Buying a Prepaid Sim Card in Hong Kong For Travel in 2024

If you want to stay connected during your trip to Hong Kong, I recommend buying a prepaid sim card. Data roaming can be super expensive so getting a local prepaid sim card or a sim card suitable for traveling to Hong Kong, can really save you a lot of money.

There’s tons of options to pick from including local sim cards, international sim cards, eSims, pocket WiFi rentals and more.

But with such a huge range of options, you might find it hard to choose which is the best option for your trip so this guide has been put together to assist you in getting the best sim card (or pocket wifi) for your Hong Kong vacation.

Are you also planning on visiting Macau or Shenzen? Both of these areas are part of China. So if you are visiting Macau, Shenzen or any other area of China you either need a sim card that covers China as well, or you need to disable data roaming. 

If you don’t get a sim card that works in China as well, when you’re crossing the border or waiting for your visa, make sure you turn your data roaming off!  The visa application room for the Shenzen zone is right on the border between Hong Kong and China and your phone may swap to a Chiense network without you realising.

How to Buy And Use A Hong Kong Prepaid Sim Card

To buy a sim card in Hong Kong you need to show identity, and must be at least 16 years old. When you go to purchase the sim card, they will ask to see your ID so make sure you have your passport on you. The sim cards are then registered to your name, and you can have up to 10 sim cards per network under your name. 

If you’d prefer not to show ID when buying a sim card, you can look into alternatives such as buying a Hong Kong eSim or an international travel sim card.

In Hong Kong there’s a few different networks that are suitable for tourists to use. These are:

• Three Hong Kong 
• SmarTone Hong Kong 
• CSL Mobile (also known as HKT or Hong Kong Telecom)
• China Mobile Hong Kong (also known as CMHK)

There’s also some sub-mobile networks which are:

• Club SIM and 7-Connect which use the CSL Mobile network
• SoSim which uses Three Hong Kongs network

There are also some other companies that will sell their own sim cards for tourists, but use the above networks. There’s also the option of buying an eSim which will use one of the above Hong Kong networks.

But before you buy a sim card, you need to first make sure your phoen can use it. So you’ll need:

1. An unlocked phone. If you purchased your phone in the EU or the UK, your phone is most likely unlocked but do double check as some networks still lock phones. If you’re in the USA, some networks will automatically unlock their phones after you’ve left your contract. Check with your phone network to confirm if the phone’s unlocked or how to unlock them.
2. Your phone needs to be compatible with the phone network frequencies. In Hong Kong they use GSM, UMTS and LTE bands so you will find that your phone most likely supports these. As long as your phone has a sim card slot, you should be ok connecting to them. But here’s a list you can check:

Another thing to remember is, for most phones you will need a sim card ejector tool. If you get one with a hole in it, you can attach them to your keys so you don’t lose it. You can get a sim card ejector tool online here.

Best Phone Networks in Hong Kong

When choosing a sim card, it’s good to know which network offers the fastest 5G/4G speeds and network coverage. Especially if you want to visit some of the more remote areas such as Tai Mo Shan Country Park. But overall Hong Kong is one of the top countries for both 5G and 4G coverage and speed. 

Hong Kong has four main networks (Three, SmarTone, CSL Mobile and China Mobile Hong Kong). Out of these networks, CSL has the best 5G coverage and the fastest download speeds.

For coverage, CMHK is just behind CSL but the other networks still have decent coverage and almost all the tourist attractions in Hong Kong will be covered no matter which network you pick. You’ll only really notice a drop in speed if you decide to visit national parks or go further away from the popular tourist areas.

But overall, for 5G, 4G and 3G coverage each network has at least 98.2% of Hong Kong covered as shown in the graph below.

Does Hong Kong censor the internet?

As of February 2023, the internet in Hong Kong isn’t really censored. You’ll still be able to access most of your usual websites and apps including Tiktok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Maps, Discord etc. But, they do monitor the internet. Everything you do online while in Hong Kong will be monitored. So the Chinese government will know every single thing you do online. Even if you feel you have “nothing to hide”, it’s important to protect your privacy and data as much as you can. 

Due to this I highly recommend using a VPN while in Hong Kong. Some of the sim cards included in this guide have a built in VPN. So when you get a Hong Kong sim card make sure to check if it includes a VPN. But sadly these VPNs might not be perfect, as a lot of VPNs included with sim cards still track you. In fact, a lot of VPNs, especially those made in the USA keep a log of what you do online. 

I highly recommend ProtonVPN, which has very strong privacy protection including “do not track”. ProtonVPN has a free plan, which offers limited speeds and a premium plan that unlocks a much faster connection. Learn more here.

