Getting online in China
A travel eSIM is a data plan you install before departure and switch on when you land, so your phone is online in China without roaming charges and without hunting for a SIM counter at arrivals. Your home number stays where it is — the eSIM sits alongside it.
Plans, prices, data amounts and validity are set by our partner and shown on their own page. We do not repeat them here because they change and we do not measure them.
Where you land in China
These are the airports in China with scheduled flights and an IATA code. The minute you step off one of them is the minute an eSIM stops being optional.
| Airport | Code | City |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Capital International Airport | PEK | Beijing |
| Changchun Longjia International Airport | CGQ | Changchun |
| Changsha Huanghua International Airport | CSX | Changsha (Changsha) |
| Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport | CTU | Chengdu (Shuangliu) |
| Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport | CKG | Chongqing |
| Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport | DLC | Dalian (Ganjingzi) |
| Fuzhou Changle International Airport | FOC | Fuzhou (Changle) |
| Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | CAN | Guangzhou (Huadu) |
| Guilin Liangjiang International Airport | KWL | Guilin (Lingui) |
| Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport | KWE | Guiyang (Nanming) |
| Haikou Meilan International Airport | HAK | Haikou (Meilan) |
| Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport | HGH | Hangzhou |
Where you will actually use the data
The largest towns and cities near those arrival airports, by population (GeoNames). Coverage is the partner's to state, not ours — this is simply where travellers in China tend to be.
- Chongqing32 054 159 people
- Shanghai24 874 500 people
- Chengdu20 937 757 people
- Beijing18 960 744 people
- Guangzhou18 676 605 people
- Shenzhen17 494 398 people
- Tianjin13 866 009 people
- Hangzhou11 936 010 people
Before you buy
Two things worth checking on your own handset, because they decide whether any eSIM works at all: the phone must be eSIM capable, and it must be carrier unlocked. Most phones sold in the last few years are both; phones bought on a carrier contract often are not until the contract ends.
We do not test handsets and cannot tell you whether yours qualifies — your phone's settings screen and your carrier can.