Internet in China in 2026: how travellers stay online
Staying online in China in 2026 is no longer “rent a Wi-Fi egg at the airport or hope the hotel Wi-Fi holds”. Five doors exist. One is the default if the phone takes eSIM: the eSIM.
The others (local SIM, pocket WiFi, UK roaming, public Wi-Fi) stay useful. They do not win out of habit. They win in precise cases.
No frozen price here. For today’s plans: the China eSIM comparison.
Five ways to stay online in China
| Option | When it is plan A | When it loses |
|---|---|---|
| Travel eSIM | Unlocked compatible phone | Handset that refuses the QR |
| Local SIM | +86 number, long stay, phone with no eSIM | City break, Dual SIM already possible |
| Pocket WiFi | Tablets, Switch, several screens with no eSIM | Every pocket already has a compatible iPhone |
| UK roaming | 24–48 h, forgotten QR, emergency | A week of maps and messages |
| Public Wi-Fi | Hotel, café, station pause | Street, taxi, train, site |
China is very well equipped with 4G and 5G in the cities. That is not a reason to arrive with no data. Maps, taxis, tickets, messages: that happens in the street.
Plan A: a China eSIM before the flight
Check the model in the compatibility tool. Unlocked. Some regional variants have no eSIM: the country you visit changes nothing, the model number does.
Then a China plan. Install the QR on stable Wi-Fi. On landing, turn eSIM data on. Switch off EE, Vodafone and Three data. Keep the line for texts.
Read the network: China Mobile, Unicom, Telecom. Beijing and Shanghai, all three work. Off the corridor, China Mobile first. Detail: Chinese mobile networks.
Airalo, Holafly, Saily, Nomad, GigSky, Yesim, GoMoWorld, Ubigi, Airhub, Orange Travel: same demand, sheet open. We talk about everyone. We crown no one. The table ranks checkout price, hotspot included. Promo codes go on before you pay.
Airalo
Network on the plan sheet
The reflex for reading MNO, zone and hotspot before the flight.
Saily
Network on the plan sheet
Same reading. The logo does not replace the network line.
Nomad
Network on the plan sheet
Check mainland China, not only an Asia pack.
Yesim
Network on the plan sheet
Duration, 5G, hotspot, checkout price. No separate ranking.
Holafly, GigSky, GoMoWorld, Ubigi, Airhub, Orange Travel: same criterion. If the provider does not publish the network, that is a gap.
What works, and what a local IP does not let through
Prepare before the flight, on Wi-Fi at home:
- WeChat and Alipay, with the traveller flow if you want to pay. A UK number is often enough. A +86 becomes useful only if a local service refuses it. See eSIM vs local SIM.
- Offline maps and offline translation. Do not count on the usual web once you are on an IP in mainland China.
- Tickets, hotel bookings, screenshots of addresses in Chinese.
On an IP in mainland China, Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and part of the press generally do not answer. That is access filtering, not a fault in your plan. An eSIM whose traffic leaves the country may behave differently. A counter SIM does not. Pocket WiFi on a local tower does not either, unless the rental sheet says otherwise.
We do not publish steps to bypass that filtering, or a list of tools to do it. Local rules and app behaviour move. The practical advice is one line: pick the plan by reading network plus access type, then travel with WeChat, Alipay and maps already downloaded.
The FCDO notes these access limits in its China travel advice. Reread it the week you fly.
Hong Kong, Macau, and the trap in the word “China”
A “China” plan in the comparison is often mainland China. Hong Kong and Macau are other networks, other plans. A Shenzhen plus Hong Kong weekend: open the zone, or plan a second profile.
An “Asia” pack does not include China until the sheet writes it. Same discipline as for the network.
The other doors, in the order they lose
Local SIM. A +86, passport, counter. Plan B. Detail in eSIM or local SIM.
Pocket WiFi. Tablets and phones with no eSIM. Deposit, battery, return. Detail in eSIM or pocket WiFi.
UK roaming. 24–48 hours, or a forgotten QR. Not ten days of maps. Detail in China roaming 2026.
Hotel and café Wi-Fi. Useful in the evening. Useless in the street. Do not put bank logins on open Wi-Fi if you can avoid it.
Comparison
China eSIM plans
Named network, hotspot, zone, checkout price after a promo code.
How many GB, and how to activate
About 1 GB a day if you stay on messages, offline maps and reasonable photos. Less if everything is downloaded first. More if hotspot feeds a laptop or video runs.
The calculator sizes it. The comparison buys it. Activation is at home: iPhone / Android guide.
On landing: eSIM data yes, home data no, home line yes for texts. If it does not attach, the provider’s support. Not the reflex of switching on a roam pass without reading the price.