Best SIM cards for taking your phone to China

It used to be that travelling overseas was a painful affair when it came to international roaming. Nowadays, lots of SIM-only and prepaid mobile providers offer international roaming, including most of the dozens we track in our comparison engine.

If you’re gearing up to head to China, here’s a breakdown of the telcos in our database that offer a straightforward SIM solution to using your phone while abroad. Note that we’ve favoured data and duration over call inclusions for our rankings.

Before we get into the full breakdown, here are today’s popular mobile plans from our comparison engine.

There are a bunch of options for SIM-only (postpaid) and prepaid mobile providers for international roaming in China. Let’s start with the mobile providers in our database that offer both SIM-only and prepaid plans, ranked from top to bottom.

But first, here’s a snapshot of popular SIM-only and prepaid plans from those mobile providers.

Vodafone has a reputation for having if not one of the best, one of the most straightforward international roaming add-ons. If you’re travelling to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or 100 other countries, it costs $5 for a Vodafone SIM-only customer to use their typical monthly data and call/text inclusions. The main disclaimers are that you can only do this for a max of 90 days per year, and if you burn through all your data, it costs $5 per gigabyte (instead of the capped speeds in Australia).

Here are the most popular SIM-only Vodafone plans today.

Vodafone prepaid customers have a few choices for roaming, albeit with fewer destinations (80) to choose from, including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan:

• Vodafone Roaming Prepaid Add-on 1: $5 per day for 200MB of data, plus 25 call minutes and 30 texts
• Vodafone Roaming Prepaid Add-on 2: $15 per day for 750MB of data, plus 90 call minutes and 120 texts
• Vodafone Roaming Prepaid Add-on 3: $35 per day for 2GB of data, plus 200 call minutes and 300 texts

If you’re in the market for a Vodafone prepaid plan, here are some popular picks.

Optus roaming in China varies whether you’re a SIM-only or a prepaid customer. China is one of Optus’ Zone 1 countries, which means subscribers to postpaid SIM-only plans have a couple of roaming options for China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan:

Optus Daily Roaming (Optus Choice Plus plans): $5 per day for 5GB, plus unlimited call minutes and texts.

Optus Roaming Pass (non-Optus Choice Plus plans): $10 per day for 1GB, plus unlimited call minutes and texts.

Have a look at the popular Optus SIM-only plans from our database.

If you’re an Optus prepaid customer, you also have a couple of different roaming choices:

• $5 Roaming: 1GB data per day, 100 call minutes and 100 texts.
• $35 Roaming: 7GB data per day, 700 call minutes and 700 texts.

Check out popular Optus prepaid plans from our comparison engine.

While other mobile providers that use zones to divvy up international roaming classify China as Zone 1, Telstra categorises China, Hong Kong and Taiwan as part of its 74 Zone 2 countries. In fairness, only New Zealand is a Zone 1 destination according to Telstra. If you’re a Telstra SIM-only customer, you can buy an International Day Pass for $10 per day, which includes 1GB of data as well as unlimited calls and texts.

Popular Telstra SIM-only plans from our database are below.

Telstra prepaid customers have a few different options for international roaming in 38 destinations, including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan:

• $10 for three days with 400MB of data, 15 call minutes and 15 texts (SMS or MMS).
• $15 for seven days with 2GB of data, 25 call minutes and 25 texts (SMS or MMS).
• $25 for 14 days with 4GB of data, 50 call minutes and 50 texts (SMS or MMS).

These are the popular Telstra prepaid plans today.

Whether you opt for a Kogan Mobile SIM-only or prepaid plan, you’re looking at the same international roaming options for 30 destinations, which include coverage for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Kogan Mobile offers three international roaming options:

• 1 Day Roaming: $10 for 1GB data, 50 call minutes and 50 texts.
• 3 Day Roaming: $25 for 2GB data, 100 call minutes and 100 texts.
• 7 Day Roaming: $45 for 5GB data, 150 call minutes and 150 texts.

Here’s a look at popular Kogan Mobile SIM-only plans.

And below is a look at today’s popular Kogan Mobile prepaid plans.

Like Kogan Mobile, Everyday (Woolworths) Mobile customers have the same international roaming add-ons whether they’re on a SIM-only or prepaid plan. There are 68 destinations available, including China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Everyday Mobile offers three international roaming packs:

• 1 Day International Roaming: $12 for 1GB of data, 20 call minutes and 20 SMS.
• 7 Day International Roaming: $45 for 5GB of data, 30 call minutes and 30 SMS.
• 14 Day International Roaming: $70 for 10GB of data, 60 call minutes and 60 SMS.

Note that the day pass is available for all of the China destinations listed above, but you’ll need to purchase a seven-day or 14-day pack for Macau and Taiwan. Check out popular Everyday Mobile SIM-only plans below.

