Buy in Qiao
Open the app, tap Get eSIM, pick a package. Two taps, Apple Pay or card.
Week 1 essential · Live now
Online before your plane lands.
Tap, scan, install. Six China data plans inside the Qiao app — routed through Airalo, the world's largest eSIM marketplace. By the time you finish customs, your phone is online.
6
Data plans
~2 min
To install
🇨🇳
Mainland China
How it works
Three taps from your couch to a working line.
No queue at the carrier office, no Mandarin paperwork, no waiting for the SIM card store to open.
Scan the QR
Airalo emails the QR. Open Camera, point at it — iPhone offers to add the eSIM in a beat.
Online on landing
Enable the line right after touch-down. Maps, taxi, WeChat — alive before customs.
Catalog
Pick the data plan that matches your week.
Sizes mirror what students actually use. Tap a card to head to the Airalo checkout.
Data · valid
1 GB
7 days
$4.50
Airalo
Maps, chat, taxi apps.
Buy on AiraloData · valid
3 GB
30 days
$9.50
Airalo
Daily essentials for a month.
Buy on AiraloMost popularData · valid
5 GB
30 days
$14.00
Airalo
Most students pick this one.
Buy on AiraloData · valid
10 GB
30 days
$22.00
Airalo
Maps + video calls + classes.
Buy on AiraloData · valid
20 GB
30 days
$36.00
Airalo
Streaming + hotspot.
Buy on AiraloData · valid
∞
30 days
$59.00
Airalo
No data limit, full month.
Buy on AiraloOpen full Airalo catalog
Direct in-app purchase coming soon
Why eSIM
eSIM vs a SIM from the airport kiosk.
eSIM via Qiao
- Buy from your couch — QR code by email
- Online the moment you land
- English / multi-language support
- VPN-friendly international routing
- No deposit, no physical card to lose
Carrier kiosk at the airport
- Queue, paperwork, store hours
- Mandarin contracts at the counter
- Local routing, country-blocked services
- Deposit required at many carriers
- Physical card to keep / lose
FAQ
Quick answers.
Does eSIM work in China? Is it not blocked?
Airalo eSIMs for China route through partner carriers and work in mainland China — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou. They typically include international DNS routing that is friendlier to global services than a local SIM.
Do I need to install anything on the plane?
No. After you buy on Airalo you get a QR code by email. Add it to your phone (Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM). Enable it on landing and you are online — usually before you reach the baggage claim.
Can I use this for WeChat and Alipay?
Yes for messaging and payments as foreign-issued accounts. To verify a local bank inside those apps you still need a Chinese phone number — usually after you arrive and visit the bank.
Why Airalo and not another provider?
Airalo is the largest global eSIM marketplace, supports installation from any smartphone, has English customer support, and Qiao gets a small affiliate commission on each purchase — which is how we keep the app free.
Land calmly. Stay online.
Download Qiao, finish onboarding, tap Get eSIM. Five minutes — and you are set.