HK 2016: Cheap, Fast Mobile Internet in Hong Kong? P350 for 5 Days!

When travelling abroad, internet is the one thing we modern travelers just can’t do without!

It can also be quite expensive, and most travelers have no idea how to find affordable internet access on the go. I used to avoid getting those data roaming promos from local telcos just because they were too expensive at around P500 – P600 PER DAY! So, for a 4-day vacation, I’d be spending an extra P2,400 just for mobile internet?! 

Instead, I just relied on the free hotel wifi.

They don’t have cheap prepaid SIMs for P40 like we do here, and buying SIMs in Hong Kong is not that easy, especially if you’re not a local or don’t speak the language.

Cheap, Fast Mobile Internet in Hong Kong

However, during my most recent trip to Hong Kong, I came across this SIM card that was selling for only around P350! It includes a local Hong Kong SIM card, HK$18 worth of calls and texts, and most importantly, 1.5 GB of 4G data that is good for 5 days! 

Here’s the link to where to buy it: https://www.klook.com/activity/727-hongkong-one2free-3g-sim-card-hongkong/

There’s another option for 8 days of internet.

I purchased the 5-day SIM card online in Manila, and you can indicate what size SIM you need, whether it’s a nano SIM, micro SIM or regular SIM. Save a screenshot of your purchase, especially the QR code. Also, make sure to bring a SIM ejector tool if you need one, so you can switch out your SIMs.

I chose to pick up my SIM at the airport. Unfortunately, the booth where I need to pick it up is only open from 9AM – 11PM. Since our flight arrived at 7AM, we had to wait for 2 hours for the booth to open. It is located at the Arrivals area of the airport, Counter A13, to the left side. There are other booths there where you can rent pocket wifis.

Here’s a short video that shows the booth where I claimed the SIM:

Claiming my SIM card was easy! I just showed the guy my screenshot of the purchase, he scanned the QR code, and handed me my SIM card. In Hong Kong, QR codes are a thing, apparently. He also told me that I can get a HK$5 refund if I return the SIM card before I leave Hong Kong.

USAGE & REVIEW

After we arrived at the hotel, I switched the SIMs and followed the instructions on the paper.

The internet was FAST! Definitely much faster than the hotel wifi. I can’t believe for less than P400, I had FAST INTERNET FOR 5 DAYS! That sure beats P600/DAY, huh?

There were so many things I could do now in Hong Kong!

• post on Facebook and Instagram, real-time
• research on the go – when I see a restaurant or a shop that looks interesting, I just google it to see if it’s worth checking out; or if we find ourselves in a location and don’t know where to eat, google to the rescue!
• stay connected with my email
• VOIP call with family (Viber / Skype / Facebook)
• send real-time videos to / video chat with friends & family, you know, when I see something nice and ask my sis if she wants me to buy one for her, too; instead of guessing or describing it in words, I can show her in video and get an answer right then and there!
• Google Maps! We still get lost in Hong Kong, especially when looking for hidden gems. Online maps + GPS really help.
• Uber! Yes, we Ubered in Hong Kong. They were having a promo where they waive the HK$20 cross the harbor fee. If you avoid peak hours, Uber is generally cheaper than a taxi. This is helpful when we needed to go places that were far from the MTR stations.
• make calls & texts, if needed

I did so many of those activities but I did not even use up my 1.5 GB. Of course, I did not do any streaming or downloading, haha! I hear HK is strict about those things and I have no intention of getting in trouble there. No YouTube, too, unless I’m using the hotel wifi.

I am really happy that I found this affordable alternative to data roaming!

Speedtest Results