As the title says, I’m looking for SIM/eSIM cards that can be delivered to mainland China, activated by someone physically in mainland China, and can be used long-term or have low maintenance (number retention) fees. The more comprehensive the options, the better.
Please do NOT include Google Voice or Talktone.
Please provide ways to obtain and maintain these cards according to the requirements.
As long as they can be used within mainland China, I don’t care about specific call or data rates.
This is pretty good~ The main thing is that the validity period is very long~ The price of the data is still acceptable
Is there a written guide or at least the name? I don’t have a VPN right now.
Check out what’s inside here: 全网最全免费ESIM白嫖名单！！！ - #302，来自 wrurrenjkg
This is a YouTuber’s affiliate link (AFF); you can open it and sign up directly without a VPN. It’s Singapore’s eskimo.
It’s best to watch his videos when you have access to a VPN. Using his affiliate link gives you bonus traffic valid for up to two years—great for SMS verification and light, clean home bandwidth.
This service supports payment directly with Chinese UnionPay cards.
The upper message is really informed.
I’ve looked at this, but it feels pretty all over the place and most of them are only valid for a few days.
Are you looking to get online or just need a number for SMS verification?
If it’s just for internet, I’d still recommend Hongcha for mainland users. Then keep an eye on Xiaohongshu (xhs) for their 50% off vouchers—a gig will end up costing you less than 2 RMB.
If it’s for SMS verification, you can check out the two giveaways I organized. 
Turtle Telecom (乌龟电信) is a good option—the number stays active as long as you connect to a base station, so your plan extends for 365 days each time, which is really convenient. There are lots of solid numbers you can use just to keep your account active. Even though giffgaff ‘officially’ bans China now, you can still get their SIMs and they’re workable.
Hong Kong also has a lot of options: 3HK’s international roaming SIMs, hahasim, or csl/club all work well for keeping numbers active, and there are lots of sellers—searching on Telegram turns up plenty. There are dedicated Telegram channels and forum posts detailing these, so I recommend checking those out and choosing according to your own needs.
Just need the number for verification, no need for international internet access, but I want some numbers that can be used long-term and are stable.
DingDing
Just checking things out
Are there any specific expectations for country/region/scenario? Do you have a particular preference for real-name or anonymous registration?
The country should have minimal regulation and loose review standards.
Real-name verification is fine, but unverified is even better.
The scenario is for receiving codes and occasionally sending SMS.
Have you heard of Turtle Telecom? esim.gg—there are tons of intro articles and videos from all sorts of affman online. I might suggest you try it out—it’s super hassle-free. I also managed to win a coupon in the LOC lottery for the second time. You should check it out.
Alright, I’ll look into it.
Check out Clubsim in HK — only 6 HKD per year to keep your number, supports eSIM/SIM.
Are you talking about the £3.3 Estonia +372 number that doesn’t require keeping the number with a renewal fee?
I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly, but I think someone mentioned there are some things you can’t register with it.
Is there a €5 card activation fee?
Help me bump this up. And grab a red envelope (hongbao) while you’re at it.
It seems you need to verify your identity.