Always the First Thing You Want to Do When Entering China!

When you come to China, it is most cost-effective to have a Chinese SIM card in order to make phone calls, and to surf the internet. We have put together a step-by-step guide with all the information you need on getting a SIM card in China. 

The following is what you can expect from this article:

Step 1: Choose a Mobile Package

Step 2: Prepare to Get Your SIM 

Step 3: Buy a SIM Card

Step 4: Top Up

There are 3 mobile networks in China. Each of them offers diverse packages and plans in terms of voice hours and data. Choose the option based on your own needs.

Mobile Network Operators in China: 

General Pricing to Expect

To help you make a decision, we have summarized some best-selling packages and their prices in this table:

• In some remote areas, the signal quality of China Mobile is relatively better than those of the others.

Before go getting a SIM card, make sure you have:

• An unlocked phone

• Passport

• Cash or bank card

To buy a SIM card, here are 3 options:

Option 1: Get a SIM card in offline stores

You can get a SIM card in the official stores, shopfronts or counters of China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. In big cities, they are almost everywhere. Generally, they look like these:

It is also possible to buy SIM cards from some mobile phone vendors.

Here’s a general step-by-step process to buy a SIM card in stores:

• Go to a store.

• Ask for the mobile package that you want, or simply point to the brochure which lists all the packages they provide.

• Show your passport.

• Tell the staff which SIM card size you want: Normal, Micro or Nano.

• Purchase and register.

• If you go to an official store, try speaking English. Some staffs may speak English.

• If they don’t speak English, here are commonly used sentences when buying a SIM card in a store. You can simply show them to the staff.

Option 2: Order a SIM card on China Unicom’s English website

For those who are determined to buy a China Unicom’s package, you can order a SIM card on its English website, and pick up at several locations in the city.  

Options 3: Order a SIM card on Chinese official websites

All the packages and services can be found on Chinese official sites of these three mobile carriers. If you have friends who can help you with Chinese, you can simply order a SIM card online. It will be delivered to you in a couple of days. 

China Mobile:  http://www.10086.cn

China Unicom:  http://www.10010.com/bj/

China Telecom:  http://www.189.cn/

To load more credit on your SIM card, you can simply go to shopfronts, counters or official stores of your mobile carriers, then give them cash and your phone number.

For China Telecom users, you can also top up on its English website.

Another option is to top up by Alipay or WeChat Wallet. They are third party payment platforms which are widely used in China.