Hong Kong is one of the cheapest places in Asia to stay connected: our Hong Kong plans cost the same as our Singapore and Malaysia plans at every size up to twenty gigabytes. The table below lines up our live Hong Kong prices with the prices on Airalo’s own Hong Kong page, checked on the date shown. Of the seven rows both of us sell, ours is lower on every one, and the five- and ten-gigabyte months cost just under half of theirs. The catch is the border, or rather two of them. Shenzhen is 14 minutes from West Kowloon by high-speed train and Macau about 40 minutes by bus over the bridge, and each is a separate destination with its own networks. A Hong Kong plan stops at both. The fix costs very little: our Macau and mainland China one-day plans are cheaper than our Hong Kong one-day plan, and for day trips, adding them as you go beats the plan that covers all three places. Below: Shenzhen and Macau, when the three-place plan is worth it, what to set up before crossing into the mainland, how wide the gap in the table is, unlimited, stopovers and the MTR. The final section pairs each common Hong Kong trip with a plan.
How the prices compare for Hong Kong
Lumbus prices are live from our catalogue. Airalo prices are the public list prices on their own websites, in US dollars, checked on 1 October 2026. Where another provider is cheaper, the table says so.
| Plan | Lumbuslive price | Airalo |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB | $3.99 · 7 days$3.99/GBCheapest | $4.00 · 3 days$4.00/GB |
| 3GB | $4.99 · 30 days$1.66/GBCheapest | $8.50 · 7 days$2.83/GB |
| 5GB | $5.99 · 30 days$1.20/GBCheapest | $12.00 · 30 days$2.40/GB |
| 10GB | $8.99 · 30 days$0.90/GBCheapest | $18.00 · 30 days$1.80/GB |
| 20GB | $15.99 · 30 days$0.80/GBCheapest | $29.00 · 30 days$1.45/GB |
| Unlimited · 7 days | $19.99 · 7 days$2.86/day3GB/day at full speed, then 1MbpsCheapest | $26.50 · 7 days$3.79/day3GB/day at full speed, then 1Mbps |
| Unlimited · 30 days | $62.99 · 30 days$2.10/day3GB/day at full speed, then 1MbpsCheapest | $71.00 · 30 days$2.37/day3GB/day at full speed, then 1Mbps |
Lumbus is the cheapest option in 7 of the 7 plans compared.
Not in this table yet: Holafly, Saily, and Nomad. Their prices are added once checked.
Price pages checked: Airalo (1 October 2026)
Shenzhen and Macau are different phone destinations
To your phone, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China are three places, each with its own networks. Our Hong Kong plans run on csl and SmarTone, our Macau plans on CTM and 3, and our mainland China plans on China Mobile. A Hong Kong plan has no data once the phone joins a Macau or mainland network, and nothing on the screen tells you it has happened.
The crossings are quick, which is what catches people out. The high-speed train from West Kowloon reaches Futian in central Shenzhen in 14 minutes, and the East Rail line runs to the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings. The shuttle bus over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge takes about 40 minutes, and the ferry from Sheung Wan to Macau about an hour.
For a day across either border, add a one-day plan for that place. Our Macau and mainland China one-day plans each cost less than our Hong Kong one-day plan, so a day trip adds very little to the bill.
- A day in Shenzhen: a mainland China one-day plan for that day.
- A day in Macau: a Macau one-day plan.
- Several days split between Hong Kong and the mainland: the plan that covers all three places.
When the three-place plan is worth it
We sell one plan that covers mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau together. It costs not far off twice the Hong Kong plan at five gigabytes and more than twice at ten, so for a Hong Kong trip with a day or two over the border it is the expensive route. A Hong Kong month plus one-day plans for Macau and the mainland costs less and gives you more data in total.
It pays when the mainland is a real part of the trip. At every size it costs less than a Hong Kong plan and a mainland plan of the same size bought separately, so a week split between Hong Kong and Shenzhen or Guangzhou belongs on it. For Hong Kong and Macau without the mainland, two plans of the same size cost less from ten gigabytes up.
On the mainland, the three-place plan runs on China Unicom and China Telecom rather than the China Mobile network our mainland plans use, and in Macau it uses CTM.
- Hong Kong with a day trip or two: the Hong Kong plan plus one-day plans.
