Buying a Sim Card at Shanghai Airport
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- For more detailed info about buying a sim card at Shanghai Airport, China e-sim cards and VPN’s check out my complete and up to date guide on my blog: www.traveltomt...
In this video you can see what it is like to arrive at Shanghai PVG Airport. I will walk you through the airport from the plane till the arrival hall.
The main reason why I recorded this video is to help you find the best way to get connected when traveling to Shanghai. In my vlog I show you everything you need to know about buying a sim card at Shanghai Airport.
Trust me the best way to stay connected when traveling to China is an e-sim card. Here is Traveltomtom's comparison of the best e-sim cards for China: www.traveltomt...
Personally I used an Airalo e-sim card for China: airalo.pxf.io/...
All the prices for tourist sim cards, info about e-sim cards, the registration process and in the end I come with a conclusion what based on my experiences is the best way to stay connected when traveling to Shanghai, China.
I am sure some of the tips in this vlog about buying a sim card at Shanghai Airport for your trip to China were helpful, but if you still have questions then please leave me a comment below and I will try to help you out.
Please don’t forget to hit that like button for my effort showing you the best sim card for traveling to Shanghai.
Thanks in advance and enjoy your trip to Shanghai!
Thank you. Your information is really helpful. :D
E-sim card is an option, but it should be mentioned that you should also have a right phone (model) that supports e-sim.
Of course. For more detailed info and latest updates check out the link in description.
Thank you for the video/information. I am about to travel to China and was trying to decide whether to use Airalo or another sim card provider.
I will purchase an esim from Airalo prior to travelling.
Thanks again.
Safe travels.
Thank you sir, leaving for Shanghai tomorrow morning
Komme gerade aus Shanhai zurück. Wir haben uns in Pudong eine SIM von Chinacom gekauft. Das würden wir nicht wieder machen, denn mit und ohne VPN war sie oft zu langsam.
Very helpful video! Especially for business people or travelers.
Thank you very much! I will be at the end of May in Beijing and Shanghai. I will try Airalo e-sim card.
How did it go?
@@JackBrun98 Was ok… Sometimes still issues with the network… Still had to buy a chinese SIM card for authentication and verification with Alipay 😅 Maybe because I had an iPhone…
@@TheOnlyOne952 I autheticated with my country number. Am I missing something? (I have an iPhone too)
@@JackBrun98 ok then maybe I just had some bad luck haha
Omg...thank you so much ❤
With so many vowels how is it spelled? Airalo
But as they are (4G) data only, how do you get a sms when needed? like the free wifi, like the didi app for taxi is going to need for one-time activation.
Hi Tom, travelling to China soon and came across your video, very insightful and thank you! May I know if the Cheerway Easy Go China Unicom booth is open 24 hours? My flight to Shanghai arrives early morning at 6am, so I was wondering if it would be open.
Just asked in a fb group, my flight will arrive early too, A person had the same flight as mine and said that with all the procedures that take once disembarked, once you are done they are open. They arrived at the airport train station at 7 am and said the shops were already open :)
But isnt it true if i use an E sim compared to a regular sim i wont be able to get a chinese phone number meaning i cant use alipay or wechat ?
Alipay allows foreign numbers. But I would still get the lowest cost real sim with a real phone number, for museums, for free wifi as some locations etc.
You don't want any stress on a vacation.
Ok, Thx
Happy to hear it was helpful
Hello, I'm going on a trip to China and I need to buy a SIM, how did you pay at the airport? They say that payment there is by mobile phone, but until you have internet you couldn't pay
PS to address the no-Internet issue: you can actually save your AliPay QR code before you come & the transaction can go through then without Internet, or ask the China Mobile employee to use their mobile hotspot (they’re probably used to doing it). But the airport China Mobiles probably accept foreign bank cards or even cash.
Yes, Credit Card at the airport. Later Alipay for anything else.
@TravelTomTom hello, have you looked at the Pocket Wifi prices and optios too?
We are going there next month and would prefer an option which both could use.
Thanks
I can be really short about pocket wifis! Read my full review: www.traveltomtom.net/travel-gear/best-way-to-get-wifi-when-traveling
Hi! How was your trip? Do you have some useful experience? Was it easy to buy a simcard? Does it have any trick which was not mentioned in the video?
@@krisztianpacsa3557 We did not buy a SIM card, as we ended up purchasing a plan from our country (Brazil) for international coverage, which worked surprisingly well.
Really helpful, great video thank you!
