At PVG you need WeChat, maps, sometimes a translator, before you have hotel Wi-Fi. Internet in China in 2026 is not a “magic 5G” problem. It is a tool problem. Compatible unlocked mobile: take an eSIM, installed before Heathrow, and test the VPN at home. EE / Vodafone / Three roaming and public Wi-Fi come later, not as plan A.
This guide ranks the ways to stay online on the trip: eSIM, home roaming, pocket Wi-Fi, plastic SIM, airport Wi-Fi. Hosts behind them stay China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. Detail in the network guide. The box has its own piece: eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi. Home roaming too: roaming or eSIM. Plans sit on the China comparison.
Supplier links are affiliates. They do not move the eSIM verdict or the catalog prices. Detail in the methodology.
Internet in China: the 2026 verdict
| Option | Who it is for | Strength | Traveller weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel eSIM | 1 to 3 compatible mobiles, 5 to 21 days | Buy before the flight, host written, €/GB | Data only: no Chinese number. VPN to test |
| Pocket Wi-Fi | Large group, tablets, device with no eSIM | One Wi-Fi for N devices | Queue, deposit, object to carry |
| Home SKU that still lists China | Only if this week’s page names China | Data on the line you already have | You do not pick the host. A French Free Max SKU is the example, not EE |
| Operator travel pass | Voice calls on the home number | An add-on in the carrier app | Opaque host, €/GB often behind the eSIM |
| PAYG per MB | Nobody | None | French Orange: €13.31 per MB. UK PAYG is the same idea in pounds |
| Public Wi-Fi | Nobody as plan A | Backup for a forgotten QR | Captive portal, often a Chinese SMS |
Rule: eSIM-ready phone: China eSIM, home data roaming off. No eSIM: plastic SIM or pocket Wi-Fi. A rare SKU that writes China: data roaming can hold if you recheck the country list the week you fly. PVG café or hotel Wi-Fi is not a plan. 5G is dense in cities (MIIT: 69.9% of lines on 5G, end of June 2026). It does not replace a plan. It does not bypass filtering. EU roaming does not cover China.
Three eSIMs we track, useful once the phone passes the check:
CodeESIMP15
CodeSIMP
CodeESIMP
Who it is for: solo, family, group, business
| Profile | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, compatible iPhone / Pixel / Galaxy | eSIM | WeChat in the pocket as you leave the runway |
| Couple, two unlocked mobiles | 2 eSIMs (or 1 + tethering) | Two bars. One travel pass does not save the second phone |
| Family, kids / tablets | Adult eSIMs + hotspot | Monzo, Revolut, PayPal, HMRC OTPs stay on the home line |
| Group of 5+ | eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi | One group Wi-Fi, not five home roam bills |
| Business, laptop | eSIM + tethering | An hour of video in Shanghai on EE PAYG has no human cap |
| Older traveller, uneasy with a QR | eSIM installed at home | The PEK desk is not simpler once the deposit is down |
| Teens on a cheap SIM | eSIM, home data off before boarding | A light UK PAYG or Irish SIM carries almost nothing outside Europe |
| Premium world tariff, China listed | Home data roaming possible | Recheck the list. Keep SMS on that line anyway |
| Mobile with no eSIM | Plastic SIM or pocket Wi-Fi | The eSIM is not relevant. Check the model first |
A reader with no eSIM in the phone is not “behind”. They have another tool. The rest of this guide assumes a compatible SKU, the usual case on our catalog.
What the eSIM changes in 2026
An eSIM is not a network. It is access to a host. The brand (Airalo, Holafly, Ubigi, Nomad, Orange Travel) is a reseller. You buy China Mobile, Unicom or Telecom, not a “5G World” cloud.
Friction. Buy from the sofa. Install on home Wi-Fi. Activate on landing. No deposit, no desk hours, no return on the outbound flight day.
Dual SIM. iPhone and most recent Galaxies: home line for the number (bank OTP, HMRC, Monzo). China eSIM = data line. That is the clean 2026 move. You no longer choose between WeChat and the card code.
