Disclaimer: The prices and information presented on this page reflect a snapshot at the time of research and may change at any time without prior notice.
Aisha
07 March 2026
Travelling to China with your Singapore number raises questions that do not come up for most other destinations. There is the roaming plan to sort out, but there is also the firewall to consider: will WhatsApp still work? Can you access Google Maps? And if you are on M1 prepaid, the situation is more complicated than for postpaid users. China is one of the few destinations where M1's roaming setup differs significantly between plan types, and understanding those differences before you fly can save you both frustration and money. This guide breaks down how M1 roaming China works, which plans cover you, and what travellers from Singapore actually need to know about staying connected across the border.
M1 connects to China through three major local partner networks: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. These are China's three national carriers, and together they provide coverage across urban centres like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, as well as most regional cities. Rural coverage can be more variable, but for most tourist and business travel itineraries, the network footprint is adequate.
For postpaid users on Bespoke plans, China is included under the Daily Passport at SGD $3.95 per day, giving 3GB of roaming data for 24 hours, exactly the same rate as Japan and South Korea. Data Passport monthly options are also available for China, letting you use your local M1 data bundle while roaming, subject to the 15GB combined cap before excess charges of SGD $12.22/GB apply.
The key distinction for China is around prepaid users. Unlike Malaysia, Japan, and most APAC destinations, China is currently not covered under M1's prepaid Roaming Packs or prepaid data packs. Prepaid M Card users travelling to China can only access roaming on pay-per-use rates, which are charged per KB with a 20% surcharge. This makes unmanaged data use in China potentially very expensive for prepaid customers, and is a strong argument for either switching to postpaid before travel or using a separate travel eSIM for Chinese data.
This is the question that comes up most often for Singapore travellers heading to China, and the good news for M1 roaming users is that the answer is generally yes: WhatsApp, Google, Instagram, and other apps blocked by China's Great Firewall can still be accessed through M1 roaming. The reason is that when you roam on M1 via a partner network in China, your internet traffic is routed back through Singapore rather than through the Chinese domestic internet. This effectively bypasses the local content restrictions that affect local Chinese SIM card users.
That said, speeds for accessing blocked apps via roaming can occasionally be slower than usual, and access is not completely guaranteed in all circumstances. If you rely on these apps for work communications during your China trip, downloading a reputable VPN app before you leave Singapore as a backup is still a sensible precaution, as VPN installation is blocked inside China itself.
Here is a breakdown of the available options for M1 users heading to China, as of March 2026. All prices in SGD. Check current rates in the My M1+ App before departure.
The Daily Passport for China is part of M1's mid-tier pricing zone at SGD $3.95/day. Like all Daily Passport subscriptions, there is also a SGD $4.95 flat subscription fee per billing month in any month you use it. This fee applies once regardless of how many destination countries or days you activate that month.
Pre-register your Daily Passport before leaving Singapore. Use the My M1+ App to set up pre-registration for China. This enables automatic activation the moment you use data after landing in Shanghai, Beijing, or wherever your trip begins, with no manual steps required. You are only charged when data usage is actually detected.
Download your VPN before departure. Even though M1 roaming generally bypasses the Great Firewall through Singapore-side routing, installing a VPN while still in Singapore is a worthwhile backup. VPN apps cannot be downloaded from inside China as the App Store and Google Play are restricted there.
Prepaid users: turn off data roaming entirely or use an eSIM. If you are on an M1 prepaid M Card, there are no roaming packs available for China. Your only option is pay-per-use at SGD $0.03/KB plus 20% surcharge, which is not practical for any meaningful data use. Turn off Mobile Data and Data Roaming in your phone settings before crossing into China, and rely on a separate travel eSIM for data instead.
Network selection in China. M1's preferred partners are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. If your phone does not automatically connect to one of these, go to Settings > Carrier and select manually. Connecting to a non-preferred network may result in pay-as-you-go charges even if you have a Daily Passport active.
Watch the 15GB Data Passport cap. If you use Data Passport for China alongside other APAC destinations in the same month, all usage counts toward the same 15GB ceiling. A busy business traveller combining China with Japan in the same billing cycle can hit the cap mid-month, after which every GB costs SGD $12.22.
