So, you've arrived in Shanghai for Expo, but still don't have tickets? No problem, getting Expo tickets is easy, and we'll show you how to do it. First things first though, vendors in China do not accept payment by international credit card, so MasterCard, Visa, Diner's Club and the like cannot be used for purchasing Shanghai Expo tickets—UNLESS—you go through a third party vendor like Ctrip.

Ctrip sells "Expo tours" which include admission costs as well as transportation from designated hotels. See the Ctrip Expo Tour page for more on that, but they DO accept international credit cards, so don't chop up that Amex in frustration just yet!

There are four vendors with official licenses to sell Expo tickets, as well as a fifth option serving as one-stop shop for English/French/Spanish/German and Japanese speaking foreigners. That one-stop option is Shanghai Call.

Shanghai Call can be reached by dialing 962288 from any landline in Shanghai, or any mobile phone registered in Shanghai. Shanghai Call have excellent foreign language services, will deliver your tickets to you (charge according to distance) and accept more methods of payment than the other options; namely wire transfers, Western Union payments, and cash (RMB only!). Shanghai Call can also give you the numbers for the four official vendors if you want those instead.

China Mobile can be reached by dialing 12580. Their representatives speak English well, but no other languages (save Chinese of course). China mobile has many locations throughout Shanghai. They'll ask you for your location and then give you the address of the branch nearest you. RMB payment only.

China Telecom is supposedly reachable through 118114, but this number returned a response of "this number does not exist" on several occasions, so you might want to pass. Not only that, but the alternative given, 114, has no English option. They simply transfer you to a (poorly) recorded message asking you to phone 400 820 0114. We tried several times, but never managed to get through on that number. RMB payment only, if you can get it to work.

Bank of Communications can be reached at 95559. Their representatives also speak English well and offer free delivery services for those paying with Bank of Communications credit/debit cards. Otherwise it's RMB only.

China Post can be reached at 11185. Representatives have a somewhat less polished grasp of English than their counterparts above, but can get the job done. When ordering through China Post, definitely ask for the cash-on-delivery option, as English speaking postal workers are extremely rare. RMB payment only.

If you have any other questions about Expo tickets or the Expo in general, you can also try phoning the official Expo Hotline: 962010

More about Shanghai Expo 2010 on Chinatravel.net:

Shanghai Expo 2010 tickets: How to buy tickets outside China

Shanghai Expo 2010 tickets: Types of tickets

Shanghai Expo 2010 tickets: Pricelist