And here’s a look at today’s popular Everyday Mobile prepaid plans.

Unlike the other options above, Coles Mobile doesn’t offer any international roaming add-ons for its SIM-only or prepaid customers. Instead, you’ll need to load up with international credit for calls, texts and data. Note that credit expires 30 days after purchase. If you buy more international roaming credit before it expires, you can roll it over up to $500. Here are the roaming rates for Coles Mobile international roaming in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1 per minute to make or receive.
• SMS: 50 cents per SMS sent, free to receive.
• MMS to Australian number: $0.49 per standard MMS to send or receive.
• MMS to non-Australian number: $0.75 per standard MMS to send or receive.
• Data: 50 cents per megabyte

Here are today’s popular SIM-only plans from Coles Mobile.

And here are the popular Coles Mobile prepaid plans.

The next lot of mobile providers offer monthly SIM-only plans. Here’s how they look in terms of international roaming, with our ranking from top to bottom. Before we get into that, check out the popular plans from the top SIM-only providers in our database with international roaming in China.

Tangerine Telecom is a SIM-only mobile provider that offers a trio of international roaming add-ons for 68 destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Here’s what you get with the Tangerine international roaming packs:

• 7 Day Pack: $35 for 5GB of data, plus 30 call minutes and 30 SMS.
• 14 Day Pack: $55 for 10GB of data, plus 60 call minutes and 60 SMS
• 3 Day Pack: $60 for 3GB of data, plus 300 call minutes and 300 SMS.

Check out Tangerine’s popular SIM-only plans today.

More is a SIM-only mobile provider that offers international roaming via travel packs for 67 destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. There are two More roaming add-ons:

• 7 Day Pack: $36 for 5GB of data, plus 30 call minutes and 30 SMS.
• 14 Day Pack: $55 for 10GB of data, plus 60 call minutes and 60 SMS.

Here’s a snapshot of More’s popular SIM-only plans today.

Moose Mobile is a SIM-only mobile provider that offers international roaming via Zone 1 and Zone 2 travel packs. China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan all fall under Moose’s 104 Zone 1 countries, meaning it’s $15 per day for 1GB of data, plus unlimited calls and messages. Note that MMS uses data but SMS is free to receive while roaming in Zone 1 destinations.

Check out popular Moose Mobile SIM-only plans below.

Spintel offers a $15 international roaming day pass, which comes with 1GB of data plus unlimited calls and texts to standard numbers. There are 98 destinations listed for Spintel’s Zone 1 options, which includes China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Note that if you exceed your data limit, another roaming pack is automatically added for that same day.

Have a gander at Spintel’s popular SIM-only mobile plans.

Belong offers a single travel pack option for international roaming, which covers 48 countries, including China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It costs $30 for 15 days and comes with 3GB of data, plus 150 minutes of calls and unlimited SMS.

Check out Belong’s popular SIM-only mobile plans below.

Circles.Life offers two international roaming passes for its customers. The passes cover 91 Zone 1 countries, which includes China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It costs $15 per day for the CirclesRoam Day Pass, which has 1GB of data. Alternatively, pay $30 per month for the CirclesRoam Monthly add-on, which comes with 5GB of data. Note neither option has inclusions for making and receiving calls or sending and receiving texts. Instead, those are charged at a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) rate.

Here are Circles.Life’s popular SIM-only mobile plans.

iiNet doesn’t offer international roaming packs for its customers. Instead, users will have to use PAYG rates for making and receiving calls, plus sending texts. Here are the PAYG rates for China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan with iiNet, all of which are Zone 1 destinations:

• Calls: $1 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS: 50 cents to send, free to receive
• MMS: standard domestic MMS rate + 50 cents per megabyte to send and receive.
• Data: 50 cents per megabyte.

iiNet’s popular SIM-only mobile plans are below.

In terms of the SIM-only mobile providers we track in our comparison engine, AGL, Aussie Broadband, Dodo Mobile, Mate, Numobile and Southern Phone all didn’t offer international roaming at the time of writing. If you don’t plan on using international roaming or are okay purchasing a SIM card or eSIM while travelling, here’s a look at popular plans from those telcos.

This last ranking of mobile providers offer prepaid mobile plans. Before we get into the ranking of the prepaid mobile providers in our comparison engine for international roaming, check out some of their popular plans below.

Amaysim has four international roaming packs for its customers, which cover 100+ destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Here’s what you get with Amaysim’s different international roaming add-ons (all are valid for 365 days):

• Small Talk: $20 for 100 call minutes and 100 SMS.
• The Works: $25 for 2GB of data, plus 50 call minute and 30 SMS.
• Just Gigs: $50 for 6GB of data.
• The Epic: $70 for 9GB of data, plus 100 call minutes and 60 SMS.

Check out Amaysim’s most popular prepaid plans below.

