A Chinese phone number, and why everything waits on it
Which carrier, what the shop needs from you, and the doors a local number opens that a roaming SIM does not.
5 min read
A local number is not about cheaper calls. It is the identity key: the bank wants one, food delivery wants one, and half the verification flows in this guide send an SMS that a foreign number sometimes never receives. Get it in the first two days.
The three carriers
| Carrier | Chinese | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| China Mobile | 中国移动 | Widest coverage, most shops, least English |
| China Unicom | 中国联通 | Usually the friendliest to foreigners, good in big cities |
| China Telecom | 中国电信 | Strong indoors and in the south |
What the shop needs
- Your passport, physically. A photo of it is not accepted — registration is real-name and they scan the document.
- An address. The hotel's is fine for the first days.
- Cash or a working card for the first top-up, typically between fifty and two hundred yuan.
Go to a proper carrier shop, not a kiosk. A kiosk may sell you a card registered to somebody else, which works until it does not, and then takes your bank account and your Alipay verification down with it.
What to ask for
- A monthly package with data rather than pay-as-you-go. Fifty to a hundred yuan buys enough data for ordinary use.
- Confirmation that the number is registered in your name. Ask them to show you the confirmation SMS.
- The self-service app or WeChat account for topping up, so you are not going back to the shop every month.
About eSIM
Support for eSIM on foreign handsets in mainland China is limited and varies by carrier, city and device. Do not build your arrival around it — buy a physical SIM and treat an eSIM as a bonus if the shop offers one.
Sources
- China Mobilechecked 2026-09-07
- China Unicomchecked 2026-09-07
Rules, fees and app screens change. Everything here was checked against the sources above on the dates shown; when the app in your hand disagrees with this page, the app is right.