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Aisha
06 March 2026
China is one of the most frequently visited destinations for Singapore travellers — whether for business in Shanghai, family visits in Guangdong, or tourism in Beijing and Chengdu. For giga users, the good news is that China is included in gigaRoam's APAC pass, meaning you do not need to source a separate carrier plan before the trip. The less comfortable reality is that the gigaRoam APAC pass gives you 1GB valid for five days — which in China, where Google Maps does not work and you will be navigating entirely through Baidu Maps, WeChat, Alipay, and local apps that consume data constantly, runs out fast. This guide explains exactly how gigaRoam works in China, what the APAC and Global pass structures look like, and when a dedicated China eSIM is the more practical choice for giga subscribers.
giga is a digital only mobile brand operating on StarHub’s 4G and 5G network infrastructure in Singapore. Like the other StarHub powered MVNOs, Eight Mobile and GOMO, giga uses StarHub’s international roaming partner agreements to provide connectivity abroad. When a giga subscriber lands in a supported destination, the phone connects automatically to a local partner network. No manual activation is required.
All giga plans include free monthly data roaming in five core Asian markets: Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and South Korea. These five destinations are covered at no additional cost on every plan tier, with the data amount depending on which plan you are subscribed to. For destinations beyond these five, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and most of the rest of the world, giga offers two optional roaming passes that can be purchased through the giga app.
One important structural note: outgoing calls and outbound SMS are not supported while roaming on giga, regardless of the destination. You can receive incoming calls and inbound SMS, including Singapore OTP codes from your bank, but to make calls or send messages you will need to use data based alternatives such as WhatsApp, FaceTime Audio, Telegram, or WeChat. This is not a disadvantage unique to giga. It applies across giga, Eight, and GOMO. However, it is worth considering in China specifically, where WhatsApp is blocked and communication typically runs through WeChat.
China is included in the gigaRoam APAC pass, which covers 14 destinations: Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Global pass covers all 48 of giga's supported international destinations, which includes the APAC 14 plus most of Western Europe, Canada, the United States, the Middle East, and others.
Prices are listed in Singapore Dollars (SGD) and are subject to change. Check the giga app for current pricing before purchasing. Both passes activate automatically when you first use data at the destination after purchase. The pass clock starts running from first use, not from the moment of purchase.
China is one of the most data-intensive environments for a traveller to navigate, for reasons that are specific to the country's digital infrastructure. Google Maps, Google Search, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western communication apps are blocked in mainland China. Navigation runs on Baidu Maps or Amap (AutoNavi). Payments run through Alipay or WeChat Pay. Communication runs through WeChat. Ride-hailing runs through DiDi. Each of these apps requires active data connectivity and does not cache well.
For a Singapore traveller doing a five-day business trip to Shanghai or Guangzhou, the gigaRoam APAC pass — 1GB for five days — aligns neatly with the validity window and may be sufficient if you are based in a hotel with Wi-Fi and primarily use data for maps and WeChat while in transit. But if you are moving between cities, relying on DiDi extensively, or participating in video calls for business, 1GB is a tight constraint. A single hour of WeChat video call consumes approximately 300–500MB. One day of active navigation with Baidu Maps at moderate use consumes 150–250MB.
For trips longer than five days, the APAC pass must be purchased again, as the 1GB allotment does not automatically renew. Managing multiple consecutive passes for a ten-day trip is cumbersome and adds up in cost. This is the primary scenario where a dedicated China eSIM is the cleaner option.
Purchase the gigaRoam APAC pass before departure. The pass is purchased through the giga app. It activates on first data use in China, so buying it the evening before departure from Singapore is the recommended approach. Do not rely on purchasing it after landing — you need data to access the app.
Download offline maps before boarding. Both Baidu Maps and Amap (AutoNavi) support offline map downloads for specific cities and regions. Download the areas you plan to visit while on Singapore Wi-Fi before flying. This reduces data consumption significantly for navigation, preserving your 1GB for WeChat, DiDi, and Alipay.
Inbound SMS works in China. Your Singapore OTP codes and bank verification messages will reach you on your giga number while in China. This is important for accessing Singapore banking apps that require SMS OTP. Keep the giga SIM active; do not switch it to airplane mode if you need to receive these codes.
Outbound calls and SMS are not available while roaming on giga. Use WeChat for calls to local Chinese contacts and WhatsApp (via VPN if needed) or FaceTime for calls to Singapore contacts. Note that WhatsApp and many Google services require a VPN to function in mainland China — set this up and test it before departure.
For trips longer than five days, plan your data strategy in advance. Options include purchasing multiple APAC passes consecutively, or installing a China eSIM as the primary data source for the trip while keeping the giga SIM active for incoming Singapore SMS.
