Originally Posted by
ifly153
Looking for some advice on buying a SIM card for use primarily in Shanghai. I fly into PEK first, stay 1 day, then fly into SHA, stay 1 week. A few moths later, I have another trip going back to Shanghai staying 3 weeks. I understand that China Unicom prepaid SIM is probably the best for me for a mix of voice, SMS, and data.
I heard it is easy to buy a SIM card in PEK, so should I just buy it there first before going onto SHA? Or is it going to cost more to buy at PEK and use in Shanghai? Is it easy to buy a SIM at SHA airport also?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
First of all, you shouldn't get SIM cards at airports unless you are really pressed for time because you'll overpay, and might have a hard time getting cards with fast data.
Second, Beijing (the city) is no easier than Shanghai (the city) for purchasing SIMs. In fact, the drill is basically the same almost everywhere, though some cities are somewhat vigilant about constraining third party sales (which is what you want because waiting in line at Mobile or Unicom is annoying).
Third, I've found that with Unicom domestic roaming is a trivial expense. With Mobile it's a bit more of an issue, but for Y30/month you can make it a non-issue. Basically, the days of keeping separate SIMs for the cities you spend the most time in are pretty much a thing of the past.