Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) was in the top 15 airports with the most traffic in 2019 (#13).
Unfortunately, it lost this position in 2020 due to travel restrictions (COVID) and because the country had a strict zero-COVID policy, not allowing anyone to transfer through its flagship airport.
While I believe the airport will climb in the ranks again, it will face an uphill battle because other airports in Asia are trying to be Asia's transfer (like Singapore's Changi Airport).
Either, it is still a fantastic airport… but Hong Kong on its own is a fantastic city too.
Which is why I encourage those having a layover in Hong Kong to convert it into a stopover (staying for multiple nights) or a destination you visit for at least a week.
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Hong Kong would require another blog post (or a dedicated Hong Kong blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card and eSIM options are available at the airport.
You can get a China Mobile Hong Kong or CSL Mobile SIM for 88 HKD to 298 HKD at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).
Regular and tourist SIM cards are available at the airport.
And unlike some countries in Asia, the tourist SIM cards at the airport are not of terrible value, I have to say.
So let's review all your options and see if getting a SIM card at Hong Kong International Airport is even worth it.
Original publication: 1st of February 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Mobile Operators in Hong Kong
Before I tell you about the SIM card and eSIM options you have at Hong Kong International Airport, you first need to know about all the mobile operators in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has four mobile operators, with a handful of sub-brands, offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK – 中國移動香港有限公司)
- CSL Mobile by Hong Kong Telekom (HKT (香港電訊有限公司) – 香港移動通訊有限公司) – includes 7-Connect & Club SIM
- 3 (Three) Hong Kong (3香港) – includes SoSIM
- SmarTone Hong Kong (數碼通)
Sure, there are some online-based MVNOs, but it can take days before they get posted, so I would only recommend getting SIM cards that you can get in stores.
For more information about Hong Kong SIM cards, check out my Hong Kong SIM card buying guide.
Alright, back to what Hong Kong International Airport has to offer to us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Hong Kong International Airport?
At Hong Kong International Airport, multiple stores sell various starter packs from two mobile Hong Kong mobile operators: China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile.
Depending on your conveyor belt number, you will arrive in the arrival hall in section A (belts 1 – 10) or B (12 – 18).
If you take exit B (you can walk from belt 1 to this exit if you want), you will see a Global Exchange just before entering the arrivals hall.
Here, you can purchase one of China Mobile Hong Kong's SIM cards (costing 88 HKD).
If you miss this store, worry not.
In the arrivals hall, you have a 1O1O (CSL Mobile) store, a 7-Eleven, a China Mobile Hong Kong store & a Travelex currency exchange counter selling China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile SIM cards.
This indeed means that you cannot get a 3 Hong Kong or a SmarTone Hong Kong SIM card at the airport.
Anyway, let's go through China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile to see what they offer at Hong Kong International Airport.
What SIM Cards & Plans does China Mobile Hong Kong Sell at Hong Kong International Airport (+Prices)?
China Mobile Hong Kong sells its tourist SIM card and a regular starter pack for 198 HKD and 88 HKD, respectively.
I will list all the prices in HKD (Hong Kong Dollar).
To convert HKD to your currency (let's say NTD – New Taiwan Dollar) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
China Mobile Hong Kong is the largest mobile operator in the country.
In fact, China Mobile is the largest mobile operator in China and worldwide, with around 950 million subscribers.
Incredible… is it not 🤯.
At Hong Kong International Airport, China Mobile Hong Kong has a store in section B of the arrivals hall that you cannot miss.
However, there are two other resellers selling China Mobile Hong Kong (tourist) SIM cards: Global Exchange, which I wrote about extensively a bit earlier, and Travelex, two stores to the left of the China Mobile store.
If you arrive super early (before 10:30) or relatively late (between 20:00 and 23:30), you have to get your SIM card from Global Exchange or Travelex because the China Mobile store is open from 10:30 to 20:00.
Okay, what SIM cards are available from these stores.
