Getting a SIM Card in China: Airport Counters, Carrier Store Rates, Real-Name Requirements, and Key Tips

Let's settle the "do I need one" question first: for trips of roughly a week, Alipay, WeChat, and DiDi can all be registered with an overseas number, so you can get by perfectly well without a Chinese SIM card. A local card starts to earn its keep if any of the following apply:

• Staying more than two weeks (local data rates are an order of magnitude cheaper than roaming);
• You want to order food delivery or use Meituan/Dianping group-buy deals;
• You need to make and take local calls (booking restaurants, contacting your host);
• International roaming data is on the pricey side, and you don't depend heavily on blocked overseas services (see the key difference below).

Choosing Among the Three Major Carriers

China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom all let you sign up at their carrier-owned stores with your original passport (real-name registration plus facial capture — a legal requirement that cannot be skipped). The differences in brief:

Carrier	What they're like
China Mobile	The widest signal coverage; the first pick for remote areas and mountains; plenty of tourist plans
China Unicom	Fast city networks, well-practiced foreigner service at airport counters; a traveler favorite
China Telecom	Balanced signal and speed, dense network of stores

For city travel the three feel much the same — just sign up at whichever store is nearest.

Where to Sign Up: Airport Counter vs. Downtown Store

Airport counters: Major airports — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and the like — have carrier outlets or authorized counters in the arrivals hall, so you can sign up right after you land. Indicative tourist-plan pricing: on the order of ¥100–300 per month, including tens of GB of data and a bundle of call time. Stick to legitimate counters carrying carrier branding (the words China Unicom / China Mobile / China Telecom), and keep your guard up around third-party stalls promising "free data with your SIM".

Downtown stores: Search your maps app for "China Mobile / Unicom store" (中国移动/联通营业厅) and pick one flagged as carrier-owned (自有营业厅). The plan lineup is fuller and the pricing more standardized than at the airport. Passport, number selection, and signing take about 20 minutes in all; a translation app is worth having ready.

Three Reminders When Signing Up

1. Get the fee structure clear: monthly fee, data allowance, overage rates, contract term, and how to top up (both the carrier's app and Alipay work). Some discounted plans come with a 12-month contract and a penalty for early cancellation — for short stays, choose a "no contract, stop anytime" plan.

2. One passport, a cap on numbers: A single passport can usually be registered for at most 5 numbers with each carrier; normal use will never come close to that cap.

3. Count on a physical SIM: China's three major carriers only began commercial phone eSIM service in October 2025, and it is currently aimed mainly at holders of a Chinese mainland ID card and requires in-person enrollment — passport holders cannot yet get a local eSIM, so just take the physical card.

Before You Leave: Suspending the Number and Your Balance

A short-term card can simply be abandoned once you're done with it — unpaid fees trigger an automatic suspension — but your real-name details remain in the carrier's system. If you are on a contract plan or want to keep the number for a future trip, you can switch to minimum-monthly-fee number retention (usually ¥5–8 per month) via the carrier's app or in a store.

One Key Difference: A Local Card Is Restricted, Too

A point many guides never quite spell out: when you go online with a Chinese SIM card, your traffic runs over the Chinese mainland network, so blocked services such as Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram remain just as unreachable (the reasons are in "Which Apps Work in China").

The common setup that covers both needs: a local card (big data allowance, everyday use) + an international eSIM or roaming plan bought at home before departure (switch over when you need overseas services) — exactly what dual-SIM phones are made for. For the full comparison, see "Roaming, eSIM, or Pocket WiFi: How to Choose".