Ms. Li, who just returned from a trip to Vietnam, complained in the YOYO group. During her stay in Vietnam, she activated international roaming, and although the tour cost less than 4,000 RMB, her phone bill plus roaming charges amounted to over 300 RMB—almost 10% of the tour cost.
Although domestic communication costs continue to decline, roaming fees in overseas countries remain very expensive. In China, most people’s phone plans include free incoming calls, but abroad, whether it’s your boss calling or someone saying “We have unlimited single apartments, are you interested?”—everything is charged. In Vietnam, making a call costs 8 RMB per minute, and receiving a call costs 5 RMB per minute. In Thailand, using international roaming can cost up to 7 RMB per minute. One netizen complained, “My boss had an urgent matter and called me for over 20 minutes—I felt it in my wallet.”
Player Xiao Qi told reporters that even seasoned travelers can get confused when it comes to how international mobile roaming is billed. Therefore, it’s best to carry two mobile phones when traveling overseas, use local plans, and carefully choose your roaming carrier to effectively reduce communication costs.
Many tourists think there’s no need to buy a local SIM card, but actually, it’s more economical and convenient for independent travelers.
Travelers' Tips
How to Save on Call Costs for Popular Outbound Destinations
Malaysia
Tip provider: Veteran traveler—Passerby
Most economical recommendation: Choose Hotlink or DIGI SIM cards
“Malaysia has excellent signal coverage. It’s recommended to buy a local SIM card when traveling to Malaysia,” “Passerby” told us. “In Malaysia, convenience stores like 7-Eleven, small grocery shops, or newsstands all sell phone cards. Major local carriers offer cards priced at 8.5 MYR, including 5 MYR in call credit.”
“Passerby” said that phone rates in Malaysia aren’t expensive—you can either buy a card for calling from fixed lines or directly purchase a local SIM card to put in your own phone. Comparatively, buying a phone SIM card is more convenient. Also, Malaysian phones use a one-way billing system. The only hassle is that after buying the SIM card, you’ll need to call back home to let your family and friends know your new local number. Of course, if they call you, they’ll have to pay long-distance charges.
Currently, there are three mobile carriers in Malaysia, all of which offer small-denomination local SIM cards suitable for tourists. Comparatively, their rates are similar, but the more popular ones among tourists are Hotlink and DIGI because they offer the cheapest call rates.
Singapore
Tip provider: Local student—Chen Li
Most economical recommendation: Starhub (StarHub) Green prepaid SIM card
Calling back to China from Singapore isn’t cheap, and it’s a two-way billing system, so spending on international calls in Singapore is relatively higher.
“Local carriers in Singapore all offer 3G mobile internet services, mainly WCDMA,” Chen Li said. “When I was studying there, I used StarHub’s International Calling Card, which cost 10 SGD (some places sell it for 8.5 SGD), with 14 SGD in credit—enough for over 400 minutes. This card is very economical for fixed-line calls, and the most important thing is the billing is accurate.”
For tourists, Chen Li recommends using Starhub’s Green prepaid SIM card. The cheapest plan is 18 SGD, with both outgoing and incoming calls at about 0.1 RMB per minute, and calls back to China at about 0.4 RMB per minute. If you’re only staying for three or four days and don’t make many calls, it’s generally sufficient. Various denominations of phone cards are sold at Singapore post offices, 7-Eleven convenience stores, and phone card agents.
Japan
Tip provider: Local student—Xi Ting
Most economical recommendation: Buy long-distance phone cards or use public phones
“Japan’s mobile phone system is different from China’s. It’s recommended that regular tourists buy phone cards after arriving in Japan and use public phones to call back home,” said Xi Ting, who has studied in Japan for two years.
There are many types of long-distance phone cards in Japan. Some are specifically for Chinese residents and students in Japan to call back to China, such as the Zhiyin card and the Great Wall card. Their rates are similar, and typically, buying a 500-yen or 1,000-yen card allows for around a week’s worth of calls if you make one 5-minute call per day.
“These phone cards can be pre-ordered on Taobao before departure, and they’re relatively cheaper that way,” Xi Ting explained.
Making international calls from Japanese phone booths is very convenient and economical. Phone booths in Japan are color-coded: red and pink booths are for domestic calls, while green and gold booths are for international calls, accepting either phone cards or 10-yen or 100-yen coins.
Xi Ting said, “For international calls, only 100-yen and 10-yen coins can be used. The charges are similar to phone cards, and the amount displayed on the screen after dialing.” The most convenient places to buy phone cards in Japan are convenience stores on every street corner, and hotels also sell them, though slightly more expensive than convenience stores, but still reasonable.
France
Tip provider: Travel expert—Andy
Best Value Recommendation: Dedicated China SIM Card
When traveling to France, the most convenient and economical way is to buy a local SIM card and use public phones to call back home.
"Last year when I was in Paris, since all the public phones there had been switched to IC card phones, we specifically bought a China SIM card designed for Chinese travelers. Compared to using my mobile phone to receive calls before, I saved several hundred yuan!" Travel enthusiast Andy loves going on trips, but due to work, he still receives non-stop calls even during his vacation.
There are many types of SIM cards available in Paris, including several designed for Chinese users, such as the China Card, Datang Card, and Temple of Heaven Card, as well as the Eurasia Card aimed at Asian travelers. These cards have very low rates, averaging only 0.1 euros per minute. However, the downside is that there aren’t many small-denomination cards—most are 10 or 15 euros. For short stays of around a week with minimal calling needs, it’s more cost-effective to share one card among several people.
IC phone cards are generally sold at newsstands, souvenir shops, and airports across Europe, with denominations of 5, 10, and 20 euros.
Australia
Tip Provider: Travel Expert ― Bubbles
Best Value Recommendation: Hello China SIM Card
"Every winter, going on vacation to the warm Australia is the happiest thing." "Bubbles," currently playing in the seawater and soaking up the sun on Kangaroo Island in Australia, shared her blissful life on social media. When the editor, feeling envious, called her out of curiosity, she promptly hung up the phone.
"Honey, this year I got smart—I bought a 10-Australian-dollar Hello China SIM card for Chinese tourists and local Chinese as soon as I arrived. The international call rate back to China is as low as 0.3 RMB per minute. I figured you calling me would cost you 2 RMB per minute, so I called you back instead," Bubbles said proudly on the other end of the line.
Australia has a well-developed telecom service and offers the Hello China SIM card tailored for Chinese tourists and local Chinese. With a 10-AUD denomination, it allows for 8–10 hours of domestic calls within Australia and international calls to China at rates as low as 0.3 RMB per minute. Using public phones incurs no additional charges, but when using landlines, there is a one-time connection fee per call. For example, using the Hello China SIM card to call China from a hotel will incur a one-time charge of 0.6–0.9 AUD per call, plus the regular per-minute communication fee based on actual talk time.