How Much Data Do You Need in China? eSIM Picks for 7, 10, 14 or 30 Days
How much mobile data you need in China for 7, 10, 14 or 30 days, averaged from seven published estimates, plus which eSIM to buy.
Published 2026-11-03 Updated 2026-11-08
Quick answer
Find your trip length and how you use your phone. In China, paying with Alipay or WeChat Pay, messaging and following a map use very little data; video and video calls are what use up a plan.
App access and data allowance are separate choices. WhatsApp, Google Maps and ChatGPT worked on Trip.com, Yesim and Nomad in my China app checks, but buying more GB doesn’t make a blocked app work. Check which China eSIM works with these apps, then use the budgets below to size the package. These estimates aren’t separate measurements of each app’s data use.
| Trip length | Light use | Moderate use | Heavy use |
|---|---|---|---|
| About a week | 2.5 GB | 6 GB | 14 GB |
| 10 days | 3.5 GB | 8 GB | 20 GB |
| Two weeks | 4.5 GB | 12 GB | 29 GB |
| A month (up to 30 days) | 10 GB | 25 GB | 60 GB |
- Light, about 0.35 GB a day: maps, messaging, payments and some browsing, with videos saved for Wi-Fi.
- Moderate, about 0.8 GB a day: add social media, music and the odd video call. That’s close to what the average smartphone uses at home, about 0.7 GB a day (Ericsson).
- Heavy, about 2 GB a day: videos, short-video apps, video calls or a hotspot most days.
Which plan for your trip length
Go unlimited and you’ll never have to check how much data is left, even with maps, translation and video calls running all day.
| Trip length | Cheapest unlimited plan | You pay | Full speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Yesim, 3 days | $11.02
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $12.96 without
| No daily cap set by Yesim |
| About a week | Nomad, 7 days | $25.00 | 2 GB a day, then slowed |
| 10 days | Yesim, 10 days | $31.76
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $37.36 without
| No daily cap set by Yesim |
| Two weeks | Nomad, 15 days | $39.00 | 2 GB a day, then slowed |
| A month (up to 30 days) | Yesim, 30 days | $64.26
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $75.60 without
| No daily cap set by Yesim |
I compared the unlimited plans from Yesim, Nomad, Quibity, Saily, Airalo and Holafly at each brand’s own price in US dollars, after any discount code I have for that brand. Full speed is how much data you get each day before the brand slows you down.
If you’d rather pay for a set amount, a fixed-data plan with enough for moderate use costs less:
| Trip length | Cheapest fixed-data plan | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Yesim, 3 GB, 30 days | $7.14
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $8.40 without
|
| About a week | Yesim, 10 GB, 30 days | $18.97
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $22.32 without
|
| 10 days | Yesim, 10 GB, 30 days | $18.97
with code ROAM15 (new users) · $22.32 without
|
| Two weeks | Nomad, 20 GB, 30 days | $22.00 |
| A month (up to 30 days) | Nomad, 50 GB, 45 days | $37.00 |
About a week
A week usually covers two cities, often Beijing and Shanghai, linked by high-speed train. Plan on about 2.5 GB for light use, 6 GB for moderate use and 14 GB for heavy use.
The cheapest unlimited plan after discount codes:
- Unlimited: Nomad, 7 days, $25.00. Full speed: 2 GB a day, then slowed.
10 days
Ten days is enough for three stops, such as Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. It’s also the longest you can stay under China’s 240-hour visa-free transit. As of October 2026, travelers from the US and 56 other countries can use it, as long as they fly on to a third country or region rather than back where they came from.
Plan on about 3.5 GB for light use, 8 GB for moderate use and 20 GB for heavy use.
The cheapest unlimited plan after discount codes:
- Unlimited: Yesim, 10 days, $31.76 with code
ROAM15(new users; $37.36 without). Full speed: no daily cap set by Yesim.
Two weeks
Two weeks lets you add a slower region to the big cities, such as Chengdu, Guilin or Yunnan. Plan on about 4.5 GB for light use, 12 GB for moderate use and 29 GB for heavy use.
The cheapest unlimited plan after discount codes:
- Unlimited: Nomad, 15 days, $39.00. Full speed: 2 GB a day, then slowed.
A month (up to 30 days)
Thirty days is the longest visa-free stay for citizens of France, Germany and dozens of other countries, and since February 2026 for the UK and Canada too. As of October 2026, that policy runs until 31 December 2026, so check the current rules before you book.
Plan on about 10 GB for light use and 25 GB for moderate use. Heavy use comes to about 60 GB, so unlimited is usually the simpler choice.
