Setting Up Apps and Essentials Before China and Hong Kong

Set up connectivity and payments before you fly, because China restricts app stores and many Western sites once you arrive. The most important piece is internet that gets past the Great Firewall. A travel eSIM handles this automatically: it roams on a Chinese network but routes traffic through a server abroad, so Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, and Instagram work normally with no VPN needed. Install it before departure. If you want a VPN instead, download, pay for, and test it at home, since most VPN sites are blocked inside the country. Home-carrier international roaming also works and is the simplest if you do not mind the cost. For payments, set up both Alipay and WeChat Pay and link an international Visa or Mastercard. As of 2026 foreigners can link cards directly using only a passport and a home phone number; transactions under RMB 200 avoid the 3 percent foreign-card fee, and nearly every shop, taxi, and metro accepts one wallet or the other. Keep a little cash as backup. Use Amap or Apple Maps in the mainland, since Google Maps is unreliable there. Book hotels and transport through Trip.com, which lists English-friendly properties, and use Didi for rides, on its own or inside Alipay or WeChat. File your immigration arrival card and any health QR before landing; the mainland arrival QR can be completed from three days out through mini-programs in Alipay or WeChat. Pack a power bank, plug adapters, a passport pouch, an AirTag for checked luggage, tissues and hand sanitizer for restrooms that may have neither, and a small medicine kit. Hong Kong uses its own apps, transit cards, and payment norms, so plan it separately rather than assuming your mainland setup carries over.