Travel to the Far East with the best eSIM for China. With DTAC’s Happy Tourist eSIM you’ll get 6GB of data at an excellent price of 15 usd, with a validity of 10 days. This eSIM is great for traveling to South East Asia because it provides coverage in China but also in most of the region.
China’s diverse geography complements its 5000 years of history perfectly. Chinese culture welcomes travelers from around the world, whether they seek beautiful landscapes or modern cities.
The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, coexist with modern wonders like Shanghai’s promenade Zhongshan Lu, or Hong Kong’s skyline. Given China’s size, it offers a limitless variety of destinations for all kinds of tourists.
Nature wonders like the Yangtze River and the Three Gorges, or the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park share scenario with awe-inspiring historical and archaeological marvels such as the West Lake of Hangzhou, the Giant Buddha of Leshan or the Potala Palace in Tibet.
Get ready to dive into a different culture and explore new world views, flavors, and customs.
If there’s one thing you must not experience when traveling to China, is a cripplin phone bill when you return home. Buy the best eSIM for China and avoid roaming fees with Go Inter by DTAC.
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Benefits of travel eSIM plans for China
Travel eSIM plans are above all convenient. The fact that you can download an eSIM from anywhere in the world, right before your trip, and use it as soon as you land in a foreign country beats everything else. To use a SIM card, you’ll have to go to a telecommunications vendor and identify yourself. With an eSIM, you don’t have to. You can simply bring it with you on your trip. This is especially important for China since Chinese carriers require a lot of bureaucracy and don’t support eSIMs. With a heavily regulated and controlled telecommunications market, most phones in China don’t come with eSIM support, but if you bring a phone with eSIM capabilities, you won’t have any issues.
An international travel eSIM means that you won’t be restricted by the Chinese great firewall, so you’ll be able to surf the internet without restrictions.
Also, getting a travel eSIM for China helps you avoid roaming charges and provides a plan that fits your budget and data usage.
Global/Regional coverage vs local coverage
Prices of eSIM plans with local coverage are usually cheaper than the prices of regional or global eSIMs. Single-country eSIMs only serve one country, but regional or global eSIM plans involve multiple network partners to cover different regions. However, in DTAC’s case, the price for a global eSIM is quite similar to the one of a single-country eSIM for China.
Now, what are the advantages of global eSIM cards? Pretty simple: peace of mind.
Let’s set an example. You’re traveling to China and your flight path includes a layover. With a global eSIM, you’ll be able to use your mobile data to stay connected without using any unsafe airport Wi-Fi hotspots.
Another benefit of using regional/global eSIM cards like DTAC’s Happy Tourist is that you’ll have data service while traveling through East Asia. It offers coverage in many countries commonly visited in tours or travel packages, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, or Singapore. So, if you can purchase a global eSIM for the price of a single-country eSIM, the best choice is always the global eSIM.
Best travel eSIM plans for China
| eSIM Plan | Data | Price | Coverage | Validity | Features |
| 🏆Go Inter by DTAC | 6GB | 15$ | Worldwide | 10 days | Tethering allowed, network: China Mobile/China Unicom |
| Nomad | 20GB | 27$ | China | 30 days | Tethering allowed, network: China Unicom |
| Holafly | Unlimited | 34$ | China | 10 days | VPN Included, no tethering, network: China mobile |
| Airalo | 2GB 10GB | 8.50$ 28$ | China | 15 days 30 days | Tethering allowed, network: China Unicom |
Go Inter by DTAC: The best global eSIM for China
The plan
Go Inter by DTAC is the best eSIM you can buy to travel to China. For a price of 15 usd, you’ll get 6GB to use for 10 days. 6GB is a great data allowance given that, with proper data management, an average user will need around 5GB of data for 10 days. It is a perfectly optimized eSIM for a visit to China.
Global coverage
The real reason we consider this eSIM the best one of the eSIM cards you can purchase, is that it provides coverage not only in China, but in over 27 countries in the world, including neighboring territories such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia South Korea or Japan, and even the Autonomous Region of Tibet is included in this package. For the price of a single-country eSIM, you’ll get the coverage of a global eSIM.
