Online before you leave the terminal
Install at home. After you land, set holiday.com as the data line. Didi and maps run while you are still in the hall — you are not stuck on a captive portal.
China eSIM
Airport Wi-Fi in Shanghai often wants a Chinese mobile number. A China eSIM is already on the phone at Pudong, so WeChat, maps, and a car work before you reach the SIM desks.
Get China eSIM1-Minute Express Checkout · Cards & Apple Pay
Day one in China is a data problem
Ride apps, payments, and maps assume you are online. A home SIM on roaming is slow to help and expensive when it does.
Skip the arrival SIM queue
Long-haul flights dump everyone at the same counters. An eSIM is a QR you scanned yesterday. No deposit machine and no plastic to hand back at departure.
A data path, not a bypass
Hotspot a laptop if you need to. Keep your home number for calls. Some sites and apps that work at home stay limited in China — an eSIM is a local connection, not a way around every block.
Buy the China plan while you still have home Wi-Fi
Checkout is on portal.holiday.com. Install in the browser so you are not depending on airport Wi-Fi that wants a local login. How it works
1. Open China plans
The button sends you to checkout with China selected. Pick a pass that covers the nights you are in the country.
2. Pay in the browser
Apple Pay or card. No shipping, no account. A QR or install link arrives as soon as the payment clears.
3. Add the profile before you pack
Scan on home Wi-Fi. On arrival, data roaming ON for holiday.com, OFF on the home SIM.
China eSIM questions people actually ask
What the line does — and what it does not. Device tables stay on holiday.com.
Should I install the China eSIM after I land?
Install before you fly. The plan joins a local network in China when you arrive and turn data roaming on for holiday.com.
Will every app I use at home work on a China eSIM?
You get a local data connection. Some websites and apps that work in other countries stay unavailable in China. Check what you need before you leave.
Do I lose my usual number in China?
No, on a dual-SIM phone. Keep the home SIM for calls and texts. Use the China eSIM for data so the home carrier does not add roaming.
Does my phone take a China eSIM?
If it is unlocked and shows an EID next to the IMEI when you dial *#06#, the hardware supports eSIM. See Compatible devices for the models we list.
Why turn roaming off on the home SIM?
If the home line still has data roaming on, the carrier can bill China usage as roaming even though holiday.com is carrying the data. Leave roaming on only for holiday.com.
How long can an unused China plan sit?
One year from the purchase date to start. Starting on day 365 still gives the full plan length.
Have China data before the cabin door opens.
Pay on the portal, install at home, and open WeChat in the Pudong arrivals hall.