eSIM China
China eSIM from 2,95€ for the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao: 1 to 50 GB on China Unicom or China Telecom, prepaid, no contract, no registration – online minutes after landing in Beijing or Shanghai.
Your Selection
Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for China?
Set it up before you fly
You buy the eSIM and get an email with a link and a QR code right away. Set it up at home on Wi-Fi – the validity does not start yet, it starts with your first connection on the ground. While you are at it, download the apps you will need in China.
Switch it on after landing
Whether you arrive at Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou Baiyun, Chengdu Tianfu, Hong Kong International or Macau International: turn the Simbye line on in your settings and enable data roaming for it. You are online shortly after, with nothing to configure by hand.
Change nothing on the road
Shenzhen to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Macao – the same plan keeps running, you swap nothing. Use the hotspot to bring your laptop and tablet along. When the data or the validity runs out, you simply book again.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which countries does this eSIM for China cover?
This eSIM covers 3 destinations: mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. One eSIM is enough for all three – you never swap anything on the road.
Network list from our provider, as of October 2026. Which network you get depends on coverage where you are.
eSIM or a local SIM card in China?
Take the eSIM if you are crossing into Hong Kong or Macao: the same plan keeps running and your hotspot stays open, whereas a Chinese SIM means a passport at the counter and a new card at each border.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| Border mainland → Hong Kong → Macao | You swap nothing, the same plan keeps running | A new card per destination, new credit, new setup |
| When you get online | Right after landing in Beijing or Shanghai, because you set it up at home | Only once you find an open counter in the arrivals hall |
| Registration | Not needed | Anyone buying a SIM card in China signs up at the counter with a passport |
| Language | Buy and set up in your own language | Advice and contract often in Chinese only |
| Phone number | None – data only | Local number included |
| Hotspot | Allowed, laptop and tablet come along | Blocked or charged extra depending on the plan |
| Your usual number | Stays active in your phone, the eSIM runs alongside | You swap the card, your number is offline meanwhile |
| Data allowance | 1 to 50 GB, 7 to 180 days, decided up front | Top up locally; leftover credit stays on the card and is no use to you once you leave |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
What does an eSIM for China cost?
from 2,95€
5 plans · 7–180 days
Simbye offers 5 plans for China from 2,95€ to 47,95€ — prepaid, no contract.
Plans for China range from 1 GB to 50 GB.
Validity runs from 7 to 180 days and starts with your first connection in China.
Data plans
- 1 GB 7 days 2,95€ 0,42€ per travel day
- 5 GB 30 days 9,95€ 0,33€ per travel day
- 10 GB 30 days 19,95€ 0,66€ per travel day
- 20 GB 30 days 23,95€ 0,79€ per travel day
- 50 GB 180 days 47,95€ 0,26€ per travel day
Frequently Asked Questions about China eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
Yes, Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work in China with this eSIM, without a VPN. Your data is routed through Singapore rather than a mainland Chinese connection, so the apps you use at home keep working in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao. Install WeChat as well before you leave – it is how hotels, guides and people you meet stay in touch with you in mainland China.
Yes, this eSIM covers Hong Kong and Macao too, along with mainland China. You change nothing and buy nothing extra at the border – the same line keeps running in Shenzhen, in Kowloon and on the Cotai Strip.
No, Taiwan is not included in this eSIM. For Taipei and the rest of the island you need a separate plan, and the same goes for Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia.
No, there is no China eSIM with a phone number here - this is a data-only plan, so calls and SMS over the network are not part of it. Talking works through calls inside apps; WeChat calls run in mainland China. SMS codes still go to your usual number, so keep it active in your phone.
Yes, in mainland China this eSIM runs on China Unicom and China Telecom; in Hong Kong it uses csl and SmarTone, and in Macao CTM. You choose nothing and set nothing by hand – your phone connects to the right network automatically.
Yes, you can buy the eSIM for China before you fly - it starts at 2,95€, so you can set it up at home without rush and arrive in Beijing or Shanghai already online. Validity starts with your first connection on the ground, not with the purchase.
The validity starts with your first connection to a network on the ground, not when you buy. Depending on the plan it then runs 7 to 180 days.
No, you don't need a SIM card in China; the eSIM replaces it. Anyone buying a local SIM card in mainland China has to register with a passport and sort out the paperwork in Chinese at the counter – both steps disappear for you.
Data needs for China run about 5 to 10 GB for most two-week trips. Maps, messengers and translation apps run on roughly 150 to 250 MB a day. Uploading photos from the Great Wall or the Bund takes you toward 500 MB or 1 GB daily. Video calls home, streaming on the high-speed train and a hotspot for the laptop are the heavy items, and then a larger pack is the safer pick.
The eSIM that's best for China depends on your route. An eSIM for China is a digital SIM card built into your phone. This plan covers mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao together, so you swap nothing at the border, and your phone registers on a local network by itself. What is left to decide is data volume and how many days you need. It carries data only and gives you no Chinese number, so keep your home SIM for calls and codes.
Ready for China?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