VPNs are also important when using public WiFi, as they’re insecure and track everything you do online as well. The VPNs included with a sim card will only work when you’re connected to the phone network so if you’re going to use wifi on arrival at the airport, in your hotel, on the MTR etc you should make sure to sign up for a VPN. Even if it’s just Proton VPNs free plan; as whilst its a bit slow it’ll ensure you are protected.

Buying a sim card at Hong Kong Airport

If you want to get connected soon as you land in Hong Kong then the best place to get a sim card is at the airport. Unlike most like airports where tourist sim cards tend to be extremely overpriced, the sim cards in Hong Kong International Airport are not too expensive. 

Hong Kong International Airport does have free public WiFi available and there’s 15 minutes free WiFi at MTR platforms (with 5 sessions max a day) so if you can hang on until you’re in the city, you can get a better deal on a local Hong Kong Sim card. But, otherwise just visit an airport store to get one.

In the airport, you’ll find that most stores where you can buy a Hong Kong Sim card, offer sim cards from the two of the main networks: CSL Mobile and CMHK. 

To get a sim card when you land, head to the baggage reclaim area in the arrivals hall. Once here, you’ll be able to goto different stores depending on which zone you’re going into. Zone A, used to have a SongWiFi store but this is permamently closed. Zone B, has a Global Exchange store where you can purchase a China Mobile Hong Kong prepaid sim card. 

There’s also a 7-Elven just past customs.

No matter which zone you’re passing through, on level 5 arrivals there are sim cards available from a range of stores including: 7-Eleven, 1O1O, Travelex currency exchange and also a China Mobile Hong Kong official store. Note: The China Mobile store is temporarily closed as of February 2023.

7-Eleven sells both CSL prepaid sims & China Mobile Hong Kong Sim cards.  7-Eleven is open 24 hours a day.

Travelex sells China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile sim cards. Travelex is open 24 hours a day.

China Mobile (temporary closed) only sells China Mobile Sim cards.

Global Exchange is open 24 hours a day, and sells the China Mobile Hong Kong tourist sim card.

1O1O is open from 7AM to 10PM and sells the Discover Hong Kong Tourist Sim card.

Sim card plans available from Hong Kong Airport

There’s a few different plans available, as of February 2023 this is what was on offer. These offers may change slightly but you can expect to pay under 120 HK$ for a sim card at the airport:

Sim Card	Plan	Price	Available from
China Mobile Hong Kong 4G/3G Data and Voice Prepaid SIM card	3GB Data at 7.2MBps speed, and unlimited data at 384Kbps. Calls cost 0.1 HK$ per minute.	80 HK$	7-Eleven, China Mobile, Global Exchange
China Mobile Hong Kong 4G/3G Super Talk Prepaid SIM Card	2GB at 4G speed, and unlimited data at 384Kbps.	48 HK$	7-Eleven, China Mobile, Global Exchange
Discover Hong Kong Tourist SIM Card for Hong Kong & Macau 5 day Pass	3GB Data, Unlimited calls within Hong Kong, Free access to CSL WiFi in Hong Kong	88 HK$	1O1O (Both in the airport and in the town), Travelex
Discover Hong Kong Tourist SIM Card for Hong Kong & Macau 8 day Pass	8GB Data, Unlimited calls within Hong Kong, Free access to CSL WiFi in Hong Kong	118 HK$	1O1O (Both in the airport and in the town), Travelex
Hong Kong Tourist 7 day SIM Card from China Mobile	7GB data at 4G speed, and then unlimited data at 384Kbps. 1GB Mainland China + Macau data, and 200 minutes for voice calls in Hong Kong.	HK $78	China Mobile, Global Exchange

As mentioned in the above table, the sim cards offered by China Mobile do have unlimited data. But the data is called at 384Kbps so if you’re planning on using your phone for things like TikTok live, Instagram, watching Netflix etc you’ll find it way too slow. But for just staying connected so you can navigate, check the MTR train times it’s OK. It’s still slow but it’s better than not being connected at all.

The Discover Hong Kong Tourist Sim Cards can be topped up with data packs, to a max of 32GB in 30 days. They have more information on their website here.

Sometimes the airport does special offers on sim cards that include much higher data allowances, so make sure to check for these. If you can hang on until you’re in the Hong Kong town area you’ll find much better deals.

Buying a Local Prepaid Sim Card in Hong Kong

Once you’re out of the airport, you can head to one of the official stores or a convenience store to grab a sim card. If you go to one of the official stores – e.g. a CMHK, CSL Store, or the tourist information you’ll get help setting up the sim card.  