- A week split between Hong Kong and the mainland: the three-place plan.
- Hong Kong and Macau only, at ten gigabytes or more: two separate plans.
The apps to set up before Shenzhen
Mainland China restricts many apps that work normally in Hong Kong, including Google services and WhatsApp, so do not count on them over the border. Hong Kong’s own internet is open, and so is Macau’s.
Set up the mainland’s own apps while you are still in Hong Kong: WeChat for messages and payments, Alipay for paying in shops and on transport, and Amap or Baidu Maps for directions. Link a card to both payment apps, and download anything else you will need, such as maps, translations and tickets, before you go.
Shenzhen runs on QR-code payments far more than on cards or cash, so a working data connection matters even more there than it does in Hong Kong.
How wide the gap in the table is
Two rows deserve a second look, because the validity differs as well as the price. At one gigabyte, Airalo’s plan runs for three days and ours for seven, at a cent less on our side. At three gigabytes theirs lasts a week and ours a month, and ours costs under three fifths of theirs.
The five- and ten-gigabyte months show the widest gap, at just under half their price, and the twenty-gigabyte month comes to a little over half.
The unlimited rows compare like with like, three gigabytes a day at full speed on both sides, and ours costs about a quarter less for a week and about a ninth less for a month. Beyond the table, three days of our unlimited cost under three quarters of their three days, and our fifty-gigabyte month about seven tenths of theirs.
Unlimited: three days for the price of ten gigabytes
In Hong Kong, three days of unlimited cost exactly what the ten-gigabyte month costs. That makes unlimited an easy choice for a short, heavy stay: a business trip full of video calls, a weekend of streaming, or a laptop running off the phone. Each day brings a fresh three gigabytes at full speed, after which the connection runs at one megabit per second until the next day.
A week of Hong Kong unlimited costs a quarter more than the twenty-gigabyte month, and less than a week of unlimited in most of Europe. For two weeks, the twenty-gigabyte month with a ten-gigabyte top-up costs less than a fortnight of unlimited.
- Two or three heavy days: three days of unlimited, at the price of the ten-gigabyte month.
- An ordinary week: the ten-gigabyte month.
- A fortnight: twenty gigabytes for the month, with a top-up if you need one.
Stopovers: a day or two between flights
Hong Kong is one of Asia’s big transfer airports, and plenty of visits last a night or two. For a single day, the two-gigabyte one-day plan is the cheapest thing we sell for Hong Kong. For two or three days, the three-gigabyte month costs about two thirds more and lasts a month, which helps if you pass back through on the way home.
Nothing is used up before you arrive, because the plan’s days begin when the eSIM first connects to a Hong Kong network. Install it at home and switch the line on when the plane lands.
The MTR, the harbour and the hills
Mobile networks cover all MTR lines, including the platforms, the trains and the tunnels between stations, so maps and messages keep working underground.
Coverage is dense across the city and around the harbour. On hiking trails such as Dragon’s Back and the paths on Lantau the signal can thin in places, so download offline maps before you set out.
Roaming in Hong Kong on a home contract
Hong Kong is outside every European roaming arrangement, so most EU and UK contracts charge there, usually by the day or by the megabyte, and operators in North America, the Gulf and the rest of Asia apply their own international rates. Check what yours charges before you go.
For most visitors the question is size rather than whether to buy, and for a week in the city the ten-gigabyte month is the usual answer.
Central, Macau or Shenzhen: a plan for each trip
Each line assumes ordinary use: maps, the MTR, messaging and photos, with hotel Wi-Fi doing the heavy lifting. If you will run a laptop or share with family, go one size up.
Buy and install before you fly, and keep the one-day plans for the days you actually cross a border.
- A stopover of a day: the one-day plan, two gigabytes.
- Two or three days: the three-gigabyte month.
- A week in the city: the ten-gigabyte month.
- A business trip with video calls: three days of unlimited, or a week of it.
- Two weeks: twenty gigabytes, plus a top-up if needed.
- A day in Shenzhen: add a mainland China one-day plan.
- A day in Macau: add a Macau one-day plan.
- A week split between Hong Kong and the mainland: the three-place plan.
- Hong Kong and Macau only, ten gigabytes or more: a Hong Kong plan and a Macau plan.
- A family sharing one phone’s hotspot: one size up.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best eSIM for a Hong Kong trip?
