China eSIM

Staying connected in China

The simplest way to get online in China is to install a travel eSIM at home and set up your apps before you fly, while everything is easy to reach. AirOva sells two kinds of China plan: fixed GB plans and unlimited data with no data cap. Depending on the plan, the eSIM connects to China Mobile, CSL Mobile, CTM, China Telecom, China Unicom and SmarTone, with 5G where available; each plan card lists its networks, and some may be in Hong Kong or Macau.

Which China plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips, but budget more data than for a European trip of the same length: translation, ride-hailing, maps and QR payments run constantly. About 5 GB covers five days in Beijing or Shanghai, a two-week multi-city trip needs 12–15 GB, and a business trip with video calls 20 GB or more. Unlimited plans are priced by the number of days, for travellers who would rather not count gigabytes. Not sure? See how much data you need.

Coverage: cities, rail and remote regions

Mainland coverage is excellent almost everywhere you are likely to go. Expect signal in every major city — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Xi'an, Hangzhou — and generally in big-city metro stations and tunnels. Signal holds on most of the high-speed rail network, with short drops in long tunnels, and at major sights from the restored sections of the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army to Huangshan and Zhangjiajie. The gaps are remote: rural Tibet, Qinghai, parts of Xinjiang and high mountain routes, where towns are usually covered but the long stretches between them are not.

Arriving in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou

Install the eSIM on home Wi-Fi before you board. After landing at Beijing Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX), Shanghai Pudong (PVG) or Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), turn off airplane mode, switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line; the plan is prepaid, so roaming adds no charge. Keep roaming off on your home SIM, but leave it in the phone for bank codes. Validity starts on the first connection in China, so installing a few days early costs nothing — see how to install an eSIM.

Apps, payments and the Great Firewall

Mainland China filters internet traffic at its borders, a system widely known as the Great Firewall: on a domestic connection — a local SIM, hotel or cafe Wi-Fi — Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and most Western news sites are unreachable. Roaming data is typically carried to the issuing operator's gateway outside the mainland, which is why many travellers find their usual apps work on a travel eSIM; treat that as likely, not guaranteed, because routing can vary by network and change without notice. Before you fly, sign in to every app, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card and download Amap or Apple Maps, since Google Maps is unreliable for navigation here; DiDi handles ride-hailing. The China eSIM guide covers every step.

One more China tip: hotel and public Wi-Fi gives you the filtered internet, and some hotel networks ask for a Chinese phone number to log in. Menus, metro tickets and museum entry run on QR codes; save important documents offline and carry a power bank. Crossing to Hong Kong or Macau? Check the country list of your plan first.