China Mobile sells 5G Sim cards at their CMHK Stores, 7-Eleven, Circle K and MyLink. The 5G sim cards are called MySIM. You can also buy these online through their website here. The sim card will cost you either 48 HK$ or 33 HK$.

The 48 HK$ sim card gives you 3GB data that’s valid for 90 days. 

The 33 HK$ package gives you 50GB of data at a max speed of 42Mbps, and unlimited data at 128kbps. Plus 5000 local call minutes. This is valid for 30 Days.

You can also recharge both sim cards and redeem them for mobile data packs, which cost:

• 18 HK$ gets you 1GB of data valid for 90 days
• 150 HK$ gets you 10GB data valid for 90 days

You can get the CSL Discover Hong Kong Tourist Sim Card outside of the airport, from any 1O1O store, CSL store, 7-Eleven, HKT, Vango and the Hong Kong Tourism Board Kowloon Visitor Centre. I recommend going to either a CSL store or the tourism board visitor center. They will be able to help you activate the prepaid sim card and ensure you get connected to the CSL network in Hong Kong without any problems.

Three Mobile Hong Kong also sells prepaid sim cards that can be used by tourists. You can buy sim cards as data passes or day passes on their website or in a 3 Mobile store. They also offer a DIY prepaid option where you can choose to purchase sim cards that cover other countries including China. The DIY option is only available online.

Three Mobile Data/Day Pass options:

4G Data only packs have a 60 day validity period and cost the following:

• 1GB Data for 168 HK$
• 2GB Data for 248 HK$
• 3GB Data for 298 HK$

4G Day passes have fair usage policies rather than limits, and these cost:

• 2 Day pass with a 500MB to 2.5GB fair usage data threshold for 38 HK$
• 7 Day pass with a 1GB to 3.5GB fair usage data threshold for 248 HK$
• 14 Day pass with 3GB to 5GB fair usage data for 298 HK$

View more about the mobile data/day pass options here.

SmarTone also sells sim cards that can be purchased at any SmarTone store, 7-Eleven and Circle K or one of their vending machines in the MTR stations at Kowloon Tong and Mong Kok East. Their prepaid sim cards give access to a 4G lte data speeds but not 5G.

They sell a sim card for 98 HK$ which gives access to one of these plans:

• 1GB data for 68 HK$, valid for 3 days
• 2GB data for 88 HK$, valid for 7 days
• 4GB data for 198 HK$, valid for 30 days

If you visit a SmarTone store you can also buy a prepaid travel data card that includes data roaming in multiple places, for a fixed charge. So you can use mobile data in multiple countries without worrying about extra costs. These options are only available directly from a SmarTone store or their website.

• 8 Days in China, Hong Kong and Macau for 88 HK$
• 8 Days in China, Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for 158 HK$
• 15 Days in USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for 268 HK$
• 30 Days in Europe (includes the UK), for 298 HK$

7-Eleven also has an exclusive SmarTone sim card option, which gives you 10GB data with a 1 year validity period for use in China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Just remember to take your passport with you, as mentioned before this is now legally required to register the sim card due to the real-name registration law. You can register a maximum of 10 sim cards per network to your real name. For travelers on vacation, this shouldn’t be an issue but if you’re a digital nomad or expat and visiting Hong Kong for an extended period you might need to ensure you get sim cards that can be refilled to avoid hitting this limit.

Buying a Prepaid Sim Card for Macau and Mainland China

If you’re also visiting Macau and/or Mainland China, there are sim cards available from 7-Eleven that cover both locations. The actual sim card available may vary depending on which store you visit but they normally have some tourist sim cards on offer that cover Macau & China. 

For example: 

• “Mainland China,Hong Kong & Macau 15 day Tourist SIM Card” by China Mobile, offering 7GB of data for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Plus 30 minutes voice calls and 30 SMS texts. This sim card costs 158 HK$
• China-HK-Macau 365-Day Prepaid SIM by CSL. Includes 4GB Data for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau that has 1 year validity. Plus free unlimited data for the first 8 days after activation, but this is capped at 128kbps after the first 2GB so its super slow. This sim card costs 148 HK$ 
• Birdie Travel SIM – Includes 5 days of unlimited 4G data roaming for not just China and Macau but also Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Singapore but doesn’t cover Hong Kong. The sim card costs 75 HK$. 
• SmarTone sim card wtih 10GB data and 1 year validity period for use in China, Hong Kong and Macau

There are more sim cards that over both Hong Kong and Mainland China, but the above are some of the better deals. Alternatively, you could buy an eSim or purchase an international sim card online.