You can get the China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist SIM card from China Mobile, Global Exchange & Travelex for 88 HKD with 80 GB of data, unlimited data between 23:00 and 7:00, 1000 local minutes & 10 local SMS for 30 days.
This is an incredible offer, I have to say! Almost a bit too good…
Somewhat – your speeds will be throttled @ 21 Mbps. Not too fast, but not too slow either.
But it is still fast enough for general web browsing and watching videos @ 1080P.
However, you cannot use China Mobile Hong Kong's (excellent) 5G NR network with this SIM card.
For 5G NR access, you want to get the China Mobile Hong Kong MySIM 5G SIM card instead (for 48 HKD) from 7-Eleven or Circle K stores.
Unfortunately, the 7-Eleven at Hong Kong International Airport does not sell MySIM SIM cards.
Okay, so there is another SIM card sold at the airport.
It costs 198 HKD 18 GB Local Data Prepaid and gives 10 GB of data, 1200 local minutes & 300 minutes to China for 365 days.
This SIM card is sold in the China Mobile store only.
So what about the other China Mobile Hong Kong starter packs I showed in the photo above (ranging from 98 HKD to 238 HKD)?
Well, they are sold at the China Mobile store too, but those are travel SIM cards to be used abroad in Asia, Europe, North America, or Oceania.
So yeah… they will be useless for Hong Kong, lol – but you can get a China SIM card because getting a Chinese prepaid SIM card as a tourist has become much more challenging in recent years.
Once you have inserted your China Mobile SIM card, you will receive a text message telling you to register your SIM card.
As of March 2022, SIM card registration rules came into effect in Hong Kong after avoiding it for many years, making the country the final East Asian country to do so.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
Like many East- and Southeast Asian countries, self-registration has been made easy in Hong Kong and can be done online.
What about asking the China Mobile store staff to help you out?
My boyfriend and I met the ladies twice, and they are not the friendliest people out there 🗿.
And they will tell you to just do it yourself or go into Hong Kong proper and ask another store there to assist you.
Yeah… lovely 🤣.
I will not go over the steps on how self-registration works with China Mobile Hong Kong because they are easy to follow.
But you should know that you have to take a photo of your passport, specifically the part with the machine-readable section, and upload it to the China Mobile Hong Kong website.
But preferably not as in the photo above because the holder covers the upper right corner (the site will not accept a picture like this).
Follow the steps, and your SIM card should be registered within five minutes (you will be notified by email and text message).
In the meantime, dial *#130# to ensure you can receive text messages, as you often have to perform an action before the SIM cards get properly connected to the network.
Note that because of the SIM card registration law, your phone number is no longer listed on the starter pack.
Instead, your China Mobile Hong Kong phone number will be assigned to you once registration has been successful.
Unfortunately, the activation text messages are only in traditional Chinese characters (while its competitors send their text in English alone or both Chinese and English).
But you can easily see your phone number in the text message.
That is it! You have now successfully activated and registered your China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card.
You may have to set the APN settings yourself (although that should be done automatically) with these details:
- Name: CMHK Data
- APN: cmhk
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.
Lastly, can you get a China Mobile Hong Kong eSIM at Hong Kong International Airport? No, you cannot.
While China Mobile Hong Kong has eSIMs, they are currently not offered to prepaid customers
If you do not care about calling or texting, getting a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Simify, or Ubigi can be an option if you really want to use an eSIM.
The links above will get you to my in-depth reviews of those eSIMs when used in Hong Kong.
But if you want a quick comparison of the travel eSIMs I recommend for Hong Kong, you should read my Hong Kong eSIM comparison guide – I also drop a few discount codes for you 😏.
What SIM Cards & Plans does CSL Mobile Sell at Hong Kong International Airport (+Prices)?
CSL Mobile sells its tourist SIM card and regular starter packs for 88 HKD, 118 HKD, 180 HKD & 298 HKD.
