Many travelers to China prefer to rent a cell phone for their trip as opposed to using their own cell phones primarily due to security reasons. Rightfully so, as China has the most hackers in the world. Renting a phone through Cellular Abroad alleviates any concern that any of your personal data on your phone will be compromised as our phones arrive to you completely void of any your personal information. In addition, you will have plenty of 4/5G highspeed data which is essential for any traveler going to China.
We offer two solutions. Both are priced the same. You will be able to select which option you prefer during check out. Either solution includes the rental phone or phones, travel chargers, plug adapters and a return package (USA customers only), which you will receive 2-3 days before your departure, time permitting. Also, we highly recommend that you download WeChat which is a popular calling, texting and payment app used all over China. If you select option 1, we recommend that you download Talkatone to call and text for free to the United States and Canada and you will also have a US number that people can call you on. Please note that in order to download apps, you must rent the iPhone 8 or the X as the other phones have older operating systems and are not always compatible with some apps. Apps can be downloaded prior to your departure using WiFi.
To rent, please choose between our available cell phones (Android, iPhone) then select the departure date and the return date. Then, in the cart, you will be able to select either option 1 or option 2 as per below.
Quick Comparison of Plans (Select at the time of check out)
Feature | Plan 1 | Plan 2 |
Total Data | 10 GB Data | 10 GB Data |
Works in | China + Macau | Only works in China |
Registration | No registration procedure | Must be registered to end user with a passport (instructions provided with rental) |
Applications | Works with WhatsApp, Talkatone, Instagram,Google, etc. | WhatsApp, Facebook Google and other sites are blocked |
Regular calling | No regular calling | 30 minutes regular calling within China |
Incoming Text messages | Not Available | Free incoming text messages |
Chinese Phone Number | Doesn’t have a Chinese phone number | Chinese Number Included |
Recommended Plan
If you are not sure which of the two options you should choose, please note that 90% of travelers prefer Plan 1, specifically, because it eliminates the need to have a VPN in order to access websites conventionally blocked by the Great Firewall of China such as Google, US news sources and social media.
We also have a hotspot rental available for China which is very popular. With a hotspot, you do not have to rely on your hotel WiFi, which is not secure, in order to access the internet with your laptop or other device.