Felix Mobile customers can buy a single international roaming add-on for 45 destinations, which includes China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It costs $20 for 4GB of data, plus 100 call minutes and 100 SMS, which is valid for 365 days.

Here are Felix’s popular prepaid plans today.

Boost Mobile offers a trio of international roaming add-ons for its customers, which work in 42 destinations, including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Here’s what you get with each Boost Mobile international roaming pack:

• International Roaming Small: 1GB of data per three days, plus 15 call minutes and 15 SMS.
• International Roaming Medium: 3GB of data per seven days, plus 30 call minutes and 30 SMS.
• International Roaming Large: 5GB of data per 14 days, plus 60 call minutes and 60 SMS.

Have a gander at Boost Mobile’s popular prepaid plans.

Lebara Mobile has two international roaming add-ons for its prepaid customers, which are available in 53 destinations, including China, Hong Kong and Macau. Here are Lebara’s two prepaid international roaming packs:

• Economy Roaming: 500MB of data per two days, plus 50 call minutes and 50 SMS.
• First Class Roaming: $45 of data per 10 days, plus 150 call minutes and 150 SMS.

Below is a daily updating list of popular Lebara prepaid mobile plans.

Aldi Mobile offers PAYG rates for international roaming, meaning it’s cheaper to buy a SIM card or use an eSIM if you’re travelling to China (or anywhere else in the world). Here’s what you can expect to pay as an Aldi Mobile customer for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan:

• Calls: $1 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS: 50 cents to send, free to receive.
• Data: 50 cents per megabyte.

You can see Aldi Mobile’s popular prepaid plans below.

Catch Connect customers can add $25 credit as an add-on pack, which has 30-day expiry. China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are all possible roaming destinations, and here’s how much you should expect to pay:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS: 50 cents to send, free to receive.
• MMS to Australian number: 49 cents to send and receive.
• MMS to non-Australian number: 75 cents to send and receive.
• Data: 50 cents per megabyte.

Lycamobile is another prepaid mobile provider that uses PAYG rates for international roaming. Note that data isn’t listed on the Lycamobile roaming page. Here’s what you should expect to pay if you’re roaming as a Lycamobile customer in China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan:

• Calls (landline and mobile): $3.53 per minute to make and $3.60 to receive.
• SMS: 25 cents to send, free to receive.

Below is a daily updating list of popular Lycamobile prepaid plans.

Yomojo customers are subject to PAYG international roaming rates while travelling, with China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan listed as Zone 1 countries. Here are the rates you’ll pay as a Lycamobile customer for these destinations:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1 per minute to make receive.
• SMS and MMS: 50 cents to send, free to receive.
• Data: $0.005 per 10 kilobytes.

Have a look at Yomojo’s popular prepaid plans below.

Exetel has different PAYG international roaming rates for Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4 countries. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan all fall under Exetel’s Zone 1 rates:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1.50 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS: 60 cents per text to send, free to receive.
• Standard MMS: $1 per megabyte, plus 75-cent flag fall (if sending outside the roaming country).
• Video MMS: $1 per megabyte, plus 60 cents flag fall.
• Data: $1 per megabyte.

Here are Exetel’s popular prepaid plans today.

TPG offers PAYG international roaming to its customers for Zone 1, 2 and 3 countries, with China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan all categorised as Zone 1. Note that TPG may charge users up to $500 in prepaid balance to cover costs upon international roaming activation. Here are the costs to consider if you’re travelling to a Zone 1 country as a TPG customer:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS (Zone1 countries): 50 cents to send, free to receive.
• MMS (Zone 1 countries): 50 cents per megabyte to send and 50 cents to receive.
• Data: 50 cents per megabyte.

Below is a daily updating list of popular TPG prepaid plans.

Superloop also utilises PAYG international roaming rates for its customers, separated into four zones. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are listed as Zone 1 countries. Here are the Superloop PAYG international roaming rates for Zone 1 destinations:

• Calls (including voicemail): $1.50 per minute to make and receive.
• SMS: 60 cents to send, free to receive.
• Standard MMS: $1 per megabyte used.
• Video MMS: $1 per megabyte used, plus 75-cent flag fall.
• Data: $1 per megabyte.

Here are Superloop’s popular prepaid plans today.

Vodafone offers global roaming for China for $5 a day, which is a straightforward way to use calls, texts and data like you would in Australia.

Alternatively, you can also organise a travel SIM before your trip to pop in your smartphone and activate once you arrive at your destination. Simcorner has plans for most popular travel destinations, including China, with various data options as well as unlimited data.

Yes, as long as you have an unlocked mobile phone—which is most iPhone and Android phones in recent times—you can sign up for a Chinese SIM card or eSIM.

Yes, if you pay the $5-per-day roaming fee, you can use your Vodafone SIM in China like you would in Australia.