CSL Mobile is a brand by Hong Kong Telecom (HKT (香港電訊有限公司)) – the second-largest mobile operator in the country.
Hong Kong Telecom has numerous sub-brands, including 1O1O, 7-Connect, Club SIM, CSL Mobile of course & SUN Mobile.
Only CSL Mobile and Club SIM SIM cards are sold at Hong Kong International Airport (although the latter is often not in stock).
At the airport, you have a 1O1O store in section A of the arrivals hall that you cannot miss.
However, the 7-Eleven further to the left (if standing in front of 1O1O as in the photo above) also sells CSL Mobile SIM cards.
In fact, the 1O1O store only sells CSL Mobile Discover Hong Kong Tourist SIM cards, while the 7-Eleven store sells the same ones and two regular CSL Mobile SIM cards.
So if you value choice, go to the 7-Eleven instead – especially when it is open 24/7, while the 1O1O store is open from 11:00 to 20:00.
Okay, what SIM cards are available from these stores.
As I already hinted, you can get one of the two CSL Mobile Discover Hong Kong tourist SIM cards.
The following two options are available:
| Price | Credit | Data 1 | Local Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 HKD | 30 HKD | 3 GB | Unlimited | 5 days |
| 118 HKD | 48 HKD | 8 GB | Unlimited | 8 days |
1 also in Macau
If you buy the 118 HKD SIM card from the 1O1O store instead, you will pay 98 HKD instead, saving you 20 HKD (7-Eleven will not give you this discount).
And if you make a top up of the same amount, you can get up to 15 GB or 40 GB of data with these SIM cards.
If you think the validity is too short or want a regular SIM card, go to the 7-Eleven, where it has the 180 HKD 14 GB of data for 365 days and the 298 HKD (Gamer 4G Prepaid SIM) 60 HKD credit, 20 GB of data & 500 local minutes for 30 days starter packs.
There are no speed restrictions with any of the CSL Mobile SIM cards I mentioned, which is quite normal with other Hong Kong mobile operators (including China Mobile Hong Kong mentioned earlier).
Do note that none of the CSL Mobile SIM cards could use 5G NR (although that may have changed by now).
After you purchase your CSL Mobile SIM card, every store will remind you that self-registration is mandatory before using your SIM card.
As of March 2022, SIM card registration rules came into effect in Hong Kong after avoiding it for many years, making the country the final East Asian country to do so.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
If you ask them if they can assist you with registration, most will say no 🗿 (but you can go back if you experience issues with registration… but they want you to try it yourself because they cannot be bothered, it seems).
Like many East- and Southeast Asian countries, self-registration has been made easy in Hong Kong and can be done online.
I will not go over the steps on how self-registration works with CSL Mobile because they are easy to follow.
But you should know that you have to take a photo of your passport, specifically the part with the machine-readable section, and upload it to the CSL Mobile website.
But preferably not as in the photo above because the holder covers the upper right corner (the site will not accept a picture like this).
Follow the steps, and your SIM card should be registered within five minutes (you will be notified by email and text message).
In the meantime, dial *109# to ensure you can receive text messages, as you often have to perform an action before the SIM cards get properly connected to the network.
Note that because of the SIM card registration law, your phone number is no longer listed on the starter pack.
Instead, your CSL Mobile phone number will be assigned to you once registration has been successful.
That is it! You have now successfully activated and registered your CSL Mobile SIM card.
You may have to set the APN settings yourself (although that should be done automatically) with these details:
- Name: HK Prepaid
- APN: mobile
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.
Lastly, can you get a CSL Mobile eSIM at Hong Kong International Airport? No, you cannot.
While CSL has eSIMs, they are currently not offered to prepaid customers.
However, you can get a Club SIM eSIM instead.
If you do not care about calling or texting, getting a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Simify, or Ubigi can be an option if you really want to use an eSIM.
The links above will get you to my in-depth reviews of those eSIMs when used in Hong Kong.
