China Travel eSIMs That Actually Work (and Save You Money) in 2025/2026 — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Today I'm breaking down some tried and true eSIMs  that actually deliver. Because in China where
2. 0:05mobile data is needed for basically everything  from paying for the subway to accessing the
3. 0:11menu in restaurants, having the right eSIM can  easily make or break your trip. So let's cover
4. 0:16some great options and everything you need  to know about eSIMS. I've also reached out
5. 0:20to these companies to get a special promo code  only the best for my viewers. So make sure you
6. 0:25check the description box to get your special  discount. And later in the video, I'll share
7. 0:30some tips around eSIMs to make sure you're not  wasting your money, as well as an uncommon tip
8. 0:34to make sure you always have data. Something that  will reassure even the most nervous of travelers.
9. 0:42Let's start with a refresher on what is an eSIM.  And for those of you who want to skip straight to
10. 0:47recommendations, you can go to this timestamp. So,  eSIMs are basically the digital version of your
11. 0:53traditional SIM card. And a travel eSIM will give  you mobile data to use when you're traveling. And
12. 0:59on that note, I often see people in travel groups  saying that eSIMs are not really necessary that
13. 1:04you can just turn on international roaming. And  while it's totally fine if your carrier happens to
14. 1:10offer a daily or a monthly data plan for a fixed  price, unfortunately, not every carrier offers
15. 1:16this. And even for the ones that do, often from  what I've seen is that the rates are much higher
16. 1:21than what you would pay for an eSIM. So, I would  still shop around and see what's your best option.
17. 1:26So, eSIM are much more convenient than their  physical counterparts because now you no longer
18. 1:30have to worry about hunting down that SIM vending  machine or that SIM booth hoping and praying
19. 1:36it doesn't overcharge you for the SIM cards and  then you have to fumble with the little card slot
20. 1:41switching in a new SIM card and then pray that  you don't lose your original SIM card when it's
21. 1:45time to go home. With eSIM, you can purchase in  about 2 minutes online, take another two minutes
22. 1:50to set up on your phone, activate it right before  you get on the plane, and then you'll have data
23. 1:55as soon as you land. It's pretty great, honestly.  eSIM are also really convenient in the context of
24. 2:01trying to travel if you want to stay connected to  your apps like Google, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube,
25. 2:08as the local SIM cards and a Wi-Fi won't be able  to access these sites without an additional VPN.
26. 2:13Now, before we dive into the recommendations,  you need to quickly check two things. First,
27. 2:18make sure that your phone is unlocked.  If your phone is locked to your carrier,
28. 2:22it will only work with that company's SIM cards,  and it won't accept a foreign eSIM. You can check
29. 2:29this by going into your settings and looking for  something along the lines of carrier lock, and it
30. 2:34should say no SIM restrictions. Or you could give  your cellular company a quick call to check. Next,
31. 2:40you'll want to make sure that your phone supports  eSIMs. Most phones from the past five or so years
32. 2:46should support them, but you can double check  by dialing *#06#, and that will pull up your
33. 2:54device info. If you see a section that says EID,  then your phone is eSIM compatible. Hopefully,
34. 3:00your phone passes both checks and you're good  to proceed. Now, before we continue, please
35. 3:05take a second to tap the like button and consider  subscribing if you're finding this helpful so far.
36. 3:11My goal is to make China travel easy through this  channel, and I appreciate your support. All right,
37. 3:15we're finally ready to jump into the part you're  all waiting for, the eSIM recommendations. These
38. 3:21are in no particular order since they're  all very highly rated and all work well.
39. 3:28First up, we have Airalo, a cost-effective eSIM  with reliable and fast data that's especially
40. 3:34great if you're visiting multiple destinations. A  lot of you have mentioned that along with China,
41. 3:38you're planning to stop in places  nearby like Japan, Korea, Taiwan,
42. 3:42and so forth. That's exactly what I do. And it  used to be such a headache to have to manage data
43. 3:48across all these different places. I would have to  either buy a new SIM card at each place or juggle
44. 3:54multiple eSIM plans and then have to remember to  turn off the old plan, activate the new plan in
45. 3:59each place. It was just a lot. And this is where  Airalo really shines. They have regional packages
46. 4:06all around the world and their Asia package covers  China plus 17 other countries all under one plan.
47. 4:15I've purchased this plan so many times now,  including for a trip two years ago where I went
48. 4:19to seven different destinations, and it couldn't  have been easier. I set up the plan ahead of time.
