Can I use my cell phone in China?
How can I buy a cell phone in China?
You can buy a contract-free cell phone in stores or large-scale malls. If you plan to stay long in China, you can consider buying a phone with a contract from GSM carriers, which will provide you with a favorable rate plan.
Can I use the phone I bought here to make calls directly?
That depends. You can make calls if you buy a phone with a contract. Then a SIM card is included and you can use the phone directly. But if you buy a contract-free phone, you have to purchase a SIM card and insert it into your phone. Notice that some smartphones, including iphones, use smaller size of SIM cards. It’s better for you to show the SIM seller your phone and if it’s needed, ask them to cut the SIM card for you accordingly.
How can I get a SIM card?
You can get a SIM card at a service counter of any one of the three GSM carriers. You can also find it in small street stores which sell SIM cards and top-up cards, and offer phone bill charge service. Confirm with your provider if your SIM card support international calls before you making international calls.
How can I recharge if the money of my cell phone runs out?
You can go to a service center of your carrier for recharging. Also, you can buy a top-up card costing CNY30, CNY50, or CNY100 in certain small street stores. You can also recharge it online or through phone calls with your internet or mobile bank account.
How can I get my telephone bill?
Go to the business hall of your carrier and have it printed out. Or, you can call the service number of your carrier for an e-bill sent to your phone.
Does my SIM card which is bought in Beijing still work in Dalian?
Yes, all cards in China could be used nationwide. However, it depends on your SIM package that whether or not you will be charged domestic roaming fees.
How can I connect to internet with my phone in a place where wifi is not available?
Most of the SIM packages contain certain amount of mobile data which enables your cell phone and tablet to access the internet. Make sure that you don’t overspend this amount of mobile data before you add another mobile data package, otherwise the data rate would be very high.
How can I make international calls？
You are not able to make an international call with your phone directly. There are basically 4 ways to make international calls.
In the first way, you need to contact your supplier to activate the service. Go to the business hall of your carrier and sign a contract with them. Remember to take your passport and 2000 CNY as deposit with you. After that, you can dial the number directly with country code at the fore. However, the calling rate is very high in this way.
Or, you can buy an IP card from service centers of your carrier or certain street stores. Calling in this way is cheaper and easier than the first one.
Also, you can buy a callback card to do this.
Last, you can make an international call through telephone software, such as Skype, alicall and KC.
If my SIM card has some problem, to whom will I turn for help?
You can call the service number of your SIM card supplier.
China Mobile: 10086 (24 hours service)
China Unicom: 10010 (24 hours service)
China Telecom: 10000 ( 24 hours service)
All of them offer English service. You can ask any question related with your phone and SIM card.
Does this website offer in-person assistance in this respect?
Yes, we do. We can have one of our staffs take you to a nearby store or one of the service center of the three GSM carriers. He/she will offer English support and procedure assistance.
How can I get in-person assistance from this website?
Please contact us and let us know what kind of phone or SIM package you want. After that, we can set a time to meet and get the work done.