GSM SIM card for Olympic period
 

As I researched options for a SIM card for three weeks in China, this option appeared:

http://www.bj.chinamobile.com/www/ac.../introduce.jsp

That's for foreigners, pick up at the airport and starts at RMB 218 for 200 airtime credit and - if I read it right - 5 GB of GPRS traffic. That looks like a good fit for my needs.

I also stumbled across a new "12593" prefix for calls to the USA. One of the China hands may know more - is this IP or discounted circuit?

That's very hospitable. A discounted Beijing Olympic SIM card for foreign visitors. ^

:confused:

I dont know if you'll be surfing the web or calling people abroad during the Olympics (if so, get a calling card, much cheaper), but a cheaper option would be to go to any newstand and and say "sim-ka" and they'll understand. Can be as cheap as 50 RMB, if I remember and should not be more than 100. The more expensive they are, they should come with that amount of talk time. You can recharge your phone in increments of 30, 50 and 100 RMB I believe. There are also all kinds of discounts/promotions and stuff, all of which confuses the bejesus out of me and did when I was in Beijing, so don't worry about them.

When in doubt, ask your hotel concierge/front desk staff, they'll be happy to help. One thing though, cards at the Airport will be heavily overpriced.

12593 rocks, but its great rates don't kick in (on most plans) until you register with China Mobile; a good friend of mine dropped an extra $500 because he was not aware of this.

Don't buy a SIM at the airport unless you really need a phone during the cab ride.