Hong Kong and Macau eSIM for Indians (2026): Jio, Airtel, tourist SIM or one eSIM?

Jio and Airtel both work in Hong Kong and Macau with a roaming pack, so the choice is between that pack, a tourist SIM bought after landing, and a travel eSIM installed at home. Macau adds a question of its own: does your plan cover it?

Prices side by side

Other Hong Kong plans run 30 days too: 3 GB is ₹349, 20 GB ₹1,399 and 50 GB ₹2,899, and 1 GB for 7 days is ₹149 for a stopover. Hong Kong Unlimited gives 1 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps: ₹399 for 3 days, ₹649 for 5, ₹899 for 7, ₹1,199 for 10, ₹1,799 for 15 and ₹3,399 for 30. Macau plans cost the same for fixed sizes, and Macau Unlimited (then 384 Kbps) starts at ₹299 for 3 days. The Asia plan also comes as 10 GB for ₹1,299 or Unlimited for 7 days at ₹1,899. Skip 7-day versions of fixed plans: 5 GB for 7 days costs ₹2,999, against ₹499 for 30 days.

How much data you need

Networks in Hong Kong and Macau

eSIMKite's Hong Kong plans connect to 3, csl/1010 and SmarTone. Opensignal's May 2026 report also covers CMHK (China Mobile Hong Kong), which won Best Network and the most awards, 7 outright and 5 joint; csl won 2 outright and 5 jointly. Video scores were close: CMHK 72.7, SmarTone 71.8, csl 70.9 and 3 68.0 out of 100. Ookla's September 2026 index puts Hong Kong's average mobile download at 158.41 Mbps, 53rd in the world.

In Macau, the tourism office lists three operators, CTM, Hutchison Telecom and China Telecom (Macau), and says the network covers the whole city. Our Macau plans connect to 3 and CTM.

Crossing to Macau and Shenzhen: what changes on the phone

Macau is a separate place for phone plans. The Asia plan covers Hong Kong and Macau on one eSIM. With country plans, add a Macau plan: for a day trip, 1 GB for 7 days at ₹149 covers maps and messages, though you then switch between two eSIMs. Our Global Unlimited plan does not include Macau.

On Jio without a pack, calls jump from ₹2 a minute in Hong Kong to ₹25 a minute in Macau, and incoming calls cost ₹50 a minute there (Jio's rate list, 14 Oct 2026). CTM's card in Macau also covers Hong Kong and mainland China for 5 days, but needs real-name registration with your original passport, and since 21 November 2025 visitors can register at most 3 prepaid cards in Macau.

Shenzhen and Zhuhai are different. Crossing from Hong Kong into Shenzhen, or at Macau's Border Gate, Qingmao, Hengqin or bridge checkpoints, means entering mainland China, with its own entry rules. This guide covers Hong Kong and Macau only: we have not checked mainland coverage for the plans above or which apps load there, so read the country list on any plan before relying on it in Shenzhen. Local mainland options include csl's 365-day Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau add-ons (2 GB for HK$30, 12 GB for HK$150) and a HK$268 pack from 3 Hong Kong.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

eSIMKite plans are data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so your number, WhatsApp and UPI apps stay as they are. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: both places are on Jio's 75-, 100- and 132-country lists; the ₹589 1-day pack includes 20 SMS and the ₹951 pack 25. Check in MyJio whether your plan receives SMS abroad without a pack.
• Airtel prepaid: both are on Airtel's list; the 5- and 10-day packs include 20 SMS, and the activation pack is ₹118 for 28 days at standard charges.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month include one free roaming trip a year from 8 Oct 2026, with 5 GB, 60 minutes and free incoming SMS for 5 days. The countries are not listed, so check the app.
• Vi: check in the Vi app whether you need a pack to receive SMS abroad.
• WhatsApp: messages and calls go over data, so on the eSIM your account keeps your Indian number.
• UPI: Hong Kong and Macau were not among the places with live UPI merchant payments on 31 August 2026, so carry a Visa, Mastercard or Amex card. Macau's list of accepted wallets names no Indian UPI app.

Before you land

• Pre-arrival Registration (PAR): Indian nationals must complete Hong Kong's free online PAR before a visa-free visit or transit; direct airside transit is exempt. You need a passport valid for 6 months, each stay can last up to 14 days, and one registration covers six months of visits. Print the slip on blank white A4 paper and sign it: airlines check it at boarding.
• No arrival card: Hong Kong does not ask visitors for arrival or departure cards.
• Visa for Macau: Indian passport holders can stay up to 30 days without a visa (Macao government portal, 10 Aug 2026).
• Apps: the Hong Kong Tourism Board lists MTR Mobile, the Octopus App for Tourists, App1933 for KMB buses, My HKG for the airport, MyObservatory for weather and HKSOS for 999 emergencies.

Airport Express, MTR and ferries: Wi-Fi and payments

Hong Kong airport's free Wi-Fi covers most public areas with no registration: join #HKAirport Free WiFi, open a non-https website and tap Agree and Continue. Local SIMs are sold at 7-Eleven, RELAY and Travelex shops, with SIM counters at A02 and A16 in Arrivals Hall A. In town, Wi-Fi.HK hotspots cover major attractions, malls and museums, and Macau has FreeWiFi.MO.

MTR gates, the Airport Express included, take contactless Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay credit cards (not UnionPay debit), plus phones and watches, at the Octopus fare; RuPay is not listed. For Macau, TurboJET ferries link SkyPier at the airport with Macao Outer Harbour, and Macau HK Airport Direct buses run from SkyPier to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Macao Port.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does.
2. Buy your plan, the Asia plan for both places or the Hong Kong plan if you are not crossing, and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India.
3. On most plans the validity starts when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy or install it.
4. On landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the mobile data line.

Step-by-step pictures are in how to install a travel eSIM. Print the PAR slip at the same time: unlike Japan's eVISA, which is shown on a phone, Hong Kong wants it on paper.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

Pick a roaming pack if you will make many normal calls on your Indian number: Jio's ₹951 pack gives 100 outgoing and 100 incoming minutes for 10 days, and Airtel's ₹1,298 pack 200 minutes with 6 GB. Pick csl's tourist SIM for heavy data and a Hong Kong number: 50 GB for 7 days at HK$88. Every Hong Kong SIM must be registered with your passport before it works, and csl warns that for a while calls from a new prepaid number play a voice alert to the person you call. 3 Hong Kong's local plans cost HK$10 for 24 hours, for a long layover, or from HK$50 for 30 days, for a longer stay, and free Wi-Fi.HK and FreeWiFi.MO hotspots help on any trip. The travel eSIM suits travellers who want one plan for both places, set up before the flight, with the Indian SIM kept for OTPs. More in Jio vs Airtel vs Vi roaming packs.

Questions

More guides

• Taiwan eSIM for Indians
• Singapore eSIM for Indians
• South Korea eSIM for Indians
• How much data you need
• Jio, Airtel and Vi packs compared

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Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.