The gigaRoam APAC pass works well for short trips where data use is light and hotel Wi-Fi fills the gap. It is a convenient option for a weekend trip to Hong Kong or a five-day business visit to Shanghai where most of your connectivity happens on hotel or office networks and you use your phone primarily for transit navigation and messaging.
A dedicated China eSIM becomes the better option for three types of trips. The first is any trip longer than five days, where the APAC pass validity window does not cover the full stay and managing multiple consecutive passes is inconvenient. The second is data-heavy travel: city-hopping by high-speed rail across Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai, relying entirely on DiDi for ground transport, and navigating with Baidu Maps from morning to night. In this scenario, 1GB is consumed in two to three days. The third is any trip where you want the certainty of a known data budget for the full duration without tracking remaining gigabytes against an expiry clock.
The dual-SIM approach is the cleanest solution. Keep the giga SIM active for incoming calls and Singapore bank OTPs, with data roaming disabled on that line. Install a China eSIM before departure and set it as the default data line for the trip. The eSIM connects to China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom infrastructure from landing, at local speeds, with the full data package available for the trip duration.
China is a specific challenge for Singapore travellers that goes beyond simple data volume. The blocked app environment means every piece of navigation, payment, and communication runs through data-dependent Chinese apps. Baidu Maps for directions, WeChat for everything from restaurant bookings to taxi payments, DiDi for rides, Alipay for transactions — each requires a live data connection. The safety net of hotel Wi-Fi exists, but China's hotel networks are sometimes slow or blocked for VPN traffic, and connectivity gaps at restaurants, transport hubs, and street level are common in smaller cities.
A giga user who arrives in Shenzhen with 1GB and plans to spend four days visiting suppliers across the Pearl River Delta is going to exhaust that allotment by day two. A TurkSIM eSIM installed before departure and set as the data default from landing means the full trip data budget is available from the moment of arrival, running on China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom local infrastructure. The giga SIM stays active in dual-SIM mode, handling inbound SMS for Singapore bank OTPs and any other verification codes from Singapore services that rely on the +65 number. No pass management mid-trip, no watching the data bar approach zero on the third day.
Yes. China is included in the gigaRoam APAC pass, which covers 14 destinations across the Asia-Pacific region. The pass provides 1GB of data valid for five days and is purchased through the giga app. The free monthly roaming data included in giga plans (covering Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and South Korea) does not cover China; a separate APAC pass purchase is required.
giga operates on StarHub's international roaming partner agreements. In mainland China, this typically means connection to China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom infrastructure via StarHub's roaming partners. The specific network depends on signal availability and roaming agreement terms. Coverage in major cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu is generally reliable on any of these three networks.
Yes. Inbound SMS is supported on giga while roaming, including in China. Singapore bank OTP codes and verification messages sent to your giga number will arrive normally. Keep the giga SIM active with data roaming disabled if you are using a separate China eSIM for data. The SIM remains capable of receiving SMS even without active data roaming.
WhatsApp is blocked in mainland China regardless of which SIM or eSIM you use. A VPN is required to access WhatsApp, and the VPN must be set up and tested before entering China, as the Apple App Store and Google Play Store are also not accessible from within China without a VPN. WeChat functions normally in China without a VPN and is the primary messaging and calling app used domestically.
Yes. Most modern smartphones with eSIM support — including recent iPhones and Android flagship models — support dual-SIM operation with one physical SIM and one eSIM simultaneously. Install the TurkSIM China eSIM before departure, set it as the default data line, and disable data roaming on the giga SIM. The giga SIM handles inbound Singapore SMS and calls. The China eSIM handles all data in mainland China at local speeds on China Mobile, China Unicom, or China Telecom.
Among Singapore MVNOs, giga's inclusion of China in the APAC pass (rather than a more expensive Global pass) is a genuine advantage — some other providers categorise China under their worldwide tier, which carries a higher per-GB price. The 1GB/5-day structure is consistent with what GOMO and Eight Mobile offer at comparable price points. Singtel and StarHub postpaid customers have access to more flexible ReadyRoam China add-ons with larger data packages, but at higher monthly plan costs. For data-intensive China travel, a travel eSIM remains the most cost-effective option regardless of which Singapore carrier you hold.
Yes. All giga plans support eSIM activation for the Singapore local plan. This is a key advantage for travellers: you can have your giga plan on an eSIM in your phone's embedded eSIM slot and install a travel eSIM on the physical SIM tray, or vice versa depending on your device. Check your device's eSIM support before signing up if you intend to use this configuration.
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