49. 4:25I activated at the airport, and then that was it.  I had data in all seven places. Honestly, so easy.
50. 4:31And if you do have any issues, their team is super  nice and responsive, which is always helpful.
51. 4:36This is a data only eSIM, so no calls or texts,  but you can use hotspot if you want to connect a
52. 4:42friend or connect your laptop. And the price is  very fair, too, especially with the 10% discount
53. 4:48that Airalo has kindly shared for my viewers when  you use the link and the code in the description.
54. 4:53That means you can get a 5 gigabyte plan to use  across 18 countries for a month for only $18.
55. 5:02And if you don't need that much data or you're  not staying for that long, then there are even
56. 5:06cheaper plans as well. There's also this  global option covering 100 plus countries
57. 5:11for you globetrotters. So, make sure to check  that out. And if you want a step-by-step guide
58. 5:16on how to set up an eSIM like Airalo so you can  have data the moment you land in China, let me
59. 5:21know in the comments and I can work on putting  that together. Up next, we have MobiMatter, which
60. 5:27is actually an eSIM marketplace, and it gives you  access to multiple carrier options and data plans,
61. 5:32make it very easy to select exactly what fits  your usage needs and budget. What I really like
62. 5:38about MobiMatter is the fact that they're very  upfront with their details for the eSIM. So,
63. 5:43for example, it'll tell you what kind of speed  you can expect, where your data will be routed,
64. 5:48if you can hotspot, if you can top up data,  the kind of information that's not often shared
65. 5:54upfront. These rates are also just insane. Look at  this option where it offers 20 gigabytes for only
66. 6:00$14. So, if you're looking for a no frills  eSIM with extremely good rates, then this is
67. 6:06definitely one you should consider. and make sure  to use the link and the code in the description to
68. 6:11get additional cash back. Last but not least, we  have Trip.com which offers really solid plans for
69. 6:17really low rates. They have a bunch of plans on  their website, so just make sure you pick the one
70. 6:22that says mainland China in it. I'll link one of  them in the description as well. And if you prefer
71. 6:28for your data to reset on a daily basis, they have  some options for that, too. like mobile matter. If
72. 6:34you're looking for something that's simple and  inexpensive that just works, then this is great.
73. 6:39So, these are a couple of great eSIM options  for you to consider. There are a ton of others,
74. 6:43but these are my personal picks lately. Now,  let's move on to talk about some must know eSIM
75. 6:48tips to make sure you have a smooth experience.  My first tip is to make sure you buy your eSIM
76. 6:53and set it up before your trip. This is because  you need to set up the eSIM on a stable internet
77. 6:59connection and that's much easier to do in your  home country than banking on the airport Wi-Fi
78. 7:04at your destination. But don't buy your eSIM too  early either as most companies will require you
79. 7:09to use it within 2 to 3 months. So if your trip  is many months away, I will wait until you're
80. 7:14a little bit closer within the two month range  and then buy it. Then after I purchase the eSIM,
81. 7:19I usually try to add to my phone immediately.  So, this usually involves scanning a QR code that
82. 7:24gets sent to my email after purchase. But don't  hit activate. That's really important because
83. 7:30once you activate, your plan actually starts. I  usually wait until I'm about to board the plane.
84. 7:35It's usually the last thing I do is to activate  the eSIM and that way I'll have data the moment I
85. 7:41land. Speaking of landing, once you arrive at your  destination, remember to turn off your primary
86. 7:46SIM to avoid roaming charges. And then you'll  enable data roaming on your new eSIM, select it
87. 7:51for the data and then it should automatically  connect you to the best local network. I also
88. 7:56recommend downloading the apps for the companies I  mentioned earlier which will make it very easy for
89. 8:01you to manage your data, see how much you use  so far and to add more if needed. By the way,
90. 8:07for more must know China travel tips, make sure to  check out my website for a free China essentials
91. 8:13guide. It's a great cheat sheet of things to  ensure you're ready for your upcoming trip, free
92. 8:18for a limited time. So, make sure to grab yours  soon. You now know some of the best eSIM options
93. 8:23for China. And if you're conflicted about which  one to get since they're all so good, you can
94. 8:27actually get multiple since they're all digital.  And some phones will even allow you to have two
95. 8:32active eSIMs at once. This is actually a good idea  if you're nervous about, you know, running out of
96. 8:38data and you're outside. So, maybe you want to get  an extra 1 GB or so as a backup plan. All right,
97. 8:44that's all for now. Let me know which one  sounds interesting for your upcoming trip.