For most trips, a Hong Kong month plan: five or ten gigabytes covers a week and twenty covers a fortnight. Add a one-day plan for each day you spend in Macau or on the mainland. Against Airalo, we come out lower on all seven rows in the table above, including the two unlimited rows, which compare like with like, and the five- and ten-gigabyte months cost just under half of theirs.
I am spending a day in Shenzhen. Which plan covers it?
A mainland China one-day plan for the day, on top of your Hong Kong plan. It costs less than our Hong Kong one-day plan, and a Hong Kong plan has no data once your phone joins a mainland network, which happens within 14 minutes of leaving West Kowloon on the high-speed train. Set up WeChat, Alipay and a mainland map app before you cross, because Google services and WhatsApp are restricted there.
Which plan for a day in Macau?
A Macau one-day plan. Macau is a separate destination with its own networks, CTM and 3, so a Hong Kong plan stops working there. The one-day plan costs less than our Hong Kong one-day plan. The bus over the bridge takes about 40 minutes and the ferry from Sheung Wan about an hour, and Macau’s internet is open, like Hong Kong’s.
Is the three-place plan for China, Hong Kong and Macau good value?
When the mainland is a real part of the trip, yes: at every size it costs less than a Hong Kong plan and a mainland plan of the same size. For a Hong Kong trip with a day or two across a border it is not, because a Hong Kong month plus one-day plans costs less and gives more data. For Hong Kong and Macau without the mainland, two separate plans cost less from ten gigabytes up.
What changes on my phone when I cross into Shenzhen?
Two things. Your phone joins a mainland network, so a Hong Kong plan has no data until you add a mainland plan, and a one-day plan is enough for a day trip. And mainland China restricts many familiar apps, including Google services and WhatsApp, so set up WeChat, Alipay and Amap or Baidu Maps while you are still in Hong Kong, with a card linked to both payment apps.
Three days of unlimited or the ten-gigabyte month?
They cost exactly the same in Hong Kong, so it depends on the trip. For two or three heavy days, such as a business trip with video calls, take unlimited: three gigabytes at full speed every day, then one megabit per second. For a lighter stay, or one that may stretch past three days, the ten-gigabyte month lasts thirty days and takes top-ups.
What should I buy for a Hong Kong stopover?
For a single day, the two-gigabyte one-day plan, which is our cheapest Hong Kong plan. For two or three days, the three-gigabyte month, which costs about two thirds more and stays valid for a month if you come back through. Install it at home: its days only begin at the eSIM’s first connection in Hong Kong.
Will my maps work underground on the MTR?
Yes. Mobile networks cover all MTR lines, including platforms, trains and the tunnels between stations, so maps and messages work underground. Our Hong Kong plans run on csl and SmarTone.
Which networks will my phone use in Hong Kong?
csl and SmarTone, whichever is stronger where you are. Our Hong Kong plans can use both, and both have 5G. Over the borders the networks change: our Macau plans use CTM and 3, our mainland plans use China Mobile, and the three-place plan uses CTM in Macau and China Unicom and China Telecom on the mainland.
How many gigabytes does a week in Hong Kong take?
Five gigabytes covers a light week of maps, the MTR, messages and photos if the hotel Wi-Fi takes the evenings. If you stream, make video calls or share a hotspot, take ten gigabytes, and for two or three heavy days, three days of unlimited cost the same as the ten-gigabyte month.
Does my home phone plan roam in Hong Kong?
It usually does, at a price. Hong Kong is outside every European roaming arrangement, so most EU and UK contracts charge there, and operators elsewhere apply their own international rates. Check what yours charges before you fly.
Can my family share one Hong Kong plan?
Yes, hotspot use is included. On a month plan everyone draws from the same data, so go one size up. On unlimited, every connected device shares the day’s three full-speed gigabytes with the phone, then everything slows until the next day’s allowance.
Can I top up a Hong Kong plan if I run low?
Yes, the month plans take top-ups, so you can add data without starting again. The one-day plan does not, so if you are staying longer than a day, start on a month plan.
Should I install my Hong Kong eSIM before landing at Chek Lap Kok?
Yes. Installing takes a few minutes and a steady connection, which is easier at home, and it costs nothing to do early, because the plan’s days begin at its first connection to a Hong Kong network. Switch the line on when the plane lands.