How to Buy an eSim for Hong Kong, Macau and China

eSims are digital sim cards that download onto your phone. They’re usable by iPhones released from 2018 onwards, and most Android phones that were released since 2020. But check this list of compatible phones to confirm if you’re able to use an eSim.

Why use an eSim?

eSims let you use multiple sim cards without having to swap out a physical sim card. You can continue to use your home countries sim card so you can receive texts, calls etc whilst traveling.

As internet banking and card payment security increases you may find you need to use a verification code to access your online banking, or to confirm transactions.

So being able to receive calls and text messages to your usual cell phone number is really handy.

eSims for travelers can be much cheaper than physical sim cards. I recommend getting sim cards from Airalo who start at $5 for 1 GB of data for Hong Kong. Airalo is really affordable, easy to use and the best prepaid sim card store I have used so far.

eSims can also cover regions, and even be worldwide. For Hong Kong, Macau and China you can download Airalo’s Asia eSim and have it usable in all 3 locations plus 10 others.

You can also download multiple local eSims, and swap between these as you travel much more easily than a physical sim.

You can purchase eSims soon as you arrive at the airport using the airport’s free WiFi to ensure you stay connected. No need to go hunting around for a shop that’s open or waste time looking around Hong Kong town for a 7-Eleven.

eSim plans for Hong Kong

Airalo offer’s the following eSim plans for Hong Kong:

• $5 USD – 1GB data for 7 Days 
• $8.50 USD – 3GB data for 30 Days
• $12 USD – 5GB data for 30 days
• $19 USD – 10GB data for 30 Days

The above eSims only include data. Once your data usage hits the amount paid for, you’ll need to renew/top up to continue to use the service. Renews are charged at the same rates as above.

Visiting Macau and/or Mainland China as well as Hong Kong and looking for a way to stay connected? Why not purchase an Asia regional eSim? These work in 13 countries in Asia that include’s Macau, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and more. They also have options that stay valid for up 180 days! So they’re great for long term multi-country vacations or those working abroad.

Airalo offers the following eSims for Asia:

• $5 USD – 1GB data for 7 Days 
• $13 USD – 3GB data for 30 Days
• $20 USD – 5GB data for 30 days
• $37 USD – 10GB data for 30 Days
• $100 USD – 50GB data for 90 days
• $185 USD – 100GB data for 180 days

Airalo also offers worldwide eSims, that cover 84 countries including China, Macau and Hong Kong. They start at $9 for 1GB data, and are valid for up to 180 days depending on which plan you pick. These eSims are more suited to those who are visiting quite a few countries across different regions otherwise it is more affordable to buy a regional or local eSim. But they’re still worth considering to ensure you get the best deals and minimise your overall data roaming costs.

• $9 USD – 1GB data, valid for 7 days
• $24 USD – 3GB data, valid for 15 days
• $35 USD – 5GB Data, valid for 30 days
• $59 USD – 10GB data, valid for 60 days
• $89 USD – 20GB data, valid for 180 days

Buy a Sim Card For Hong Kong Online

Another great way to get a sim card is to buy a Hong Kon sim card online. There’s loads of travel sims available online that can be used in Hong Kong, China, Macau and other countries. Here’s some of the best options:

SmarTone Sim Cards:

SmarTone sell sim cards and recharge vouchers for Hong Kong on their website. If you spend over 100 HK$ they also include free delivery within Hong Kong.

The best offers they have are the data packs, which let you use a decent amount of data per day. These packs were covered earlier but here’s the list again:

• 8 Days in China, Hong Kong and Macau for 88 HK$
• 8 Days in China, Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand for 158 HK$
• 15 Days in USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for 268 HK$
• 30 Days in Europe (includes the UK), for 298 HK$

They also provide a wide range of local prepaid sim cards online and sell recharge vouchers for these in values of 50 HK$, 100 HK$ and 200 HK$ values.

View these sim cards offers online here.

Three Hong Kong Sim Cards:

You could consider getting a DIY plan from Three Hong Kong. You get to pick from local and international roaming options so you can get a plan that’s suitable for your needs.

There’s a minmum purchase of 50 HK$ though (50 HK$ is about $7 USD). 

Their local Hong Kong sim cards start at 50 HK$ for 2GB data that is valid for 30 days.

You can also pay for an unlimited local data 24 hour pass for 10 HK$, which includes 1GB data at full speed and unlimited capped at 128kbps. 

They also offer local voice plans, that include 10,000 voice minutes for 30 days! 

