Purchasing foreign sim cards

[narya.livejournal.com]

Does anybody know of somewhere nearby where one can buy a SIM card for use in China?  Davis is of course ideal but any local recommendations at all would be welcome.

Comments

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

Both times I've gone, I've bought a SIM card there. You have to show your passport and it's kindof a THING. Now that said, if you don't want data, its easier, you can buy them at any convenience store. I bought mine at a department store, but then I realized I had no data and had to go to a China Mobile to activate it. It is almost impossible to do this transaction without a translator, if you don't speak Chinese. If you don't speak Chinese and won't have access to someone who will translate for you, look up as many things as you can think of on google translate and print them on index cards. (Your name, your address are also important). When you start running out of data, you can re-up with a card available at any market. As a bonus, if you buy a China Mobile SIM, here is the sentence that was provided to me that worked every time in convenience stores:
Please show the vendor the following Chinese characters:
我要买一张100元的中国移动充值卡。谢谢！
In English, this sentence means:
I want to buy a 100RMB China mobile card. Thank you!

[narya.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, buying it there is what I've done in the past - it certainly would be easier (especially armed with awesome native coworkers). In this case it would be more convenient to get it now if possible (having my number would simplify the arrival logistics and I also want to 100% verify that my current phone is actually unlocked).

[desiringsubject.livejournal.com]

Yeah, given how tightly China controls their mobile businesses, I doubt you can buy one elsewhere. It astounded me that they haven't even made China and Hong Kong work on the same networks yet!

[jwg.livejournal.com]

I don't kn ow about China, but when I went to New Zealand a few years ago I ordered it before I left so I could tell people the phone number and picked it up at the airport.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

I suggest calling Wings Communications in Chinatown. If it's possible to get one here, I'm guessing they would know how.

[ckd]

There's also the option of the T-Mobile Simple Choice post-paid plans; China's on the list of countries where roaming customers on those plans get unlimited texts, unlimited (but throttled) data, and USD0.20/minute voice calls.

That does mean you're still on a US number, though, so if people are predominantly going to be calling you from Chinese phones it may not be the best option overall.

(I've used this in Canada, the UK, and Ireland; worked great and is so much more convenient than buying local SIMs everywhere.)

[mattdm.livejournal.com]

I just did the same on a trip to Europe, and yes, it is fantastically convenient, especially if traveling between multiple countries (where currently you have to otherwise handle individually, even within the EU). That's probably less of a big deal in china, though.

Other downside: data totally does not work outside of cities in the US. Even major highways are no good. (You will often get Edge-network signals, but find that you can't actually get any data.)

[narya.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!