A readable host. On our side the host networks column names the MNO. An EE travel pass or a welcome SMS at PVG almost never does.
5G is dense in cities. The MIIT counts 5.102 million 5G stations at end of June 2026. On a Yunnan pass you fall back to 4G. That is normal.
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram: often no, without a VPN. WeChat, Alipay, Baidu Maps, metro QR: yes. Test the VPN before Heathrow. Some eSIM partners throttle VPN.
The move: install before Heathrow, keep the home number
Open the compatibility tool before you buy a QR. EE / Vodafone / Three Galaxies and iPhones: some SKUs have no eSIM. Mainland China iPhones: often no eSIM. This is not “every iPhone 14+”.
Install the profile on home Wi-Fi, or at Heathrow / Dublin / a connection Wi-Fi. Scanning a QR jet-lagged at PVG is the Tube on a Sunday night: it works, it is not plan A.
On arrival: cellular data = China eSIM. Data roaming off on the home SIM. Data roaming on on the travel eSIM if the profile asks (that is the host setting, not “EE roaming”). Leave the home number on for SMS.
PVG / PEK / PKX / CAN pocket Wi-Fi remains an object, a queue, often a deposit. We pull it only if the eSIM does not hold. See the eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi guide.
| Provider | Typical host | Code | Offer | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airalo | China Unicom (often) | ESIMP15 | Offer | Review |
| Ubigi | check live | ESIMP | Offer | Review |
| Holafly | check live | SIMP | Offer | Review |
 Nomad | check live | ESIMPNOMAD | Offer | Review |
 Orange Travel | check live | ESIMP | Offer | Review |
Estimate gigabytes for maps, video and hotspot.
Open calculatorPHONEeSIM compatibilityCheck iPhone, Pixel and Galaxy before you buy. EE, Vodafone or Three SKUs are not always eSIM.
Check my phoneWhen the eSIM does not hold
Three cases, no more.
- No eSIM in the phone. Carrier Galaxy, mainland China iPhone, old iPhone. The QR will not take. Plastic SIM at the desk, or pocket Wi-Fi.
- Many devices, one radio. Four tablets, two phones with no stable hotspot: a box avoids draining the parent’s battery.
- You refuse tethering. Some eSIM plans cut hotspot (fair use). A box stays an access point, even if the host behind is the same MNO.
Public Wi-Fi (PVG, PEK, cafés, hotels) is not on that list. It patches a QR. It does not replace WeChat on the metro.
Roaming, pocket Wi-Fi, public Wi-Fi: the rest
Home roaming. EU roaming stops at the EU border. China is not in it. EE, Vodafone, Three and most EU tariffs bill PAYG per MB. On French Orange the public ladder is about €13.31 per MB. A rare 2026 exception sits on a factsheet: a French Free Max SKU sometimes lists China. That is not EE. Carriers also sell travel passes. Useful to answer the home number. Less useful to pick the host. Detail in the roaming guide.
Pocket Wi-Fi. Useful for a group or a device with no eSIM. Useless for an unlocked iPhone and ten days in Shanghai. Queue, deposit, return. Same radio (Mobile / Unicom / Telecom) as an eSIM, more friction.
Local plastic SIM. Airport desk, passport, sometimes a Chinese number. Useful with no eSIM. Less useful once the phone takes a QR: you already paid the queue. See eSIM vs local SIM.
Public Wi-Fi. A portal, often a Chinese SMS you do not have. It works at the hotel. It does not work on the metro, in a Didi, or at 6 am on the Xi’an platform.
How much data for your trip in China?
Three typical trips, same maths as the calculator, China factor (VPN, WeChat, offline maps). Maps, WeChat, Reels or a laptop on tethering: the same gigabytes on an eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi box. Turn off photo backup on cellular if you want the low end. Read the fair use.
Estimate 9.5 GB · Maps, chat, WeChat. No Reels, no laptop.
Estimate 18.9 GB · Same base, plus half an hour of video a day.
Estimate 36.1 GB · One hour of phone tethering a day for the computer.
