12 GoAsia Review- An Honest Take Of Everything You Need To Know

If you follow our blog, you probably know that I love Southeast Asia. I’ve traveled across the region on a budget for a year and became somewhat of an expert when it comes to cheap travel in this part of the world especially around Thailand and its islands. Traveling on a budget requires you to always find great deals when it comes to transportation and one of the best ways to do that in Southeast Asia is to use 12GoAsia. In this 12Go Asia review, we’ll take a detailed look of this booking provider and help you assess if it’s worth using or not.

Let’s start from the beginning…

What is 12Go Asia?

12Go Asia is a travel platform that provides online booking services for transportation in Southeast Asia. They offer various transportation options, including flights, trains, buses, ferries, and taxis. The platform provides information on schedules, prices, and availability for different transportation options and allows users to easily book and manage their travel arrangements. 12Go Asia serves as a one-stop-shop for travelers looking to plan and book their transportation in Southeast Asia.

Where Is 12Go Asia Available?

A good starting point for this 12Go Asia review is to tell you in which countries it’s available. 12Go Asia is available in most countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (including Bali), Myanmar, and the Philippines. However, the company has recently expanded into countries like Hong Kong, China, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan.

They offer transportation services for various modes of transport, such as flights, trains, buses, ferries, and taxis, in these countries and from one of these countries to another. I’ve used their services in multiple different countries and honestly, the experience was better when used in Southeast Asia compared to the other regions. My opinion is that this is the case because most of their employees, and therefore, expertise lies in this region but don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent service to use outside of Southeast Asia too.

Are you planning a trip to Vietnam? Then you may enjoy our list of hidden gems in Vietnam and this list of the most visited cities in Asia.

Is 12Go Asia Affordable?

The prices of transportation services on 12Go Asia vary depending on the mode of transport, the route, and the season. For example, the price of a bus ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai in Thailand could range from around 500 to 1,500 baht ($15-$45), depending on the type of bus and the time of the year. As you may or may not know, in countries like Thailand, during the highseason when there’s an influx of tourists, everything is more expensive, including transportation. Similarly, the price of a flight from Jakarta to Bali in Indonesia could range from around 500,000 to 1,500,000 rupiahs ($33-$99), depending on the airline and the time of booking.

However, one of my favorite thigns about 12Go Asia is that it allows you to compare prices for different transportation options and different providers, so you can always choose the one that fits your budget and your travel circustances.

Enjoying this post? Then you may like our guide to Chiang Mai night markets and our list of hidden beaches in Bali.

User Experience

12Go Asia’s platform is user-friendly and the booking process is very easy. In the early days, they had problems with some credit cards from Europe not working on the website but nowadays, I think those problems remain in the past. Users can easily navigate through the website and find the information they need in multiple different languages, including English, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese.

Customer Service

Now, the honest part, 12Go Asia does not provide the best customer service. They do have a team of dedicated customer support agents who are available 24/7 and you can contact them through various channels, including email, phone, and live chat but their response times aren’t the greatest and in case of cancelations, they will often ask you to contact the company (bus/train/flight carrier) directly which can be inconvenient.

Traveling With Kids

The policies regarding child tickets and age limits are different from country to country and between different transportation providers (remember, 12goAsia is just an intermediary). But as a rule of thumb, most transportation providers offer discounted child tickets for children between the ages of 2 and 11 and free tickets for infants under the age of 2.

Some transportation providers may require children to be accompanied by an adult or to have specific documentation, i.e. birth certificate, passport, etc. so making sure you have all the necessary documentation for traveling with children before your trip is just common sense (i.e. visas and health certificates).

12Go Asia vs Competitors

This 12Go Asia review couldn’t be complete if we didn’t compare it to its competitors. 12Go Asia has several competitors in the travel industry, including other online booking platforms such as Omio, Bookaway, and Kiwi. Here are some ways in which 12Go Asia compares to its competitors:

1. Focus on Transportation

 Unlike some of its competitors that offer a wide range of travel-related services, 12Go Asia focuses solely on transportation services and does not include accommodation. This specialization allows them to offer a more comprehensive and tailored service, especially in Southeast Asia, as mentioned above.

• Wide Range of Transport Options

12Go Asia offers a broad range of transportation options, including flights, trains, buses, ferries, and taxis, providing users with a range of options that can increase their flexibility when making travel plans.

• Local Expertise

12Go Asia has a strong local presence in Southeast Asia, and their team of experts has in-depth knowledge of the local transportation systems, routes, and schedules. My impression is that their expertise in the other regions they provide services for isn’t that great but still, they’re #1 in Southeast Asia in my humble opinion.

• Competitive Pricing

The competitive pricing and giving the option to compare prices of different transportation options is one of 12goAsia’s most powerful features. This pricing transparency is great but it also shows that their prices for countries outside of Southeast Asia, although still low, are not much lower than the ones of their competitors.

12Go Asia Reputation

Overall, 12Go Asia’s reputation isn’t the greatest. We’ve found that on average, between TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and TripAdvisor, 12Go Asia’s reviews are around 2.5 and 3 which is obviously not great. The main complaints in reviews are about the refund policy and high comissions on transportation, mainly in European countries where their quoted prices are often much higher than the prices on the original transportation companies websites. However, in Southeast Asia, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

What Is the Refund Policy?

Whether you get a refund or not depends on the transportation provider’s and not 12goAsia and more often than not to claim a refund you will have to contact the transportation provider directly.

However, if a transportation provider cancels a service or if there are significant delays, 12Go Asia usually issues a refund. On the other hand, if you want to cancel your booking for other reasons, the refund will depend on the cancellation policy of the transportation provider. Some providers may offer full or partial refunds, while others may have a no-refund policy, so make sure you review this before booking.

12Go Asia Pros And Cons

Just like everything else, there are pros and cons of using this platform and in this part of our 12Go Asia, we’ll share some pros and cons of using 12Go Asia for booking transportation services.

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Pros

Wide range of transportation options

Unlike most of its competitors, 12Go Asia offers a broad range of transportation options, including trains, flights, buses, ferries, and even taxis, in multiple countries in Asia and Oceania.

Local expertise in Southeast Asia

The platform has a strong local presence in Southeast Asia, and their team of experts has in-depth knowledge of the local transportation systems, routes, and schedules.

Decent customer service

12Go Asia has a dedicated customer support team that is available 24/7 to assist users with their bookings and inquiries and the waiting time is usually not long.

Competitive pricing & price comparison

12Go Asia offers competitive pricing for transportation services, most often lower than their competitors and more importantly, allows users to compare prices of different transportation options.

Cons

Limited coverage

Although 12Go Asia covers multiple countries in Southeast Asia, they do not cover all transportation services in the region.

Limited refund policy

12Go Asia’s limited refund policy and the fact you have to contact providers directly is in my opinion its largest drawback and the main reason for most of its bad reviews.

Limited availability

Depending on the season and demand, some transportation options may have limited availability, which can make planning your trip a bit more diffcult.

Why Do I Use It?

Overall, in my opinion, 12Go Asia’s pros outweigh its cons, when booking in Southeast Asia so when I book transportation in this region, I use it extensively (but I personally think there are many better options for transportation in Europe). Another reason why I like them is the different modes of transportation including buses, ferries, trains, flights, vans, airport transfers, and even taxis and the ability to compare different transportation options before choosing a deal that works the best for you.

How did you like our 12Go Asia review? Was it helpful to you in any way? Did you ever use their services before? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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