can cost more to change than a flexible fare on the same flight.

Air China's published 2025 domestic schedule illustrates why generic advice is risky: its standard bands are more than 7 days, 7 days to 48 hours, 48 hours to 4 hours, and less than 4 hours through after departure. Refund percentages range from free on some flexible fares to 75% on some discounted economy fares. Other airlines and products can use different bands.

168 hoursOne Air China example threshold: exactly 7 × 24 hours before departure.
48 hoursThe next published Air China example band begins after this point.
4 hoursThe last published Air China example band runs from inside 4 hours through after departure.

Choose the right transaction

Modification and cancellation are not interchangeable

Decide what outcome you need before entering the final flow. A completed change can create a new fare basis, and a later refund may still be calculated from the original ticket rules.

改签 · Change

Keep the trip, move the flight

Select another eligible service and pay any change fee plus fare difference. If the new fare is lower, the app should show whether a difference is returned.

Best for: a new date or time on the same journey
退票 · Refund

End the ticket and return the balance

Cancel the unused ticket and return the eligible amount to the original payment method after any displayed deduction.

Best for: a trip you no longer need

Tap-by-tap sequence

Modify or cancel the domestic flight

Labels vary slightly by app version and language. The screen sequence remains consistent: order, rules, choice, quote, identity, payment or refund, then confirmation.

  1. 1

    Locate the ticketed order

    Open the account used to book and select the flight. Confirm that its status reads Ticketed or 已出票. If it says Processing or 出票中, wait for issuance or contact the seller if the stated issuance time has passed.

    Ctrip: 我的全部订单机票 Trip.com: BookingsAll bookingsFlight Airline app行程 / 我的行程Order
  2. 2

    Open the refund and change rules

    Inside the order, tap 退改签规则, 退改规则, or Cancellation policy. Note the departure-time band, fare class, change fee, refund fee, and any channel-specific benefit. Screenshot the page with the phone clock visible if possible.

    Order details退改签规则Current band
  3. 3

    Choose 改签 or 退票

    Use 改签 when you still need the journey and 退票 when you want to cancel the unused ticket. If the airline changed or canceled the flight, look for 非自愿改签 or 非自愿退票, or open support before selecting a voluntary option.

    Manage booking改签 / 退票Select passenger
  4. 4

    Review the new flight or refund quote

    For a change, select the new date and flight, then separate the fare difference from the change fee. For a refund, review the refundable fare, tax and surcharge lines, deduction, and final amount. The final screen should also identify the refund destination.

    • Passenger and passport document
    • Operating airline and flight number
    • New date, time, airport, and terminal
    • Fee, fare difference, and final refund
    • Original payment method or wallet route
  5. 5

    Clear the foreign-passport check

    If the app reports 证件信息不匹配 (ID information mismatch), compare the passenger name, name order, spaces, hyphens, middle names, passport number, and document type with the issued order. Do not overwrite a correct ticket identity merely to match a different profile.

    On Ctrip, retry from Trip.com's international interface using the same booking account. In an airline or Alipay mini program, use the support entry attached to the order and provide the order number.

  6. 6

    Authorize the payment or refund

    For a change, approve the fare difference and fee through the offered card, Alipay, or Weixin Pay route. For a cancellation, confirm the refund goes to the original payment method unless the platform explicitly offers another route.

    Review totalConfirmAuthenticate payment
  7. 7

    Verify the e-ticket or refund status

    Return to the order list. A successful change should show the new flight, date, time, passenger, and usually a new or updated e-ticket record. A cancellation should show 退款中, 退票处理中, 已退票, or the English equivalent with a refund tracker.

    If the old flight remains after 15 to 30 minutes, refresh once, check messages and payment history, then contact in-app support with the order number.

  8. 8

    Save the complete evidence trail

    Capture the pre-submit fare rules, final calculation, confirmation screen, new itinerary or refund tracker, payment entry, and any support chat. Keep them until the new trip is complete or the money has posted.

    • Order number and passenger
    • Rule and submission timestamps
    • Refund amount and destination
    • Agent name or conversation record

Close the loop

Confirm the change or track the refund

For a changed flight, compare the app itinerary with the operating airline's flight number and date. Codeshares deserve extra attention: the operating carrier may control check-in, terminal, and disruption handling even when the marketing flight number looks familiar.

For a refund, Trip.com's current guidance gives 7 to 15 business days as a reference for credit or debit cards and 3 to 7 business days for e-wallets. These are estimates, not guarantees. The airline, booking platform, wallet, and card issuer can each add processing time. Follow the estimate displayed in your specific order.

Changed flightNew flight, date, time, airport, passenger, and e-ticket record.
Refund trackerSubmitted amount, deduction, destination, and current processing state.
Payment historyFare-difference charge, reversal, or refund entry without a duplicate debit.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and the safest fix

证件信息不匹配 — ID information mismatch

Compare the booked passenger record with the profile character for character, including the document type, number, name order, spaces, and punctuation. If the issued ticket is correct but the profile is not, ask support to handle the change rather than editing the ticket identity blindly.

该票不支持在线改签 — This ticket cannot be changed online

The fare, itinerary, codeshare, or sales channel may require agent handling. Open chat from that exact order. Ask for the change fee, fare difference, and new ticket conditions before authorizing the agent.

The refund is lower than the policy suggested

Compare the displayed fare basis, time band, and fee percentage with your pre-submit screenshot. Ask support for a line-by-line calculation of the fare, taxes, surcharges, service products, and any previously paid change fee.

Payment fails on the fare difference

Check the order first for a pending change. Then review card limits, wallet linkage, and bank authentication. Retry once or use another offered payment route; repeated submissions can create holds or duplicate orders.

The app crashes after confirmation

Wait five minutes, reopen the order, and check both its status and the payment history. If there is no new ticket, refund tracker, or pending payment, contact support before retrying.

The button is missing entirely

Confirm that the ticket is issued and that you are in the original sales account. A special fare, bundled product, multi-city itinerary, or agency-issued ticket may expose only an order-specific support route.

When the airline changes the trip

Protect involuntary-change rights

If the operating airline cancels the service or makes a qualifying schedule change, do not start with an ordinary voluntary refund button unless the order explicitly says it preserves involuntary handling. Ask the airline or seller to classify the request correctly and retain the disruption notice.

Confirm the cause

Carrier, weather, air-traffic control, security, and passenger causes can lead to different care or compensation outcomes.

Keep the notice

Save the SMS, app message, written delay or cancellation proof, and the offered rebooking choices.

Use the carrier policy

Chinese rules require domestic carriers to publish whether, when, and how they compensate delays.

After the request

Update the rest of your trip

If you changed flights, revise your airport transfer, terminal plan, hotel arrival time, and any separate ticket that depended on the original schedule. For city transport, use our public transportation guide. If you canceled and need a replacement, compare the final fare rules on Trip.com and the airline's own app before paying again.

For a more resilient travel stack, keep the payment, translation, maps, and transport tools in our essential China apps guide ready before the new departure.

Common questions

Chinese domestic flight cancellation FAQ

Only when the fare rules or a specific airline benefit say so. China does not have one universal 24-hour free-cancellation rule for every domestic ticket. Check the live 退改签规则 attached to your order before submitting a request.

Policy references

Sources and further reading

Fare rules, app labels, payment estimates, and special benefits change. The final terms shown in the issued order remain the authority for that ticket.

How we keep this guide usefulWe review fare timing, passenger-service rules, and major app flows when the underlying policy changes. Your issued ticket, the operating carrier, and the final confirmation screen remain the authority for a specific booking.