moondog

I looked over past titles, and, much to my surprise, the following was the most recent (I thought there was a Didi thread last year, but nope):
​​​​​​2021 local transport thread

I didn't go back far enough to find the actual taxi scam thread(s), but I do recall that they focused predominantly on fake money.

In any event, since getting around is pretty important, maybe we could take another stab at a general thread so at least there's a place to point relevant queries. The 2021 thread didn't really catch on, but I'm guessing that was largely due to the lull in inbound travel. I also notice that my op in the 2021 thread is denser than necessary; I'd favor keeping the lead-in in the sequel much simpler and hope for the discussion to develop organically...sort of like the TWOV and Alipay threads.

jplee3

I'll create a different thread about the taxis and DiDi, etc...

Back on the topic at hand, has anyone tried one of these 3HK SIMs that are for "China-only" and can confirm they aren't constrained by the Great Firewall?

https://mobimatter.com/travel-esim/3...destination=CN


I reached out to Mobimatter directly to ask and they say it is not constrained by the Great Firewall. They did mention that these eSIMs won't work on Google Pixel phones (not sure why) and it will also only work in China (and not HK, Macau, etc)

Someone else had mentioned that they suspect this card *is* constrained by the Great Firewall because it's limited to China only. I guess I'll reach out to 3HK as well just to see...

GiantCow

I'd be interested in knowing if there are any fast eSIM options that get around the firewall as well.

Alternatively, is there a recommended place for buying eSIMs with plenty of data even if it is subject to the firewall? I'll have a VPN regardless so just looking for good reception/speeds/price. Years ago I had good experiences with Klook but wondering if there are better options these days.

jplee3

Which VPN are you using right now? 3HK seems like the best option but I just saw a Reddit thread where one guy was having problems even on 3HK while in China - https://www.reddit.com/r/chinalife/c...n_not_working/

GiantCow

I don't have a VPN at the moment, will be in China next month. I've heard Astrill mentioned a few times as a good option but still deciding which one to go with. My backup plan is to just use ATT's international day pass which will almost certainly work but probably quite slow.

moondog

I looked at your link and did a little bit of digging. My instinct suggests that the company is credible enough to justify throwing $14 at, which isn't a horrible price for 15g, and that should be enough data to get you through your trip as long as you don't go crazy on Netflix.

For the VPN, you could download one or two apps before your trip and imitate service after you get to China if the SIM ends up having internet access that is too limited for your needs.

Basically, I'd be surprised if this thing ends up being worse than Fi (apart from the lack of voice).

ElevatorEnthusiast

I used the Asialink regional eSIM from Airalo, which acts as Singtel from Singapore. Probably a bit expensive per GB, but speeds were good in Shanghai. Didn’t end up using a VPN.