If you’re buying a 3 sim card online you can also add on, international data roaming. They offer 1 day passes, 30 day package and 365 day packages. 1 day passes for Greater China (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mainland China) cost 10 HK$ a day. 

30 Day packages start at 138 HK$ and get you 15GB of data at full speed, and unlimited at 128kbps. 

View more information on the DIY offer here

Simify prepaid sim cards:

Simify offers a prepaid sim card for Asia that covers Hong Kong, China, Macau, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Armenia, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia (Bali) , India, Laos,  Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

The sim card includes 6GB of 4G data, that lasts for 15 days. This 6GB sim card can be activated until 01/04/2023, if you’re traveling later this year, you’ll need to buy a different sim card but make sure to check the page when ordering for the latest offer information. Check the price and latest offer here.

Simify also offers a prepaid sim card for Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and China. This is one of the few sim cards that cover Taiwan as well so definitely check this out if you’ll be visiting there.

Plus it includes a built in VPN so you can browse the internet as normal whilst in Hong Kong. The sim card includes 5GB of 4G data for 15 days for $30 USD. This sim card can be activated until 31/12/2023. Check the latest offer here.

Hong Kong Plus To Go:

You could consider this “Hong Kong Plus To Go Sim Card” which includes 50GB of days for 30 Days and only costs $16.99 USD. This makes it easily one of the best Hong Kong sim cards that you can get online. They also give you 200 local minutes, and a local mobile number.

So if you need to receive local calls this is a great option. This is a Hong Kong sim card, so you will need to still do the real name registration before you can use it. Check the latest price here.

Pay-as-you-go with international roaming:

Google Fi – Google Fi offers roaming in 200+ countries. The sim card cost includes 1 month then it’s $65 a month (but there’s no contract so you can cancel whenever).

Only downside is, you need to activate this in the USA and idealy live there most of the year. They have been known to disconnect users that travel outside the USA for extended periods.

Three UK – If you get a pay as you go plan, then you can use your allowance for up to 12GB. If you live in or are traveling through the UK you can get a free Three sim card online. 

You can also buy a Three Simcard with 10GB data online here, that works in 73 destinations including Hong Kong. These sim cards have a 12GB fair usage limit.

VOXI  UK – VOXI is Vodafone UK’s pay as you go only network. If you get a sim card from VOXI you can buy a Global Roaming Extra addon that unlocks data roaming in Hong Kong.

There’s two options available: £15 for 2GB of data, 100 minutes and 100 texts that is valid for 8 days, or £25 for 4GB data, 200 minutes and 200 texts that is valid for 15 days. Get a free VOXI sim card here if you’re in the UK.

Worldwide Travel Sim Card

Alternatively if you are on a high budget, you could get a travel sim card from OneSimCard. This is more expensive than the above options and can work out more expensive than a global eSim, but this does work worldwide so you can stay connected when traveling without any stress.

It works with 5G, so you’ll be able to take advantage of a high-speed data service whilst in Hong Kong. You also get two phone numbers that can receive calls and texts: an EU, and a US number. In most countries you can receive free incoming calls and texts to the EU number but you have to pay for the US number. 

OneSimCard has different prices based on zones. Hong Kong (plus China and Taiwan) comes under Zone A. Zone A costs the following:

• 500MB for 30 days – $15 USD
• 1GB for 30 Days – $20 USD
• 2GB for 30 Days – $38 USD
• 3GB for 30 Days – $55 USD
• 5GB for 30 Days – $90 USD

They also offer call plans. Calls normally cost 39 cents a minute, but plans start at $40 for 200 minutes which lasts 7 days. The sim cards validity is 18 months which can be extended by doing 1 call/text every 18 months. Money loaded onto the card is only valid for 10 months.

Check the latest offer on the OneSimCard her

Data Roaming in Hong Kong

Another option is data roaming using a sim card from your own country. Most networks now offer data packs that can be used whilst traveling so you could completely avoid the hassle of buying a Hong Kong local sim card. Contact your phone network to check what they offer.

In the UK all major networks – EE, Vodafone (and VOXI), Three, and o2 offer addons for data roaming. Three includes a data roaming allowance in their pay-as-you-go plans and Three Your Way contracts.

If you live in the US, and need a new cell phone plan you coul consider a T-Mobile Magenta MAX Plan which includes roaming in 215+ countries including Hong Kong. AT&T offers travel passes that cost $10 per day for unlimited plan customers. 

Hope you found this guide helpful. If you’re also visiting Japan, check out my guide to buying a sim card in japan here.