TuBoleto problems: payments, fees and what to do if it fails

Buying a Machu Picchu ticket on TuBoleto changed on 22 September 2026: payment must now be confirmed within minutes. This guide covers how it works, which payment methods are accepted, what the payment gateway charges and what to do if payment fails or your date disappears. Facts checked against official sources on 18 October 2026 (list at the end). This is a trial stage: conditions may change, so check TuBoleto on the day you buy.

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What changed: trial from 22 September to 22 October 2026

• Since 22 September 2026, direct sale with confirmed payment applies on TuBoleto (tuboleto.cultura.pe), for the Machu Picchu citadel and the Inca Trail Network.
• It is a 30-calendar-day trial ("marcha blanca"), 22 September to 22 October 2026, to monitor the system and make adjustments. What happens after 22 October: not confirmed in the sources consulted.
• The three-hour unpaid reservation no longer exists: you pick a date and time slot, and pay.
• Capacity did not change: 5,600 visitors a day in high season and 4,500 in low season (Inca Trail Network: 750 a day).

Payment window: 15 minutes

• You have a maximum of 15 minutes to complete the purchase and payment. Once paid, the ticket is confirmed for the chosen date and time slot.
• If you don't pay in time, the slot is released automatically and someone else can buy it.
• The Ministry is assessing whether to lengthen or shorten the window during the trial: check the window the platform shows.
• To buy you need an account as an individual (visitor) or legal entity (agency), the visitors' details, and a debit or credit card to pay online.
• Cusco Tips tip: have your passport and card (or Yape) ready before choosing a date.

Payment methods and fees

• Accepted today: Visa and Mastercard debit or credit cards, and Yape.
• Payment gateway fee: 2.83% on domestic payments and 4.69% on international payments. It is added to the ticket price; the platform shows the final amount before you pay.
• Cash: in person only, at Casa Garcilaso and the Centro Cultural (per the Ministry).
• The Ministry is working on adding other methods (Diners, American Express and Págalo.pe, the latter subject to an agreement with Banco de la Nación). They are not confirmed as available: don't count on them.

What to do if the purchase or payment fails

• Official: the Ministry says to use the guidance and support channels enabled on the platform to report any problem with the purchase or payment.

Practical Cusco Tips advice (not an official procedure):

1. Don't close the page or pay again blindly: first check with your bank whether the charge went through and on TuBoleto whether a ticket has been issued in your name.
2. Save screenshots, the time and the transaction number.
3. If the slot vanished after the 15 minutes, search again: released slots can reappear. Try another time slot, route or date.
4. If your card declines an international payment, check with your bank or try another Visa/Mastercard.
5. Don't buy from third parties offering "guaranteed tickets" outside TuBoleto: issuing tickets outside official platforms is prohibited.

If it persists, the official alternative is in-person sales (below) and the plan B in Machu Picchu sold out: what to do and plan B.

• Machu Picchu sold out: what to do and plan B

In-person sales: up to 1,000 tickets a day

• In-person sales continue at the DDC Cusco ticket office in Machu Picchu Pueblo: up to 1,000 tickets a day, bought personally with your original ID.
• They give entry to the citadel the day after purchase.
• Real-time status: TuBoleto (link in Official sources).
• Opening hours: not confirmed in official sources; check on site.
• More on the town: Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town).

• Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town): getting there, things to do and where to stay

Before you pay: ticket rules

• Tickets are personal: full name and ID number, and the original document is required to buy and to enter.
• Valid only for the date, time, circuit and holder shown. No date or name changes; only the passport number can be corrected once in case of an obvious material error.
• An unused ticket loses validity and isn't refunded, except in documented cases of force majeure.
• Pick your circuit in Machu Picchu circuits. More in Machu Picchu tickets and Machu Picchu rules. For the trek, see Inca Trail 2027.

• Machu Picchu circuits explained: which to choose (1, 2 or 3) and what you see
• Machu Picchu tickets: how to buy them on the official site and not miss out
• Machu Picchu rules: what to bring, bag size, banned items and guides
• Inca Trail 2027: permits, when and how to buy them

Official sources

Sources consulted on 18 October 2026.

Notice: This guide shares advice and recommendations based on research and local experience. Prices, opening hours and rules may change: always check with official sources and operators. Cusco Tips is not responsible for third-party services, bookings or decisions made using these guides; some links are affiliate links (see our affiliate policy).