China Mobile Roaming: Activation, Charges & Rates (2026)

Updated October 2026 · Written by Harry Cheng, founder of china-mobile-phones.com (est. 2003). Rates checked against China Mobile's own roaming pages on 28 October 2026.

On this page: Activate Charges Packages VoLTE Dialling Fixes FAQ 中文

This page is for people who already have a mainland China Mobile number and want to use it outside mainland China, including in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It follows China Mobile's own roaming pages. If you are visiting China instead, see the China prepaid SIM guide, since we no longer sell a roaming SIM.

How to activate China Mobile international roaming

1. Text GMKT to 10086 from your China Mobile number. The reply checks your roaming status and lets you switch on international and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan roaming. You can also do it online through the roaming section of 10086.cn.
2. Decide whether to buy a roaming data package. The standard tariff needs no purchase, but a package is usually cheaper if you use data. Order through the China Mobile international roaming WeChat account or the Wuyouxing app.
3. Check your phone settings. Turn on mobile data and data roaming. On Android, set the APN to CMNET if data does not work.
4. If you have no signal, switch network selection from automatic to manual and pick a network. This can take one to two minutes.
5. Dial with the right prefix (see the dialling section below).

Once roaming is on, you usually do not need to cancel it. If you only notice after you arrive, borrow a friend's phone and call the roaming hotline +86 13800100186, which is free from a China Mobile number. Inside mainland China you can call 10086.

Standard roaming charges and tariff

These are China Mobile's standard roaming rates, from China Mobile's roaming guide, in yuan. Voice rates apply to calls to mainland China, calls within the country you are visiting and answering calls, but not to calls to a third country. To see which tier a country falls into, use China Mobile's country search, and its bill calculator to estimate a trip.

Voice

Data

In the first three tiers, once you reach the daily threshold your speed drops to a maximum of 384kbps until midnight Beijing time. In the nine capped countries, data resumes at midnight Beijing time, or you can ask China Mobile to restore it without a fee cap.

Texts

Receiving texts is free in all the destinations China Mobile lists. Sending costs 0.39 to 2.89 yuan a message in 266 countries and regions. Texting mainland China costs the following from popular destinations.

Roaming data packages

China Mobile sells these packages through its international roaming WeChat account, the Wuyouxing app, 10086.cn or an SMS code. The prices below are the ones advertised, and China Mobile runs time-limited promotions, so confirm the current price for your number of days before you buy.

A package expires 90 days after you order it if you have not used data in the area it covers, and an unused package can be cancelled. It takes effect the first time you use data there, and the confirmation text arrives at your destination.

Belt and Road multi-country package

One package covers shared data in more than 130 destinations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand, Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Austria, Portugal, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina. It does not include the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Canada or India, so check the destination list before you buy. For Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States, see the country packs below. For Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, South Korea and New Zealand, China Mobile's own country page suggests its RCEP package, advertised from 15.2 yuan a day, as the cheaper option. China Mobile's page says the promotional price of 11.9 yuan a day ended on 1 October 2026, and the prices below are the list prices it shows.

• Order by SMS: text GMHDYDYLL plus the number of days to 10086, for example GMHDYDYLL5 for 5 days, then confirm when China Mobile replies.
• Days run continuously. Each day is 24 hours from the moment the package takes effect, and the clock cannot be paused. If you leave early, the remaining days are not refunded or kept.
• Cancel before it activates: text GMQX plus the order code to 10086, for example GMQXYDYLL1 for the 1-day package. An activated or expired package cannot be cancelled.
• Stacking: you can order several packages, and the Belt and Road package can sit alongside the roaming monthly package.
• It will not activate on a day when your standard data charges have already reached the 30, 60 or 90 yuan cap.
• Speed: once you pass the daily threshold, speed drops to a maximum of 384kbps until midnight Beijing time.

Country packs with data and call minutes (the "99" packs)

Since 24 September 2024, China Mobile has sold country packs that bundle data with call minutes and are not subject to the daily data speed limit. They are sold for Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, Australia, the United States, the UAE, Canada and New Zealand. The advertised price starts at 9.99 yuan for one day.