Thanks for very informative video! 1. Did you use Airalo on an iPhone at Shanghai? (I’ve heard that iPhone’s eSIM’s are blocked in China). 2. Which network on an Airalo did you take? Thank you
From what I understand, iPhones do not come with eSIMs if they are sold in China (including many recent iPhone models in Hong Kong and Macau). eSIMs on iPhones purchased outside China should work as usual. But it's recommended to buy a plan before stepping foot in Mainland China.
@@_Tripsandtips101I live here and this gentleman is the first that E-SIMs have worked for. A friend visited with one last month and she ended up buying a Chinese SIM like I recommended. She also couldn’t get approved for WeChat until she got that local number.
How did you book the taxi? Do they have Uber or similar company
just done my 7 days trip to china qingdao xi'an and shanghai. bought a 30gb 200 yuan simcard at qingdao airport. install free vpn. vpn - super unlimited proxy. never got problem. just sometimes diconnected. reconnect. you good to go.
Latest update. Sorry guys. My recent trip in march 2024 to hangzhou and jinan. U cannot buy local number anymore. Due to local number link to cashless payment, bank, bill, etc. New policy they said. Local ID needed for registration. So i just turn on my daily unlimited roaming. Refer ur service provider plan. No vpn needed for whatsapp n google on roaming.
Hi, I’m heading there soon. Can I ask which vpn you used and also sim card? Thank you
@@davebee70 unicorn i guess. Small shop around airport. Vpn is super unlimited proxy. Blue icon with key. Free version.
Does all these SIM card comes with a local mobile number ?
@@R4TEDR yes
Can i ask you. Does the sim card allowed for call to a another Chinese mobile number
Does having a local number important to travel around shanghai? Airalo only have data plan...
Hey brother! How long did you travel in China?! I’m joining a Shaolin Temple in Rizhao and will be flying into the other Shanghai airport, SHA. How do you spell the e-sim you purchased? Perhaps I’ll do that, but I’ve heard LetsVPN is a good one to use. I’m hoping to make UA-cam videos during my time as a student and post to social media, so I really wanna figure out what’s best and most efficient for time and $! Let me know if you have any further insight! Much love brother & happy travels!
There is only 1 solution that I recommend. Super easy to avoid all hassle and not expensive at all. See the link in description
I’m a UA-camr in China and it’s easy! You just need to be prepared. My channel has step by step directions. If you’ll be here awhile, go for Astrill VPN, but set up an account on their site before coming & download it beforehand.
Betternet VPN is cheaper, a bit less reliable but better than the big names he mentions in the video for China.
China Mobile is best for cell phone service & I have China Unicom for my home Internet. Chinese people don’t use VPNs nearly as much as foreigners so they don’t need Internet as fast, so if you buy your own wifi service, insist on the highest level. I pay $30 a month for very fast wifi here in Beijing.
Also understand that some smaller cities are stuck at 4G so that will limit your access.
Foreign sim cards with data roaming works and very fast too - you get all your Google, FB, whatsapp, etc... However, Goggle maps are not detailed enough to be useful for actual travelling in China.
Works in the subway too?
welcome to china, bro
Thank you so much
I’m Chinese and I suggest you guys do not buy local SIM card there. Use data roaming or buy SIM cards from travel websites ❤
I'm going to China right now. Why not buy a card at the airport? When I fly somewhere, I buy an eSim with only data, but I found out that such cards are often blocked and there are later problems with Alipay and Wechat payments. What do you think is the best choice?
@@ipso255 u r right，local phone number is quite important in china during your trip
Did your chinamobile Sim get you a local phone number? That is worth something for booking hotels, restaurants and tickets I believe....
Did you pay cash at the airport?
Those sim card price are way too overpriced 😱. U can buy sim card everywhere for 1/3 that price
Yes that is airport tourist sim card prices. Check out e-sim cards for China much cheaper: www.traveltomtom.net/destinations/asia/china/best-esim-cards-for-china
Nice video always!!
Thanks a lot
Anything that go thru google server can't use in china
Im using Proton VPN
Has anyone tried if the esim works from the airalo international plan as well? Because the country is listed as supported.
Can I purchase airalo after reaching china
Well technically yes but you need a VPN. It is complicated but it works
Hello Tom I'm going to travel to Beijing where to buy that simcard.im only using Facebook to connect with my friends and family..thanks a lot
See the link in description. All info there what you need trust me
Hey Tom!
Thanks for this video, it is really helpful.
I am going to China in 2 weeks and I will be working from there. I will order the SIM that you recommended but I also need to get a good VPN to be able to join team meetings, etc.
Any recommendations? Also, can I order the SIM card to Canada and then use it in China?
