Purchasing a SIM card in Hong Kong is a great option to enable easy and convenient access to the internet. Data access is now almost an essential requirement both in and out of our homes.
We wrote this article to save you time and help you choose the sim card for Hong Kong that best meets your needs. Instead of spending ages looking at lots of different websites before deciding, we compare some of the best Hong Kong sim card options from a number of reputable providers in the one article.
Our recommended Sim Card options for Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland Chine through Amazon. All have global shipping options which make them great options for quarantine
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Why you should choose a Sim Card for Hong Kong
If you are looking for fast, secure and reliable internet access, a Hong Kong Sim card is a great option.
Another excellent choice is to purchase a wifi device. Click here if you want to find out more about our suggested Hong Kong Pocket Wifi rental devices.
Hong Kong Sim Card vs Hong Kong Pocket Wifi Rental
We always use sim cards and pocket wifi devices when we travel. Pocket wifi routers are small, light-weight battery-powered gadgets that fit in the palm of your hand. They use cell phone networks to create a hot spot which lets you connect your phones, iPads or tablets, laptops and other devices to the internet.
On our recent trip to Hong Kong and South Korea, our family of 5 (2 adults and 3 kids) between us had 4 mobile phones, a couple of laptops and an iPad. While in Hong Kong we ended up using a mix of sim cards and wifi devices. Both products have their advantages and disadvantages.
SIM cards are often better if there are only one or two of you, don’t have to connect too many devices and are looking for something slightly cheaper. They are also great if your group won’t always be together when travelling which is happening to us more often as our kids got older. In contrast, we recommend pocket wifi devices if you are travelling in a group of more than a couple of people, need to connect multiple devices, need higher data allowances and want ease of setup.
Later in this article, I will also look at three other options for staying connected: free public wifi, global roaming, and internet provided by your accommodation.
Hong Kong Tourist Sim Card Options
The table below compares our recommended products by cost, speed, data allowance, and how long the sim card can be used to help you decide which option is best for you. Below this comparison table, we provide pick up details for each of the products.
Pricing was accurate as at January 2020, however the prices will change over time due to factors such as exchange rates. We will periodically update the article to reflect the latest prices.
ⓘ TIP: We recommend setting up the SIM card in your phone and making sure it works before you leave the service counter where you picked up the SIM card from. If there are problems, the staff at the service counter can assist. If you have a SIM card delivered or set it up yourself after you leave the service counter, you may find yourself with a SIM card that doesn’t work and it is then a pain to sort out.
Hong Kong is used as a gateway for visiting Macau, and thanks to the fast train, Hong Kong is also an excellent gateway to China. Therefore, we also look at a SIM card option for Macau as well as various cards that cover Hong Kong and Macau or Hong Kong and China.
Sim Card Hong Kong Choices
When in Hong Kong, we used the China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist Sim Card and were very happy with its reliability and speed.
| SIM Card Type | Features | Provider and Cost |
| China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist Sim Card (4G or 3G)
| 4G Sim
3G Sim
| Voyagin 5 Day 4G Sim – $US 7.98 8 Day 3G Sim – $US 8.38
|
Sim Card Macau
| SIM Card Type | Features | Provider and Cost |
| 4G Sim card for Macau (Hong Kong Pickup)
Click here to pre-book through Klook
| 4G Sim
NOTE: Recent reviews of the product suggest some people have had trouble connecting to the internet. Make sure you follow the activation procedure. | Klook
2 Day 4G Sim – $US 5.75 3 Day 3G Sim – $US 11.25
|
Sim Card Hong Kong and Macau
| SIM Card Type | Features | Provider and Cost |
| Multi-country Sim2Fly Sim Card (Amazon)
| AIS 8 Day 4GB Sim Card
SIM2FLY 899
| |
| Multi-Country UK Three Sim Card (Amazon)
| Multi-Country UK Three Sim Card
|
Sim Card Hong Kong and China
The SIM card for Hong Kong and Mainland China discussed below is the same product can be purchased through Amazon for international delivery, which makes it a great option if you are entering quarantine.
| SIM Card Type | Features | Provider and Cost |
| Hong Kong and China 4G Sim Card (Amazon)
This product can be shipped internationally through Amazon. | 4G Sim
| 8 days 4G with 2 GB of data
Pricing as detailed in the Amazon box on the left hand side Delivery to your home before you depart
|
Hong Kong Sim Card Pickup Locations
Below are the pickup locations for Hong Kong Sim Cards.
