Before you fly: your China preparation checklist

Work through this list with your phone and booking confirmation in front of you. By the end, you should know how you’ll get online after landing and have your hotel details saved where you can open them without a connection.

1. Choose how your phone will get online

Start with your carrier’s China roaming offer. Write down the total charge for your travel dates and included data, then compare it with a travel SIM or eSIM if you need another option. Our connection guide walks through phone-only trips, laptop use, and hotel Wi-Fi.

Before paying for an eSIM, match your exact phone model and purchase region to the provider’s compatibility list and confirm whether your phone is carrier-locked. If you’ll connect a laptop through your phone, include the hotspot allowance in your comparison.

Done when: you have selected a plan, saved its activation instructions, and know what starts its validity period. Follow that plan’s installation timing; installation and activation are not necessarily the same event.

2. Set up a way to pay

Alipay and WeChat Pay support linking international cards for visitors. Choose one to set up before departure: install the official app, register with your phone number, and follow the in-app prompts to add your card and complete any requested verification. The government’s payment guide for overseas visitors explains these options.

Keep access to the phone number used for your account and card verification. If a code does not arrive or a card is rejected, resolve that specific problem with the app or card issuer while you are still at home.

Done when: your chosen app shows the linked card and no outstanding setup request. This checks account preparation, not acceptance of a future payment. Keep a physical payment card with your travel documents as well.

3. Find your hotel and contact your host

• Ask the hotel for its name and full address in Chinese, plus a contact number.
• Search that address in the map app you plan to use. Match the result to your booking, especially if the hotel has several branches.
• Ask how to reach the hotel from your arrival terminal at your expected arrival time. Save the station or pickup location and the final directions to the entrance.
• Use the contact method your hotel or host provides and send a message with your arrival time. If it requires another app, install it and sign in now.
• In your translation app, try translating a short request such as “Please take me to this address.” Save the result alongside the hotel’s own Chinese address; use the hotel’s address rather than a machine translation of its name.

Done when: you can identify the correct hotel, show its Chinese address to a driver, and find the contact details without searching your inbox.

4. Test your offline arrival folder

Save these together in a phone folder or note:

• The hotel’s Chinese and English address, contact number, and booking confirmation.
• Your terminal, arrival route, and any pickup instructions.
• Your connection plan’s installation and activation instructions.
• Your provider’s support contact and order reference.

Turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data, then open every saved item. Download anything that still needs a connection and repeat the check. Restore your connections afterward. Keep a paper copy of the hotel address with your travel documents if you want to be able to show it when your phone is out of power.

Done when: the actual addresses and instructions open offline, not just a link to a website or an undownloaded email attachment.

Before you close the checklist

You should now have a connection plan, a payment app with setup completed, and hotel details you can open offline. If your connection plan includes WannaFlix, use our buying guide to check its device requirements and purchase terms.

This checklist covers phone and arrival preparation. Confirm passport, visa, and entry requirements separately with the relevant official authorities for your itinerary.

Payment source reviewed on 8 September 2026. Supported cards and verification requirements must match what your app shows for your account.