The cheapest unlimited plan after discount codes:
- Unlimited: Yesim, 30 days, $64.26 with code
ROAM15(new users; $75.60 without). Full speed: no daily cap set by Yesim.
How eSIM days are counted
Many of the China plans I’ve reviewed start their validity on the first supported network connection at the destination, rather than purchase. Check the selected order’s rule before installing at home. The start of data validity and the end of refund eligibility are separate:
- Trip.com has product-specific cancellation deadlines and installation conditions; an unactivated plan isn’t automatically refundable after installation. The reviewed listing advertises 24-hour billing, but confirm the selected order’s start, expiry and daily-allowance reset before an overnight arrival (review).
- Yesim treats installing as activation for refunds, so install it only once your trip is certain (review). At checkout, enter
ROAM15(15% off for new users). - Nomad refunds a plan within 30 days of purchase if it hasn’t been activated, even after you’ve installed it. Unlimited plans can’t be refunded, and an unused plan activates by itself 60 days after purchase (review).
- Quibity refunds an eSIM only while it isn’t installed, within 180 days of purchase: free to your Quibity balance, or to your card minus a $2.50 fee. You have 60 days from purchase to start a fixed-data plan and 180 days for unlimited (review).
- TooSim may refund you if you haven’t scanned the QR code or used any data, and promises a full refund if the eSIM doesn’t work and its support can’t fix it (review).
- Saily starts a plan when the eSIM connects in China, as long as you’ve installed it and turned on data roaming before your trip. You have 180 days from purchase, after which it starts by itself, and Saily refunds a plan within 30 days of purchase if it hasn’t activated (review).
- NXTL has no days to count: you pay for the data you use, and the balance never expires. Purchases are final once delivered, but if the eSIM won’t install, contact support within 14 days to get your unused balance back (review).
FAQ
Should I get fixed data or unlimited?
Fixed data if you mostly message, pay and use maps; unlimited if you watch videos or make video calls away from Wi-Fi every day, or share your connection with a laptop. A fixed plan gives you one allowance for the whole trip, and on Yesim data stops when it runs out until you top up. Trip.com’s daily plans give you a fresh allowance each day, then slow to 384 kbps: enough for messages, not for video. Most “unlimited” plans also have a daily full-speed amount (see the Full speed column above). In the two tables above, unlimited costs more at every trip length, so it’s only worth it if you use a lot.
What if my trip gets longer?
Extend your plan before it runs out. On Trip.com, buy a renewal for the same eSIM in the app: it starts automatically when your current plan ends, with no new QR code, though you may need to restart your phone. On Yesim, plans that allow top-ups can be bought again from the eSIM in the app, but the new plan replaces the current one and leftover data and days don’t carry over, so top up when your current plan is nearly used up. Nomad can’t add data to an eSIM that has already run out, so top up before you hit zero.
Can I buy an eSIM after I land in China?
Plan on not being able to. Nomad says you can’t buy its eSIMs once you’re in mainland China, and Jetpac says new eSIMs can’t be bought or installed there at all. Trip.com also tells travelers to buy before they fly and set the eSIM up on Wi-Fi at home. So buy and install your eSIM before you leave: a plan’s days usually start only once it connects in China.
Does a China eSIM work in Hong Kong and Macau?
Usually not. Hong Kong and Macau have their own mobile networks, so a mainland China eSIM normally covers the mainland only. Yesim’s China plan is mainland-only, and Yesim sells Hong Kong as a separate plan. Trip.com’s Mainland China eSIM is mainland-only too, but Trip.com also sells eSIMs that cover mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau together.
Compare regional eSIMs for China, Hong Kong and Macau for specific plan choices; the guide also covers trips that include Taiwan.
Is 1 GB enough for a week in China?
Only for very light use. A week on 1 GB is about 140 MB a day: enough for messages, payments and a few map searches if you use Wi-Fi for everything else. The average estimate for a light user is about 2.5 GB a week, and in a 2026 analysis of 10,000 trips by eSIM provider Bcengi, travelers in China used a median of 0.42 GB a day, about 3 GB a week.
Is 10 GB enough for two weeks?
For most travelers, yes. 10 GB over 14 days is about 0.7 GB a day, twice the light average and a little under the moderate one (about 12 GB for two weeks). It’s also well above what the median traveler in China used in Bcengi’s data: 0.42 GB a day, or about 6 GB over two weeks. It won’t last if you watch videos or make video calls on mobile data every day: heavy use comes to about 29 GB.