China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist Sim Card (through Voyagin)
You can pick up the China Mobile Tourist Sim Card at Hong Kong International Airport from Counter A13, Arrivals Area, Terminal A between 7 am and 11 pm.
Macau Sim Card Pickup Location
Below is where you can pick up the Sim Card for Macau.
4G Sim card for Macau (Hong Kong Pickup)
You can pick up this Sim card from the Bengseng Travel Counter at Sheung Wan Macau Ferry Terminal. The terminal is located at Shun Tak Center, Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan. You can get there by taking the MTR to MTR Sheung Wan Station D Exit. You can pick up the Sim card between 9:00am to 1:00am.
Hong Kong and Macau Sim Card Pickup Locations
Following are the pickup/delivery details for the Hong Kong and Macau Sim Cards.
Multi-Country Sim2Fly Sim Card, UK Three Sim Card or Hong Kong and China 4G Sim Card through Amazon
These sim cards can be delivered internationally through Amazon. Check first if Amazon delivers to your country.
Other Options for Staying Connected
Buying a tourist sim card or renting a pocket wifi is cheap and it’s easy. For our family, such a low price makes buying a SIM card or renting a pocket wifi device an easy choice.
There are three other main ways to get internet access that may be worth considering. Here’s an outline of these choices including a quick summary of their positives and negatives.
Free Public Wifi
If you need basic internet access at no cost in Hong Kong free wifi is a reasonable choice. Hong Kong is one of the most connected cities in the world. The Hong Kong SAR Government has set up a common public wifi brand called Wi-Fi.HK which makes it quite easy to get internet access. To be part of this program, organisations must provide at least 30 minutes of free internet access, make sure you don’t need to register and that you don’t have to provide personal data. This common wifi brand means it won’t be hard to find free internet access.
Our main issue with free public wifi hotspots is security. We wouldn’t feel safe using any website or app which involves personal data when connected to a free public wifi hotspot. Anything that involves banking, credit cards, email, social media may place your sensitive personal information at risk if you use a public wifi connection as it may be unsecured. From our perspective, saving a few dollars a day isn’t worth it compared to the risk involved. Here’s an interesting article which looks at the risks associated with free public wifi.
Other issues with free wifi connections include having to look for public hotspots, low-speed connections, small hot spot coverage areas, and restrictions on how long you can use the hotspot. When travelling, we don’t want to have to deal with these issues. We want to spend as much time as we can enjoying ourselves.
Internet Provided by your Hotel/Airbnb
Many hotels and other accommodation providers offer free wifi to their guests. This is great when you are at the hotel but it’s not very helpful when you step outside.
Some hotels also offer pocket wifi units which you can take with you. Another option we have some seen is that some hotels offer smartphones such as Handy smartphones which you can take with you to access the internet.
If your accommodation offers pocket wifi units or smartphones, find out a bit more about what they offer before you get there to make sure it meets your internet needs.
Global Roaming through Phone Provider
When you travel to another country, you can turn on global/international roaming through your phone settings. When turned on you can make and receive calls, send text messages and use mobile data. Note that when do you this you will be connecting through a foreign mobile carrier’s network. Your home network sets up roaming agreements with overseas carriers and costs can vary a lot from cheap to eye-wateringly expensive (e.g. $3 per MB of data used). We have heard stories of people going home with data charges costing thousands of dollars.
Most mobile phone carriers now also offer international data packs to help costs under control, however they are not always good value for money. To provide one example, Telstra (an Australian phone network) offers international day pass which cost $AU 10 for 200MB of data per day. Verizon (an American cell phone network) has a travel pass which costs $US 10 per day. This travel pass lets you use your domestic data allowances but only the first 512MB per day is high speed then speed drops to very slow 2G speeds.
Definitely check out global roaming options through your phone provider before you travel to Hong Kong and then compare it with the cost of a Hong Kong Sim card. Often the SIM card will be cheaper and/or you will get more ‘bang for your buck’. For example, many of Hong Kong SIM card options in this article will cost you less than $US 1.50 per day.
Our recommended Sim Card options for Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland Chine through Amazon. All have global shipping options which make them great options for quarantine
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