eSIM for China

A prepaid travel eSIM that gets you online the moment you land in China. You install it from a QR code we email you, usually in about five minutes, with no physical SIM to swap and no trip to a carrier shop. On most of our China plans the data routes outside the mainland, so the apps you already use keep working.

Prices by data and trip length

Prices in US dollars, checked November 3, 2026. The plan page shows the current price before you pay.

Plans for China only

The 12 cheapest of the 14 sizes sold for China alone, without other countries:

Unlimited data plans

4 unlimited plans work in China. Unlimited plans give a set amount of full speed data, then slow down. The cheapest for each length:

Plans for short trips

Plans that last less than a week, cheapest first for each length:

Plans for China and nearby countries

• China, Japan and South Korea: 8 plans, from $5.99 for 4 GB over 5 days.
• China, Hong Kong and Macau: 3 plans, from $16.99 for 15 GB over 180 days.
• Asia plan, 4 destinations, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan: from $6.49 for 3 GB over 7 days.
• Asia plan, 11 destinations, including Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan: from $5.52 for 3 GB over 5 days.
• Asia plan, 15 destinations, including Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Japan: from $5.99 for 3 GB over 15 days.
• Regional plan, 21 destinations, including Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Japan: from $13.99 for 7 GB over 30 days.
• Regional plan, 98 destinations, including Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Japan: from $41.99 for 13 GB over 365 days.

Network and plan details

• 45 of the 77 plans connect at 5G where the local network and your phone support it. The rest use 4G LTE.
• Of the 77 plans for China, 65 start when you first use data and 12 start when you install the eSIM.
• Your data goes out to the internet from Hong Kong on 26 plans, Macau on 11 and Singapore on 10. 6 use other places. 24 do not say. Websites usually see that place as your location.
• None of the 53 plans that name a place send your data to the internet from mainland China.
• Hotspot sharing works on every plan here.
• The catalog does not name the local network for these plans.

China is the one destination where the SIM card you pick actually changes which apps work. A local Chinese SIM sits behind the Great Firewall, so Google, WhatsApp, Gmail, Instagram, and most Western services are blocked unless you run a VPN. A roaming travel eSIM is different. The traffic leaves the country before it reaches the open internet, which means those same apps load the way they do at home.

The Great Firewall, and why it usually does not reach you

This is the part most travelers get wrong. They land in Shanghai, buy a SIM at the airport, and then spend the first evening trying to figure out why Google Maps and WhatsApp will not load. The block is real, and a local SIM is subject to it.

Most of our China plans roam through partner networks that route your data outside the mainland, for example through Hong Kong or Singapore. From the network's point of view you are a foreign visitor passing through, not a domestic subscriber, so the firewall filtering that applies to local lines does not apply to you. In practice that means Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and your usual messaging apps work without a VPN. A small number of mainland-only plans behave differently, so read the plan notes before you buy if firewall-free access is the reason you are here.

What you can use the data for

Getting around. Apple Maps works well across Chinese cities. The local navigation apps, Amap and Baidu Maps, are more accurate for transit and walking directions, and both need a live connection. Google Maps works on a firewall-free plan, though its mapping data inside China is dated.

DiDi. China's main ride-hailing app runs entirely on data. It has an English interface and is the easiest way to get a cab without speaking Mandarin.

WeChat Pay and Alipay. Both now let foreign visitors link an overseas Visa or Mastercard, and in a lot of places they are the only way to pay. Street stalls, the subway, small restaurants, and many shops have stopped taking cash. Both apps need a connection to generate a payment QR, which is what the eSIM is for.

Translation. Live camera translation for menus and signs, plus voice translation in conversation, all need data. This is the single most useful thing a connection buys you on a first trip.

Where it works

Coverage roams on the major Chinese networks, so the cities and regions travelers actually visit are well served:

• Beijing, including the airports at Capital (PEK) and Daxing (PKX)
• Shanghai, including Pudong (PVG) and Hongqiao (SHA)
• The Greater Bay Area: Guangzhou (CAN), Shenzhen (SZX), and the Hong Kong and Macau land crossings
• Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Suzhou
• The high-speed rail corridors between all of the above

Signal thins out in remote western regions such as the Tibetan plateau and parts of Xinjiang, and inside some subway tunnels, which is normal for any network. Download an offline map before long train rides through the countryside.

Common situations

First trip to China as a tourist

Buy the eSIM before you fly. Install it on home Wi-Fi, then leave it switched off until you land. The moment you turn on roaming at the airport you have working data, payment apps, and maps, without hunting for a SIM counter or queuing to register a passport. For a one or two week trip a mid-size data plan is plenty.

Business traveler in Shenzhen or Guangzhou

Factory visits, Canton Fair, and supplier meetings all run on WeChat. You need the app live to swap contacts, share location, and confirm meetings. A firewall-free plan also keeps your work email and company tools reachable without setting up a VPN that your IT team may not allow.

Student arriving for a semester

Use the travel eSIM for your first week or two while you settle in. It covers the gap before you open a local bank account and register a long-term Chinese SIM. It also keeps you reachable on WhatsApp and your home messaging apps from the day you land.

Long layover at PEK, PVG, or CAN

Even for a few hours between flights, a small data plan lets you message family, call a DiDi to a nearby hotel, and use payment apps inside the terminal. Activate on the airport Wi-Fi and switch off the home SIM's roaming so you do not get billed twice.

How to install your eSIM before you fly

1. Buy the plan. The eSIM arrives by email, usually within a minute. Install it at home on Wi-Fi with the one-tap link or the QR code in the email. 12 plans start counting at install or purchase, and the tables mark them. Install those close to your flight.
2. Name the line China and keep it off until you land. Do not delete it after setup, because an eSIM installs only once.
3. On arrival, turn the line on, choose it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it. Turn off data roaming on your home line.

Screen by screen steps for iPhone and Android are in our travel eSIM install guide.

Phones that work

Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked. One catch specific to China: phones bought from a mainland Chinese carrier sometimes ship with eSIM disabled in the system menu. If you are buying a handset for the trip, get an international model. Check your model on our compatibility page.

Common questions

Nearby destinations

Guides

• Why roaming on a US carrier is slow abroad
• Check if your phone supports eSIM
• Travel eSIMs for every country