In this day and age, and in particular when you're an expat in Mainland China, a smart phone is an essential, and to make it do all the things that are part of daily life in the 'Middle Country', you'll need a China SIM (subscriber identity module) — a China SIM card is what gives you your China phone number.
Our China SIM cards expat guide includes where to buy SIM cards, China SIM card policy, how to choose a network, fees and top ups, and SIM card uses. All of this article refers to MAINLAND CHINA. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan have their own separate and different SIM card policies, networks, and usage.
Contents
- Why Buy a China SIM Card?
- Where to Buy China SIM Cards
- China SIM Policy
- Paying for China SIM Cards
- What to Do with Your SIM Card When It's Not in Use
- China Highlights Is Here to Help
Why Buy a China SIM Card?
It's for so much more than just calls, texts, and data. A China SIM card is more of an ID card than an ID card! (Expats don't get China ID cards anyway, but we do get China SIM cards.) It is the phone-number-personal-identifier key that unlocks everything from banking to super apps and ties them to you. (A foreign phone number won't work.) To have a China phone number is to have an identity in China's app age.
You can do without a car — just call a ride with your phone app… or QR-code a bus/bike/scooter/metro ride.
You can do without a house — just find somewhere to rent with 58.com and pay for it with your banking app or WeChat Pay.
You can even do without cash and a bank card — just pay with your phone… Well over 99% percent of taxis, supermarkets, restaurants, and all other shops and services accept mobile payments!
But, it seems you can't do hardly anything without a SIM card in your smartphone, and you can't be someone in China without a phone number … i.e. a SIM — a subscriber identity module.
Where to Buy China SIM Cards
So, where do you buy one?... You could buy a SIM card (with a service package) from one of the three phone service providers in Mainland China (China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile) in China at a street outlet, or outside China (online) via a middleman dealer like 3GSolutions.
Buying a SIM outside China is the convenient option if you're only staying in China for a short time (good for visitors), but it's not the way for expats staying longer as it's more expensive than a network outlet SIM (it's pay-as-you-go vs contract deal). However, check out this important point first:
To use a China SIM card, you need to buy an "unlocked" phone first — a phone that is not "locked" in to one particular (foreign) network. If you have a "locked" phone, then it will already have a SIM inside, maybe one that is irremovable, so that you cannot change SIM card and network, or it will only work with SIM cards from its network.
You could buy a SIM card with a phone in China. Many SIM deals/contracts come with a smart phone included in the deal. (However, phone shops in China don't generally offer SIM cards). Phone shops abound in the city centers and popular thoroughfares, often congregated together with phone accessory shops and phone network outlets (for SIM cards).
So, whether you buy a phone with your SIM card or buy an unlocked phone separately, it's very convenient to shop distance-wise in China. However, it does take rather a long time. Set aside a couple of hours for waiting and going through the formalities at a China network dealership.
Choosing a Network
China Telecom SIMs don't work with foreign phones, so be prepared to start afresh with a China phone if you go with them. They do offer good broadband packages (their specialism is home connections) combined with a phone service plan, so worth considering if you want to want to get both together. Best for "with broadband" deals.
China Mobile has the best coverage (and also do good broadband combined packages), but there have been speed issues in non-4G areas for foreign phones. Best option if your Chinese phone is your main focus.
China Unicom SIM cards work with most (unlocked) foreign phones, so if you're trying to keep using yours, then this is probably your best option. Their broadband is not quite as good or widely available, but cheaper. Best for foreign phones and economy.
China SIM Policy
Real name policy: You must use your real name to register and activate a China SIM card. (This did not use to be the case at all 12 years ago.) Your name must be evidenced by an ID document, usually your passport (ID card if you're Chinese). Every personal mobile phone number in China has a name associated with it, which makes anonymity very difficult. No longer are SIM cards sold ad hoc at the road side and in kiosks and grocery stores.
You will have to have your face scanned and maybe your fingerprints too!
Paying for China SIM Cards
Your SIM card plan can be paid for by a one-off payment for a one-year or two-year contract or it can be paid for in top-up amounts. These can be paid by visits to a service provider outlet, bank direct debit, online payment at the network provider website, or WeChat Pay or Alipay top-ups (app-giant payment is the most popular way).
Paying by phone call and bank card is seldom unused in China. Voucher top-up codes are still used sometimes, though a bit antiquated.
Expect to pay:
- About US$1–2.5/day (6–20 yuan/day) for 30-to-90-day packages (buyable outside China) or pay-as-you-go
- 70–100 yuan/month for a phone plan – 5G costs a bit more
- 100–150 yuan/month for a "with broadband" plan (without "add-ons")
What you get:
- 0.3–2 GB data/day on short-term packages or up-to-unlimited data on contracts
- 100 minutes and 100 texts (in China) per US$5 (30 yuan) on pay-as-you-go or up-to-unlimited minutes/texts on contracts
- US$0.2 (1 yuan) per international text
- International calls charged separately at international rates
What to Do with Your SIM Card When It's Not in Use
Unused China SIM cards are withdrawn from service after a certain period of no use (from 30 days to a year). If you do not contact your service provider — this usually means turning up in person at a service outlet with your passport — and arrange for your number (i.e. SIM usability) to be retained for a period when you are not using it, it will automatically be discontinued, and you will probably have to get a new SIM and phone number!
For a small fee you can arrange for your SIM to be put on hold ("this number is not in service") and then reactivated when you want to use it again. This is particularly useful if you leave China for an extended period and intend to return.
If you don't plan on using a SIM card again, it is best to officially permanently deactivate it at a network outlet. If you don't, some providers will allow you to rack up a debt.
The worst thing you could do is give/sell your SIM card to someone else as this would be almost be as bad as handing them your identity to use (or providing them clandestine anonymity). Unregulated SIM card resale is illegal in China.
So, if you lose your SIM card (and phone), and it could fall into the wrong hands, it's also best to deactivate it — and quickly too if it can be used to access your various online/app accounts! Protect them by deactivating phone access before they are stolen/abused.
China Highlights Is Here to Help
Are you having trouble with life in China or traveling around? You may want to seek help from the China travel company with the most excellent TripAdvisor reviews from overseas travelers/expats.
We at China Highlights have lots of experience with expat/traveler phone use in China, being in business for over 23 years. We can even help arrange a SIM card for you for your travels in China. Contact us.
Want to discover more of China's highlights? See our tours designed for expats.
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