Shanghai eSIM
In Shanghai you connect to China Unicom or China Mobile, whichever is performing better where you are standing. The typical speed across the country is 41 Mbps. Your data starts working the moment you land, before you reach the immigration hall.
- Networks
- China Unicom and China Mobile
- Typical speed in China
- 41 Mbps typical, 10 Mbps at busy times
- 5G
- yes, non standalone
- Throttle
- None on metered plans
- Tethering
- Allowed on every plan
Plans that cover Shanghai
| Data | Validity | Price per GB | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | Never expires | $5.89 | $5.89 | |
| 3 GB | Never expires | $2.96 | $8.89 | |
| 5 GBMost travellers | Never expires | $2.38 | $11.89 | |
| 10 GB | Never expires | $1.89 | $18.89 | |
| 20 GB | Never expires | $1.49 | $29.89 | |
| 50 GB | Never expires | $1.36 | $67.89 |
How China compares across Asia
- Regional typical speed
- 42.95 Mbps
- Upstream networks
- 2, China Unicom, China Mobile
- 5G
- Yes, non standalone
- Next fastest nearby
- Cambodia, 42 Mbps
- Next slowest nearby
- Indonesia, 38 Mbps
- Cities with their own page
- 4: Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian
Landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)
- Airport
- PVG / ZSPD
- Distance
- 30 km from the centre of Shanghai
- SIM on arrival
- SIM counters or vending in the terminalThe airport operator lists a combined WiFi Rental and SIM Cards service among its passenger service facilities, but does not publish counter locations.
- Also serves
- Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA)
Getting into Shanghai
- Shanghai Maglev, Pudong Airport to Longyang Road (PVG), about 8 minutes
- Airport Link Line, Shanghai Suburban Railway (PVG)
- Shanghai Metro Line 2 (PVG)
- Shanghai Metro Lines 2, 10 and 17 (SHA)
- Taxi from Pudong airport to People's Square (PVG), about 50 minutes
- Taxi from Hongqiao airport to the city centre (SHA), about 30 minutes
Underground and on the metro
Shanghai Metro runs 19 lines. It opened in 1993. The operator states mobile coverage throughout the tunnels.
Worth knowing about Shanghai
- The maglev covers the 30 km from Pudong airport to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes on an elevated guideway, not in tunnel, so a phone keeps line of sight the whole way.
- The maglev stops at Longyang Road, not in the centre, so arriving passengers still change to the metro to finish the trip.
- A dedicated Airport Link Line opened on 27 December 2024 with six entrances at Pudong Airport Terminal 1 and 2 station, running roughly every 15 minutes between 06:00 and 22:00.
- Both Shanghai airports sit on the metro network - Pudong 30 km east of downtown on Line 2, Hongqiao 13 km west on Lines 2, 10 and 17 - so a terminal-to-terminal transfer stays on rail.
- Pudong's free network is #AirportPVG-Free-WiFi. Choose Passport Login on the sign-in page and photograph your passport, or verify by SMS, the Shanghai Airports WeChat mini program, or a code from a self-service kiosk.
- Pudong's Wi-Fi kiosks, which scan a passport and issue a login code, stand at the T2 international arrivals exit, Gates 71 and 77, and beside border inspection Counter 1 in both terminals.
- Hongqiao's free network is Airport-FreeWiFi-HQ, with the same passport photo login, SMS code or kiosk code, and kiosks beside the arrivals inquiry desks.
- At Pudong T2, SIM and pocket Wi-Fi counters near Middle Wuzhou Road in the arrivals hall open 24 hours; in T1, two counters near Gate 9 in the arrivals area also run around the clock.
- Pudong helps overseas visitors link foreign bank cards to Alipay, opposite Gate 10 at the T1 international arrivals exit and near Exit 2A in T2, from 08:00 to 20:00.
- Opposite Exit 2A in T2 international arrivals, a 24 hour one-stop service centre combines tourism, transport, payment and phone help.
- Shanghai Metro gates accept contactless UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards. Enable small password-free payments on the card before your first ride.
- Metro fares are distance based, from 3 yuan for up to 6 km plus 1 yuan for every further 10 km. One-day and three-day passes cover all lines except the maglev and suburban lines opened from 2024.
- The Metro Daduhui app, or the Shanghai Metro service inside Alipay or WeChat, gives you a QR code to scan through the gates.
- From Pudong, Metro Line 2 takes about an hour to People's Square and a taxi about 50 minutes. Taxis wait outside Arrival Gate 12 at T1 and Gate 25 at T2.
- Around 2,000 Dazhong taxis accept international cards, Qiangsheng runs an English booking line on 62580, and drivers may not pick up within 50 m of an intersection.
- Seventeen ferry lines cross the Huangpu between about 34 piers, charging pedestrians 2 yuan, and the Airport Link Line connects Hongqiao and Pudong airports in about 40 minutes.