Best Hong Kong Sim Card for Visitors [2024]

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, Macau and Mainland China which 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.

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links.  That means that if you make a booking after clicking on a link it may mean that we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thank you!

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases

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.

Ngong Ping 360 - Big Buddha
Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau Island

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 is accurate as at January 2022, 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

SIM Card TypeFeaturesProvider and Cost
eSIM Data Plan for 10 Asian Countries
Click here to book through Get Your Guide
– 3GB of data for 14 days
– 5GB of data for 30 days
– eSim works in 10 countries – Hong Kong, Macau, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
– eSim means you can instantly access data on your compatible phone after purchase
– Make sure you check your phone compatibility for eSim prior to purchasing
Get Your Guide
14 Day 3GB eSim – $US 12.85
30 Day 5GB eSim – $US 22.95
Hong Kong, China and Macau Data Sim Card  
Click here to pre-book through Get Your Guide
– 5GB of 4G data for 30 days
– Use apps like Google, Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and more in all countries
– Pick up at Hong Kong International Airport or get delivery to your hotel
– Once data allowance is exceeded you still get unlimited 3G high speed data access
Get Your Guide
30 Day 5GB Sim – airport collection $US 20.80
30 Day 5GB Sim – hotel delivery (high season only) $US 27.20
Macau Cityscape at Dusk
Macau Cityscape at Dusk

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 through Amazon

These sim cards can be delivered internationally through Amazon. Check first if Amazon delivers to your country.

Ngong Ping 360 - Tung Chung and Cable Car
View of Tung Chung, Harbor and Cable Car from Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car

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.

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Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links.  That means that if you make a booking after clicking on a link it may mean that we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thank you!

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases