Prepaid travel data for China with instant activation and no roaming fees
Quick Setup
No Roaming
4G/5G Speed
Refund Policy
Data only — no phone number, no calls, no SMS Your own number stays active on your existing SIM (dual SIM), and you can call and message through WhatsApp, FaceTime and similar apps.
Select a data plan above to proceed to checkout
You do not get a new phone number with this eSIM.
Setting up your eSIM? The installation and activation guide walks through it step by step, and the full FAQ covers device compatibility, hotspot, dual SIM and topping up.
The reason most travellers reach for an international eSIM in China is simple: on a local Chinese network, services like Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook are restricted. A roaming travel eSIM usually routes your data through a gateway outside mainland China, so those apps generally keep working without any extra setup or VPN.
Routing can vary by plan, so if uninterrupted access to one specific app is essential, check the plan details first. Install the eSIM before you fly, switch off airplane mode when you land, and you are online straight away.
The eSIM connects automatically when you turn off airplane mode at Beijing (PEK/PKX), Shanghai (PVG/SHA) or Guangzhou (CAN). That means maps, ride-hailing and translation are ready the moment you land - a real help in a country where signage and payment apps assume you are already connected.
China has some of the densest mobile infrastructure in the world, with extensive 5G across the cities and strong coverage on the high-speed rail network between Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Guangzhou. You stay online for navigation and translation through almost the entire trip, with only brief dips in the longest rail tunnels.
Until 31 December 2026, a British citizen passport lets you visit China without a visa for up to 30 days, for tourism, family visits, business or transit. It applies to standard passports that list your nationality as British citizen, not emergency travel documents. Your passport needs six months' validity and two blank pages, and you must register where you stay within 24 hours - hotels do this for you (gov.uk, updated 27 August 2026).
There are daily non-stop flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Beijing and Shanghai with Air China and China Eastern, from Heathrow to Guangzhou with China Southern, and from Manchester to Beijing with Hainan Airlines, according to the China National Tourist Office's list for summer 2026. China is seven hours ahead of the UK in British Summer Time and eight in winter. Sockets are types A and I, so bring an adaptor.
Paying by phone with WeChat Pay or Alipay is almost universal, while cards and cash machines are limited outside the big cities - set one of those apps up before you go. Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes cannot be exchanged in China, and fake 100-yuan notes are common, even from cash machines.
Using a UK plan costs £6 a day on EE, £8 on Vodafone and £7 or £8 on Three, with O2 data bolt-ons from £9 for 1GB.
Usually yes. Unlike a local Chinese SIM, a roaming travel eSIM typically routes data through a gateway outside mainland China, so normally-restricted apps keep working without a VPN. Routing can vary by plan, so check the plan details if one specific app is essential for your trip.
Often not - the international routing usually handles it. A VPN can still be a useful backup, but install and test it before you arrive, since VPN sites themselves can be hard to reach once you are in China.
Yes. Coverage on the high-speed rail network between the major cities is strong, with only short drops in long tunnels.
Not for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, for tourism, family visits, business or transit, on a passport that lists you as a British citizen (gov.uk, updated 27 August 2026).
No. The Foreign Office says Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes cannot be exchanged in China, so bring Bank of England notes or rely on cards and payment apps.
Get our Asia eSIM for one plan that works across the region, or pick a neighbouring destination below.