But if you want a quick comparison of the travel eSIMs I recommend for Hong Kong, you should read my Hong Kong eSIM comparison guide – I also drop a few discount codes for you 😏.
Should You Get a SIM Card at Hong Kong International Airport?
I recommend getting a SIM card at Hong Kong International Airport because regular and tourist SIM cards are available at normal prices from China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile.
China Mobile Hong Kong only sells two of its many starter packs at the airport, and they are not the cheapest of its offering.
Even then, they have super generous allowances and are not too expensive.
I like that at least three stores sell China Mobile Hong Kong SIM cards, especially with the China Mobile store's limited opening hours.
Although the Global Exchange and Travelex counters only sell the China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist SIM card (88 HKD).
And if you need a travel SIM card for China, Macau, or any other destination in Asia, Europe, North America & Oceania, you can get them from the China Mobile store in the arrivals hall before departure.
But if you want cheaper starter packs or 5G NR access, you will have to get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card in Hong Kong prorer.
Luckily, many resellers sell China Mobile Hong Kong SIM cards, so you will not have to hunt for too long.
In the case of CSL Mobile, you have way more options at the airport.
While only the 1O1O store and 7-Eleven sell CSL Mobile SIM cards, way more starter packs are sold than China Mobile Hong Kong's.
And the main advantage is that 7-Eleven is open 24/7, so you can always get a CSL Mobile SIM card.
Unlike China Mobile Hong Kong, where you can get its tourist SIM cards between 6:00 to 23:30 only.
You can get one of the two CSL Mobile Discover Hong Kong tourist SIM cards, giving you 3 GB (5 days) or 8 GB of data (8 days – can also be used in Macau) for 88 HKD or 118 HKD (98 HKD if bought from the 1O1O store).
And if you make a top up of the same amount, you can get up to 15 GB or 40 GB of data with these SIM cards.
If you think the validity is too short or want a regular SIM card, go to the 7-Eleven where it has the 180 HKD 14 GB of data for 365 days and the 298 HKD (Gamer 4G Prepaid SIM) 60 HKD credit, 20 GB of data & 500 local minutes for 30 days starter packs.
While you will see the brown and pink starter packs that I did not acknowledge yet, they are for international use, not for Hong Kong (the pink one can be used in China and the brown one can be used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand & the United States).
Aka useless for Hong Kong (okay, the brown starter pack gives you 1 GB for local use… but do you want to spend 268 HKD for one 1 GB of data? 🤔).
Just like with China Mobile Hong Kong, go to the 1O1O store if you need a travel SIM card for China, Macau, or any other destination in Asia, Europe, North America & Oceania.
Overall, both China Mobile Hong Kong and CSL Mobile have attractive starter packs at Hong Kong International Airport.
Hong Kong SIM Card Reviews
I tried out the best Hong Kong SIM cards that you can easily buy as a tourist in Hong Kong.
You should read those reviews.
>>> China Mobile Hong Kong Review | CSL Mobile Review | 3 Hong Kong Review | SmarTone Hong Kong Review <<<
I also tried out various travel eSIMs + a travel SIM card that works in Hong Kong: Airalo (Hkmobile, Asialink & Discover Global), Holafly, Nomad (Hong Kong and APAC), SImify & Ubigi + 3 UK (SIM card).
You should also read those reviews.
>>> Airalo Hkmobile Hong Kong eSIM Review | Airalo Asialink eSIM in Hong Kong Review | Airalo Discover Global in Hong Kong eSIM Review | Holafly Hong Kong eSIM Review | Nomad Hong Kong eSIM Review | Nomad APAC eSIM in Hong Kong Review | Simify Hong Kong eSIM Review | Ubigi Hong Kong eSIM Review | 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card by Holidaysimcard in Hong Kong Review (also used in Australia and Singapore) <<<
Check out my reviews page if you want to read all the other reviews I have written, including other Asian SIM cards.