How to choose
Start with the phone, not with PVG.
Open the compatibility tool. No eSIM: plastic SIM or pocket Wi-Fi. Stop there for the eSIM.
If the eSIM passes: open the EE, Vodafone, Three or EU subscriber area. Search the word China in this plan’s country list, this week. If it is still written, data roaming can hold. Light UK PAYG, giffgaff, most EU métropole SKUs: almost never included without a pass. Take the eSIM, switch off home data roaming. Travel pass: only if you need voice on the home number.
Buy a mainland China plan, not “Asia”, unless you really chain Japan or Thailand. Hong Kong and Macau are other SKUs. Read the host (China Mobile, Unicom, Telecom) in the comparison. Ignore “5G World”.
Install on home Wi-Fi. Test the VPN. Keep the home line for SMS. Size the GB (maps, WeChat, Reels, a laptop). Do not buy “unlimited” because you fear PAYG: you cut PAYG, you do not buy it. Read the fair use.
Mistakes that still cost money
- Counting on PVG / hotel Wi-Fi
A captive portal is not WeChat on the metro. Install the eSIM before Heathrow. Public Wi-Fi patches a QR, not a week.
Compare China eSIMs - Leaving home data roaming on “just in case”
PAYG per MB. Switch off data roaming, not the line: bank SMS still have to land.
Compare China eSIMs - Buying an “Asia” eSIM for Shanghai only
You pay for Japan / Thailand you will not use. Stay on a China plan, and read the host. A regional pack only wins if you actually chain borders.
China plans only - Waiting until PVG to test the VPN
Some SKUs throttle VPN. Test at home. Ask in writing before you pay.
Check compatibility - Taking pocket Wi-Fi “because it is simpler”
Queue, deposit, return. An eSIM installed at home is the simplest move once the phone is compatible.
Check compatibility
FAQ
How do I get internet in China in 2026?
Compatible unlocked phone: a China eSIM installed before the flight, plus a VPN tested at home if you care about Google, WhatsApp or Instagram. It is not EU roaming, nor PVG Wi-Fi. No eSIM: plastic SIM or pocket Wi-Fi. Home PAYG per MB: never.
Do I need an eSIM to travel in China?
As soon as the phone takes one, yes, it is the simplest tool. The eSIM is no longer relevant on a locked operator Galaxy, a mainland China iPhone, or a group of tablets with no radio. Test the model before buying a QR.
Is hotel, airport or café Wi-Fi enough?
Not as plan A. It patches a forgotten QR. WeChat, Alipay, metro: you need cellular data. Captive portals often ask for a Chinese SMS. On the Beijing metro, hotel Wi-Fi is not a plan.
How many GB for 10 days in China?
About 10 GB for a city week (maps, WeChat, a bit of photo). 20 GB if you add video and a VPN. A laptop on video calls pushes toward 30 GB or a hotspot plan. The site calculator uses the same scenarios, China factor (VPN, WeChat, offline maps).
Can I keep my home number?
Yes. A China eSIM is almost always data only. Leave the EE / Vodafone / Three SIM or eSIM for HMRC, Monzo and bank OTPs. Switch off data roaming only.
Where to buy the eSIM: before the flight or in Shanghai?
Before. QR and VPN on home Wi-Fi or at Heathrow / Dublin. An airport desk mostly sells local prepaid and pocket Wi-Fi, with a queue. PVG public Wi-Fi is plan B, not a shop.
Sources
All external sources open in a new tab.
- MIIT, communications statistics end of June 2026.
- EE / Vodafone / Three: recross your roam factsheet the week you fly (China is almost never in the UK inclusive list).
- eSIM Giga catalog: China comparison.
- Sibling guides: best mobile network in China, eSIM or local SIM, eSIM or pocket Wi-Fi, roaming or eSIM.
A travel eSIM, a pocket Wi-Fi and a home line in roaming often ride the same MNOs. What changes is the price per MB, the host pick, and the bank SMS. Once the phone is compatible, we stay on the eSIM.