Yes you can order it to Canada if you order a physical prepaid sim card. E-sim is just easier! Good VPNs are Nord, Surfshark, Express. But I tried all of them in China and none of them worked good. It was really complicated
Hi bro may i ask , you mean arrive to pudong only done by self immigration ?
Do they accept card from international banks
Yes I paid by card
@@TravelTomTomwhat vpn did you use
I plan to arrive early morning around 1 am. Can anybody verify that the sim card shops at the Shanghai Pudong Airport are open that late?
It says in the video and also for all small details and updated prices see the link in description.
But yes open 24h
Hi @TravelTomTom, thanks for your response. I did watch your video where you said they were open 24 hours. However, I had heard differently from another site where they said when it's late they are not around, so I was curious if anybody had actually been there that late in case you were doing your video during the day. Thanks for doing your videos. They are immensely helpful in doing my research before I go.
I have a Chinese phone but I can’t install vpn. Can I also used e sim using Chinese phone?
If your phone is e-sim compatible you can
Many new Android phones are not compatible with MANY esims. My Samsung S20 is no no for example
Yes depends on the model. Easiest way is to Google your model
this was helpfull
Thank you
I can use an e/sim on any cell phone?
Great one
Lifesaver! 😎
Luggage booth one is so expensive!
Hi Tom, i am using Airalo & VPN. Can i get access to WhatsApp & Facebook?
Meh... not compatiable with my ageing A10. I'll just use the hotel wi-fi and get some of my family to install WeChat. A break from the FB and YT might do me some good.
will it expire after one month
Your plan yes, your sim no
Have you tried using didi? Did it work with the esim card?
Never heard of Didi
DIDI is a Chinese company so it works with any sim that can be used inside china.
@@TravelTomTomdidi is China’s Uber! They have a great app that works totally in English. It does work best with a physical SIM card tho.
Hey Guys,
So can I install a VPN before flying and once I arrive at the airport I will buy a local SIM Card there. Should I be then able to access western media??
UPDATE:
I am in China now and it does work. It rly just depends on the VPN tho you have to make sure that works. Even the ones that promise best results in China might not work.
But generally buying a chinese SIM card at the airport for internet + VPN does work.
Nope not recommended. Most VPNs are blocked. Simply use esim, see link in description I explained exactly how
Thank uu so muchh, the video is very helpful, but is there anyone selling 4G sim cards? I just saw 5G everywhere, while my device just support 4G :(
Hello, my Chinese SIM card supports 5G, but I put it into my old iPhone 8+ and it worked fine. I thought it was the phone, not the SIM, that matters, but I could be wrong.
Many thanks for putting this Video! Very useful !
So! at 5:19 they pretty much everything about you for free.
Can you exchange usd to yuan and use it there? Cuz i heard you use only mobile payments there
Its so expensive!!
Yesss esim online is cheaper
Noooo it doesn’t have to be! Go with China Mobile. Their stores are everywhere and you just need a passport. Don’t mess with E-SIMs as they don’t work great here :-(. I have step by step directions on my channel!
Chins looks so cool afraid of the coronavirus still 😢
Haha
You have buy wifi, SIM card only work for text and phone call and receiving
You can not use 3 G phone and use real 5 G phones
What is even a 3G phone? 🤷🏽♂️
tomTOM
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thank my friend
Sim cards outside of china will work in china for all foreign apps and sites. However, no china phone # is provided (if u need one).
Sim cards in china will give u a china # and will block certain sites and apps. A vpn usually will solve that. Many china utubers have no issues, not sure why tomtom vpn is so slow.
I am pondering. why people still going to China???
Why not?
Unless you believe the CIA and people stirring trouble to drum up trillions of $ of lucrative arms sales.
Or go back to reducing the Chinese people to the days of poverty and starvation - when Britain, Germany, Russia, France and Japan divided China amongst themselves.
Why are your videos only about sim cards?
I don't know if it works in communist China, but for most countries it's easier and safer (many sim card sellers are scammers) to get a e-sim before leaving, some cell operators also offer cheap roaming packages which may be ok if you don't have to watch netflix or upload gigabytes of data on travel.
china has expensives visas 200 USD so better stay home
Obviously , Tomtom has not done his homework before he went to China . He could by a cheap sim card on many websites before he went to China or travel with roaming by using his cell phone and it would be much easier. China is a very big country , there are many differences between provinces and it's better to do a homework to avoid embarrassing.
And what are these websites to buy SIM cards?
Can you help me ...what shall i do as soon as i land to china airport?
In Australia, get Travelkon sim 5Gb for 30 days A$16 .
Nice advertisement! Nice try! 👎
For the remaining credit for some of their plans. If you can't finish them all before you depart. Can you get a refund for that or not?
Haha you are serious? 😁