Local eSIM
Install at home, switch on when you land.
Networks
The cheapest China mainland eSIM is $1.10 for 500 MB · 7 days; unlimited data costs $1.38 a day (the first 500 MB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy). Plans run on China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, with 5G. Prices checked 9 November 2026.
At a glance
Prices
| Data | Validity | Price | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 MB | 7 days | $1.10 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 1 GB | 7 days | $1.93 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 1 GB | 7 days | $2.78 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 2 GB | 15 days | $3.58 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $5.23 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $5.36 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 3 GB | 15 days | $6.66 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 3 GB | 30 days | $7.26 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $8.14 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 5 GB | 30 days | $9.68 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $16.09 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 10 GB | 30 days | $18.65 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $28.19 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 20 GB | 30 days | $37.98 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $68.75 | China Mobile · 5G |
| 50 GB | 30 days | $78.65 | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| 50 GB | 180 days | $88.00 | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 500 MB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $1.38 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 500 MB each day at high speed, then 512 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $1.43 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 1 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $1.79 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 1 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $2.20 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 1 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $2.53 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 1 GB each day at high speed, then 512 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $2.64 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 2 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $3.30 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 2 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $4.40 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 2 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $4.79 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 2 GB each day at high speed, then 512 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $4.84 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 3 GB each day at high speed, then 512 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $6.55 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 3 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $6.63 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 3 GB each day at high speed, then 1 Mbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $8.17 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 5 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $6.60 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 5 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $9.68 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 10 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $13.31 a day | China Unicom, China Telecom · 5G |
| Unlimited: the first 10 GB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy | 1 to 30 days | $13.75 a day | China Mobile · 5G |
| Data | ONE eSIM Our price | Airalo | Saily | Nomad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | $1.93 (7 days) Cheapest, saves $2.07 | $4.00 (3 days) | $4.49 (7 days) | $5.00 (7 days) |
| 5 GB | $8.14 (30 days) Cheapest, saves $5.86 | $14.50 (7 days) | $15.99 (30 days) | $14.00 (30 days) |
| 10 GB | $16.09 (30 days) Cheapest, saves $5.91 | $24.50 (7 days) | $26.99 (30 days) | $22.00 (30 days) |
Before you go
Plans here run on China Mobile (5G), China Unicom (5G) and China Telecom (5G); each plan names its operator and its best generation. 5G is included where the operator has it and your phone supports the local bands; elsewhere you get 4G.
Maps, messaging, ride apps and a few photos use about 300 to 500 MB a day, so 1 GB covers a short stay and 3 to 5 GB a week of normal use. The smallest plan is 500 MB · 7 days for $1.10; a longer trip is cheaper per gigabyte on a bigger plan. For video calls, streaming or a hotspot for a laptop, unlimited daily data starts at $1.38 a day. Most plans top up from your order page if you run low.
Most of our customers land in Shanghai and Beijing and travel on to Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Coverage follows the operator’s network, so a city centre, an airport and a main road are covered everywhere; remote coast and mountains depend on the plan’s operator.
A Chinese SIM card needs a passport, a shop visit and often a Chinese app to activate, and it is subject to the national internet filters. Travel eSIMs for China route data through Hong Kong or Singapore, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN.
City guides: Shanghai eSIM
Going further?
These multi-country eSIMs include China mainland and keep working when you cross a border.
Why an eSIM
Landing in China mainland with data already working means maps, translation and your ride from the airport are ready before you reach the exit. No kiosk, no passport photocopy, no hunting for Wi-Fi.
Your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts. The eSIM handles data on local networks, so you avoid roaming bills without losing your number.
Install on Wi-Fi at home and keep the line switched off until you land. Validity starts the first time it connects abroad, not when you buy.
How our China mainland prices compare with Airalo, Holafly, Saily and Nomad →Unlimited data in China mainland: our prices against the others →Good to know
Plans start at $1.10 for 500 MB · 7 days. Unlimited daily data costs $1.38 a day (the first 500 MB each day at high speed, then 384 Kbps under the fair use policy). Prices are in US dollars and include everything: no roaming fees, no subscription.
On nearly every plan, the first time the eSIM connects to a network abroad, not when you buy or install it. A few plans start on installation; each plan says which. Install within 180 days of purchase.
Turn the travel line on, enable data roaming for that line only, and set it as your mobile data line. Keep data roaming off on your home line. Most phones set the APN automatically. If you are connected but have no data, enter the APN shown on your order page or eSIM page (none shown means the phone sets it itself), or reply to your order email and we will help.
Each China mainland plan lists its operators and whether they run 3G, 4G or 5G; each plan card shows its best generation. Daily unlimited plans slow to the fair-use speed shown on the plan once the day's full-speed data is used.
Most plans can be topped up from your order page, with more data for the same area or more days. Plans marked non-reloadable cannot; buy a new one and it installs the same way.
Yes, personal hotspot works on every plan.
Yes on plans whose data breaks out in Hong Kong or Singapore, which is most of them; the plan’s details say where. Traffic leaves China through the operator’s gateway, so the usual blocks do not apply. Speeds are good in the cities.
No. The eSIM is installed before you travel and needs no local registration. Alipay and WeChat Pay for payments still need your own sign-up with a foreign card; they work over the eSIM.
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