Nomad
Large data package
Nomad offers a large data package for China with 20GB of data for 27 usd. At an interesting price, we find that the lack of global coverage hinders this eSIM, since you’ll only be able to use this card within China.
Longer validity
This eSIM plan is valid for 30 days, which might be a disadvantage if you’re not traveling for that long. Ultimately, you could end up wasting data and money since you can’t use it elsewhere.
Holafly
Pricey but unlimited
Holafly provides, for 10 days like DTAC’s Happy Tourist, an unlimited eSIM card for the price of 34 usd. This offer is the most expensive of our list, and unless you’re a heavy mobile phone user (especially since you won’t be able to share your data with any other device via tethering), this plan is too expensive.
VPN included
This plan, however, offers a great feature. It provides a VPN or Virtual Private Network. With it, you’ll add an extra layer of security and privacy to your internet searches while in China.
Airalo
2GB for 15 days
Airalo offers several eSIM plans for China. Their plan with a similar validity as DTAC offers only 2GB of data for an abusive price of 8.50 usd. This plan results in a price per GB of 4.25 usd, which is almost double the cost of DTAC’s Happy Tourist eSIM. 2GBs is way too little data for such a period, so this eSIM stays as the worst one you can purchase from our selection of cards.
10GB for 30 days
Airalo’s best offer for China is a 10GB card for 30 days. With a price of 28 usd, it is still more expensive than DTAC’s Happy Tourist eSIM plan.
In addition, Airalo’s eSIM plans offer coverage only in China, so you won’t be able to use their data anywhere else but China. There’s no point in comparing these cards to DTAC’s eSIM.
Overview of the network carriers in China
China has the highest mobile network coverage in the world, so you won’t have any connection issues when traveling there.
China Mobile is the largest mobile carrier in the world with around 920 million clients, all of them in China, and China Unicom and China Telecom service the remaining 40% of the Chinese population.
It doesn’t matter which network partner your travel eSIM connects to, since all of them are state owned and controlled, so the quality of service will be the same.
How to buy an eSIM for China
To get a travel eSIM for China, all you need to do is choose the eSIM card that best suits your needs for your next trip. After that, access the carrier’s website and after making sure that you can use this eSIM on your device (through the list of compatible devices) purchase it. You’ll then receive a QR code and instructions on how to activate it.
As simple as that. No need to go to a local store to buy local prepaid SIM cards (and deal with local issues or subscriptions), no need to buy a SIM card and wait for it to be delivered in your mail, from the comfort of your own home, a few minutes, and you’ll have your eSIM with you before leaving your own house.
Get the best eSIM for China
FAQ about China eSIM
What’s the best eSIM card to travel to China?
Happy Tourist by DTAC is the best eSIM card you can get to travel to China. Added to the excellent price and 6GB of data, its best feature is the coverage it provides in over 27 countries in the world, included several countries in South East Asia. You’ll get a global eSIM for the price of a single-country eSIM.
Why are eSIMs banned for local carriers in China?
The Chinese Government hasn’t approved the use of eSIMs in Chinese devices. The government has security concerns about its population using eSIM cards, although travelers can use eSIMs brought with them into the country.
Can I use WhatsApp in China?
The answer is no, WhatsApp is not allowed in China. Due to the strict control of the internet access inside the country, WhatsApp users can’t access the app in mainland China. The alternative to bypass the WhatsApp ban is to use a VPN. With a VPN, you can encrypt your communications rerouting them through a remote server.
A different messaging app widely spread in China (and developed and monitored by the Chinese Government) is WeChat.
Should I activate my eSIM before my trip to China?
While purchasing an eSIM can be done from anywhere in the world, we recommend you to buy it before leaving for China. However, the best moment to activate your eSIM is as soon as you land in China. This is the best way to avoid connection issues and avoid roaming fees while visiting the country.
Are VPNs illegal in China?
No. Using a VPN in China is not officially illegal. The Chinese Government allows VPNs to operate in China as long as they cooperate with the state. This defeats the privacy purpose of a VPN, but Chinese citizens are the ones more likely to face issues when using VPNs. Travelers hardly face any problems when using VPNs, especially if they use the ones allowed by the government.