eSIM and SIM cards in Hong Kong

The local SIM

• csl sells the Discover Hong Kong tourist SIM in two useful sizes: HK$88 for 7 days with 50 GB, and HK$118 for 15 days with 80 GB. Both include unlimited local calls, and part of the allowance is shared with Macao, which is worth knowing if you are doing both.
• 3HK, SmarTone and China Mobile Hong Kong sell comparable tourist prepaid cards.
• You do not have to buy it at the airport. The same csl card is sold in 7-Eleven and Circle K, which are on more or less every street, and at the Hong Kong Tourism Board visitor centre in Kowloon.
• Registration is required for a local SIM under the real-name rules, so carry the passport when you buy one.

An eSIM instead

• An eSIM is live before you land, which matters here mainly because it lets you order a ride or check a hotel address in the arrivals hall without hunting for a counter.
• Check your phone is unlocked and eSIM-capable before relying on it. Install over the airport or hotel wi-fi, not over a metered connection.
• A Hong Kong eSIM will not work in mainland China, and a mainland plan will not work here - the same border that applies to your passport applies to your data.

Free wi-fi is genuinely everywhere

• Wi-Fi.HK is the government-backed free network, and it reaches libraries, parks, government buildings, the airport and much of the MTR.
• Every mall, café and 7-Eleven has its own. Between them, going without any SIM at all is more viable in Hong Kong than in most cities.
• HKeMobility, the government transport app, carries real-time arrivals for the MTR, buses, minibuses, trams and ferries, and is the one app worth installing before you go.