Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Next is a postpay method (
后付费
,
hòufùfèi
), by which you are billed monthly according
to a plan (
套餐
,
tàoc
ā
n
) and what you use. This is the option to choose if you already have
a phone and expect to spend more than about RMB60 per month. To apply for this, go to
the phone center with your passport and SIM card. You should be able to keep your existing
phone number with the company, and in some cases you will also need to pay a deposit,
though both of these points need to be confirmed when you visit the phone store. Bills can
usually be viewed via the Internet or your cell phone.
Finally, if you need a new phone, you can sign yourself up for a phone contract (
合约机
,
héyu
ē
j
ī
), by which you commit yourself to one, two, or three years and minimum monthly
payments in exchange for a new phone.
The third option is somewhat different to what you may be used to. In China, you do not
gradually pay for the phone over the life of your contract, you pay for it upfront in full. Part
of your upfront payment is then converted into a deposit that makes its way back to you in
the form of phone credit over the life of the contract. The longer the time period and the
more you're willing to commit yourself to spending each month, the more of your upfront
payment is converted into a deposit. Let's take an iPhone5, for example, with China Tele-
com, which cost RMB5,288 at the time of writing. On day one when you walked into the
store you needed to be ready to pay them the full RMB5,288. If you signed up for a two-
year contract and chose the monthly payment of RMB49, they kept RMB4,788 as payment
for the phone and placed a deposit of RMB500 in your account, which gradually returned to
you each month as credit. Going to the other extreme, if you signed up for a 36-month peri-
od and agreed to spending RMB289 each month, the whole RMB5,288 was converted into
a deposit, which would eventually all come back to you. There are other incentives bundled
into the package, but these are the basics.
Once you sign your name to a given contract, it can not be changed, be it to upgrade or
downgrade. So be sure you're making the right decision.
International Roaming
To set up international roaming, you need to physically go into a phone store to apply,
taking your passport with you. You will need to pay a deposit somewhere in the range of
RMB500-1,500, or more if you suspect you're going to be racking up a bill while abroad.
The amount can vary depending on the carrier, your number, and where you're going. You
can have this money added to your account simply as if it were prepay credit, or have it set
aside exclusively as a deposit. Make sure you keep the invoice regardless.
