How do I Get a Chinese Phone Card?

How do I get a Chinese phone card?

By xiaoyue\May 12 2025

First of all, if you want to continue to use your cell phone number during your trip, you need to make sure that your cell phone number is enabled for “international roaming” service before you leave, and find out the roaming rate, which is usually much more expensive than the local service charge.

If you are not sure if your phone card will work in China, it is highly recommended to check with your phone carrier before you leave, as some foreign carriers do not have cooperation agreements with Chinese carriers.

Secondly, if you are not on such a short-term business trip of 2-3 days, it is recommended that you can buy a physical SIM card for mainland China, with cheap rates, stable service and very convenient handling, with two ways of purchase:

A、On-site Purchase:

You can do it directly at the telecom business hall at the airport after arriving in China. In large port cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, telecom operators have airport business halls, so you can ask the airport staff for the exact location. Or you can go to the nearby telecom business hall on site after arriving at your hotel.

But airport carrier stores usually have short-term plans that are perfect for international travelers (like 7-day, 15-day, or 30-day packages), and the staff there tend to be more comfortable speaking English.

There are three main telecom operators in China, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, of which China Mobile is the largest, with relatively the best network distribution and network quality in the country. Short-term packages are usually around 15 USD and include a certain amount of airtime and data traffic.So I highly recommend it!

Of course, if you are traveling in the city and not planning a trip to a remote area, then you can choose any of these three carriers to apply for, there is not much difference.

You will need to bring your passport or permanent resident alien ID card to the sales office in person to apply.And you can pay for fee by Alipay、WeChatpay or your bank card.

TIP:You’ll need to go to the store in person with your passport – no one else can do it for you, and you can’t handle it online either.

B、Internet ordering:

If you don’t want to do it on-site, you can also buy a temporary China SIM card online before your departure through a specialized website。

I recommend Nihao Mobile at https://www.nihaomobile.cn/en, a regular website specializing in communication services for foreign travelers coming to China.

Purchase Process

Login to the website – Contact online customer service (English) – Select a package – Select a payment method – Verify passport information – Purchase successful。

The website supports WeChat, Alipay and PayPal payment, and after purchase, you can mail directly to the specified address, but the delivery address can only be an address in mainland China.

we suggest you fill in the address of the booking hotel, even if the package has been delivered before you check into the hotel, usually the hotel will collect and temporarily keep the package for the guests.