For M1 prepaid users, the case for a travel eSIM is straightforward: there are simply no M1 prepaid data packs for China. Any data use on your M Card in China will be charged at pay-per-use rates that make even checking a map expensive. A travel eSIM for China solves this completely, at a fixed cost, with no surprises on your M Card balance when you get back.
For postpaid Bespoke users, the calculation depends on trip length and data habits. If you are in China for a short business trip of two to three days, SGD $3.95 per day is reasonable, and the firewall bypass via Singapore routing is a genuine benefit. But for a two-week trip to explore multiple provinces, the daily costs accumulate, and a longer-validity eSIM package will often work out cheaper. It is also worth noting that eSIM data for China does not come with automatic firewall bypass: international-routing eSIMs provide their own pathway to unrestricted internet access, which makes them a clean solution for travellers who need reliable access to Google, WhatsApp, and other blocked services.
China is one of those destinations where the difference between a well-prepared connectivity setup and a last-minute scramble is felt immediately. At PVG airport or Beijing Capital, the moment you land and need to coordinate your hotel pickup, you want data that works. TurkSIM eSIMs for China connect through China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom, the same major domestic carriers that M1 partners with for roaming, giving you comparable coverage in cities from Shanghai and Shenzhen to Chengdu and Xi'an.
For M1 prepaid users, the eSIM is the only practical solution: M Card roaming packs do not cover China, so without an eSIM you are relying on pay-per-use rates that will drain your balance for basic use. For postpaid users, the advantage is predictability. Install the TurkSIM eSIM before you fly, keep your M1 SIM active for your Singapore number and banking OTPs, and your Chinese data costs are settled before you even board the plane. No billing cycle concerns, no 15GB cap, and no mid-trip panic when you realise you are approaching your data ceiling in week two of a China road trip.
M1 prepaid M Card users do not have access to roaming data packs for China. The only option for prepaid users who use their M1 SIM in China is pay-per-use at SGD $0.03 per KB plus a 20% surcharge, which adds up very quickly with any real smartphone use. The practical recommendation is to turn off data roaming on your M Card before arriving in China and use a separate travel eSIM for all data.
Generally yes. When you roam on M1 in China, your internet traffic routes through Singapore's network before reaching the wider internet, which means apps like WhatsApp, Google Maps, Instagram, and Gmail typically remain accessible. This is different from using a local Chinese SIM, where these apps are blocked by the Great Firewall. Note that speeds can occasionally be inconsistent, and there are no guarantees for all apps in all situations.
Without a roaming add-on, M1 postpaid users in China are charged at pay-as-you-go data rates with a 20% surcharge. At SGD $0.02/MB plus surcharge for postpaid, even a few minutes of casual browsing or app usage can generate notable charges. Activating the Daily Passport at SGD $3.95 before using data is strongly recommended for postpaid users who want to avoid unexpected charges.
M1's preferred roaming partners in China are China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. These three carriers between them cover essentially all major urban areas and most regional cities. Your phone should connect to one of these automatically on arrival, but if it does not, you can manually select a network in your phone's Settings > Carrier or Connections menu.
Yes. Hong Kong and Macau are treated as separate roaming destinations from mainland China in M1's system. Both are accessible to prepaid users through M1's data packs that cover Singapore plus a cluster of nearby destinations. Prepaid roaming packs for Hong Kong and Macau are available where the mainland China pack is not, so check which pack covers your specific travel itinerary before purchasing.
A local Chinese SIM will give you cheaper data rates, but it comes with two significant drawbacks: your Singapore number will be unavailable for calls and banking OTPs, and local SIM data will be subject to the Great Firewall, meaning no WhatsApp, Google, or Instagram. M1 roaming keeps your Singapore number active and typically provides unfiltered internet access through Singapore-side routing. A travel eSIM on a dual-SIM phone is the best of both worlds: keep your M1 SIM for calls and SMS, and use the eSIM for data at a predictable flat cost.
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