The packs are also sold for 5, 10 and 20 days, and for 90 days at 199.99 yuan (groups A and Taiwan) or 239.99 yuan (group B), with the 30GB (A and B) or 60GB (Taiwan) allowance unchanged.

• Call minutes cover calls to mainland China, calls to the local country and answering calls, counted by the second. Extra minutes are charged at the standard or VoLTE roaming rate.
• Extra data renews automatically once the allowance runs out: 5 yuan per GB in Taiwan, 5 yuan per 0.5GB for group A and 7 yuan per 0.5GB for group B, up to 10 times per pack. After that, the standard tariff applies.
• Activation: a pack takes effect the first time you use data or make or answer a call in the country. You are charged whether you use it or it expires unused, and an unactivated pack must be used within 90 days.
• Cancelling: you can cancel before activation by texting GMQX plus the order code to 10086, for example GMQXJPLY3 for the 3-day Japan pack. You cannot change a pack after ordering it, and it will not activate on a day when standard data charges have already hit the cap.

VoLTE roaming: voice and video over 4G

VoLTE roaming lets you make high-definition voice and video calls over the visited operator's 4G network, and you can use data during a call. Switching on international roaming also switches on 4G data and voice roaming for VoLTE users.

What you need

• VoLTE enabled on your China Mobile account.
• A phone that supports VoLTE, with the VoLTE switch turned on. On iPhone it is under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Options, Voice & Data (iOS 15 and later have no switch). On Android it is under Settings, Mobile data, VoLTE HD calling, and you may need to turn off 5G for it to appear.
• A visited operator that supports VoLTE roaming with China Mobile, and 4G coverage.

VoLTE roaming rates

China Mobile lists these as promotional-period rates, effective from 30 September 2026, with the end date to be announced. Calls are charged per minute and a call shorter than a minute counts as a full minute.

Receiving texts is free. VoLTE texts are charged at the same rate as your home province's IMS text charges.

Where VoLTE roaming is available

China Mobile lists dozens of countries and many operators. A selection of popular destinations is below, and the full list is on China Mobile's VoLTE roaming page.

How to call and text from abroad

• A mainland mobile: dial +86 and the mobile number, for example +86 139 1234 5678. Hold the 0 key to type +.
• A mainland landline: dial +86, the area code without the leading 0, then the number. Beijing's 010 becomes +86 10.
• The country you are visiting or another country: dial + , the country code, then the number.
• Texts to mainland China: enter the mobile number as normal. For other countries, add + and the country code.

Calling back from your contacts list usually does not add the prefix for you, so type it in yourself. Some countries drop the leading 0 from local numbers when dialled internationally, so an 11-digit Japanese number such as 09012345678 is dialled as +81 9012345678. Numbers starting 400 or 95 work with +86, but short numbers do not. The country codes for popular destinations are in the table above, and China Mobile has a dialling assistant for the rest.

No signal or no data?

• Turn on mobile data and data roaming in your phone settings.
• Set network selection to manual and choose a network.
• On Android, if data still fails, set the APN name and APN to CMNET and leave other fields as default. iPhones need no APN change.
• If VoLTE calls fail, choose another operator in that country. In the US, for example, switching to T-Mobile can help.
• Still stuck? Call +86 13800100186 or use the online service in the China Mobile international roaming WeChat account.

Frequently asked questions

中文说明

How this page was put together. Rates, packages, steps and the hotline come from China Mobile's own pages on 10086.cn, read on 28 October 2026: China Mobile's roaming guide and its VoLTE roaming tariff. The older GMKT30, GMKT180 and GMQX codes and the 200 yuan balance condition come from this page's earlier version and could not be confirmed, so they are described as legacy. Rates can change. This site is independent and not operated by China Mobile.

Related guides

• China Mobile Hong Kong roaming: GMKT code and rates
• CMHK international call rates (Hong Kong SIM)
• China prepaid SIM and eSIM guide
• How to use your phone when travelling to China
• Hong Kong SIM card and eSIM options