For some well-known reasons, certain apps are unavailable for download in China’s Apple App Store. Additionally, services like Apple TV, Apple TV+, iTunes Store, Book Store, Apple One, Apple Arcade, and Apple News are entirely absent in mainland China, while Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and iCloud+ offer only limited versions. This is the primary motivation behind my desire for a foreign phone number. However, topping up and paying for services on foreign App Stores isn’t as straightforward as one might think. Typically, you need a locally issued credit card to complete transactions. This means you can’t use a mainland Chinese credit card to bind to, say, the U.S. App Store. Moreover, in many cases, a local phone number is required to finalize the process—or sometimes, just having a local phone number allows you to make payments directly on the App Store without even binding a credit card. Below, I’ll share what I’ve learned about this.
U.S. Region
Back in college, when I first started using an iPhone 5, I had the foresight to create a U.S. Apple ID specifically for downloading certain apps. At the time, registering a U.S. account didn’t require binding a payment method (and it seems this is still the case—if you use a U.S. IP, the “None” option appears for payment). However, paying for services with a U.S. account can be a bit cumbersome. Here are the common methods:
- Purchase U.S. App Store gift cards.
- Bind a U.S. PayPal account to the App Store.
- Use Taobao for third-party top-ups.
- Bind a U.S. credit card to the App Store.
Among these, the fourth option is nearly impossible unless you’re physically in the U.S. Research suggests that some banks offer “virtual credit cards” (a method also applicable in Hong Kong), but this comes with risks and additional requirements. I didn’t explore it further and abandoned the idea.
Gift Cards
The simplest method is using gift cards. To my knowledge, only the U.S. and Japanese App Stores (for software purchases, Apple Music, subscriptions, etc.) and Apple Store (for hardware like iPhones and Macs) have merged their gift cards into a single type. In most other regions, App Store top-up cards are sold offline, while Apple Store gift cards are available online.
Thus, you can directly use a mainland Chinese credit card to purchase U.S. App Store gift cards and top up your U.S. account.
U.S. PayPal
Using a U.S. PayPal account is another workaround. You can bind a mainland-issued credit card to a U.S. PayPal account, then link that PayPal to your U.S. App Store. The underlying logic is that the App Store shifts payment risks to PayPal. However, this method has a major drawback: PayPal’s fraud controls are extremely strict.
First, when registering for a U.S. PayPal account, you need a consistent U.S. IP address. You can successfully register and bind a mainland credit card without verifying a phone number. But if your login IP changes, or if PayPal detects that multiple accounts have used the same U.S. IP (e.g., a shared VPN—it’s better to use a self-hosted VPS), or for some inexplicable reason, it will prompt you to provide a verifiable phone number.
I swiftly bound my mainland credit card to a US PayPal account, then successfully linked it to my US App Store account. However, when I logged back into PayPal 30 minutes later, it flagged a risk and prompted me to verify a phone number. I skipped the verification, and two days later, PayPal emailed me saying they had reset my password. Now, if I want to reset the password again, I need a phone number—effectively rendering the account useless.
Here’s the catch: not just any US virtual number from platforms like TextNow, Google Voice, or other SMS services will work. PayPal accurately detects whether a number is virtual (i.e., provided by a US virtual carrier) and rejects the verification.
Ultimately, the only solution is to purchase a US physical SIM card for verification. But even the cheapest options are prohibitively expensive—hardly justifiable just for App Store payments. So, I abandoned this approach.
Taobao Recharge Services
This method is strongly discouraged. The cheap recharge options offered by Taobao sellers, such as “pay $100, get $200 credited,” are often tied to stolen US credit cards. If the card is reported lost or the fraud is detected, your account balance could be frozen.
These are the US payment methods, but they still carry risks. For examples of US accounts being abruptly banned after years of smooth usage—with no recourse—check out discussions on V2EX.
Considering payment convenience and language support (detailed in this comparison: Which Region Should You Choose for Apple Music?—A Full Comparison of Six Regions: US, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan (Second Edition) ), I ultimately opted for the Hong Kong region.
Hong Kong Region
Despite its proximity to the mainland, the Hong Kong App Store still doesn’t accept mainland-issued credit cards. Surprisingly, it’s even harder to top up compared to the US App Store, where buying Apple Store gift cards online is straightforward.
Here are the main top-up methods for the Hong Kong region:
- Mobile Billing: Link your App Store purchases to your phone bill.
- Credit Card: Bind a Hong Kong-issued credit card to the App Store.
- AliPayHK: Link AliPayHK to the App Store (though this no longer works with mainland cards).
- Gift Cards: Purchase physical App Store gift cards.
Let’s break them down.
Mobile Billing
In short, this method ties your App Store spending to your phone bill, treating your mobile number as a prepaid card. Top up your phone credit, link the number to the App Store, and purchases will deduct from your balance.
Credit Card Binding
Like the US region, mainland-issued credit cards won’t work—only Hong Kong-issued cards are accepted.
AliPayHK
This used to work similarly to PayPal in the US: bind AliPayHK to the App Store, then link a mainland credit card to AliPayHK. However, at some point, AliPayHK stopped accepting mainland cards, making this method obsolete.
Gift Cards
Hong Kong App Store gift cards are only sold offline (e.g., at 7-Eleven). Online platforms only sell Apple Store gift cards. I avoided Taobao-purchased Hong Kong App Store credits due to fears of black-market cards and account bans.
In the end, I migrated my long-used US account to Hong Kong, bought a local number, and used mobile billing for payments.
A few additional considerations:
Best Cost-Effectiveness
First, getting a Hong Kong number isn’t as easy as it seems (though not impossibly hard). Purchasing one locally now requires real-name registration with a Hong Kong ID card. For mainlanders, a valid港澳通行证 (Exit-Entry Permit for Hong Kong and Macau) is mandatory—so obtaining one is the baseline requirement. Without it, forget about this route.
Hong Kong mandated that all local SIM cards complete real-name verification by February 23, 2023. Unverified cards became unusable after that date.
Secondly, when browsing and placing orders on various Hong Kong SIM card sales websites such as CMHK, China Unicom Hong Kong, 3HK, Clubsim, etc., you’ll notice that they only deliver to Hong Kong and do not offer shipping to mainland China. Therefore, you either have to choose forwarding (which isn’t cost-effective given the small size of the item and the potential risk of customs seizure) or turn to Taobao. I opted for the latter.
With that in mind, the goal becomes clear: select a cost-effective SIM card. After some research, here are the options:
- CMHK Yallo SIM: The monthly fee is forgotten, but it’s very cheap. However, it’s no longer available on Taobao.
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CMHK Man Chung SIM: Man Chung SIM is a series, similar to Shenzhou Xing or M-Zone. The cheapest option has a monthly fee of 2 HKD, with pay-as-you-go usage. However, after searching Taobao, I found that most listings either sell recycled second-hand numbers (previously used by others, which may have been bound to services like AliPayHK, making it risky for new bindings—buy with caution) or only offer top-up services without selling the SIM itself.
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Clubsim Top-Up Card: I chose this option. This plan is specifically for binding to app stores or Google Play for purchases. There are restrictions: when first purchased, it comes with a default 50 HKD top-up package valid for 180 days. Each top-up extends the validity by another 180 days from the top-up date. You can also subscribe to an SMS package for 6 HKD per month. Even after the SMS package expires or the top-up balance runs out, the number remains active for 365 days. Thus, the annual holding cost is effectively 6 HKD, which is very economical. This card is available on Taobao.
- 3HK: Similar to ClubSim, it’s also a prepaid card, but unlike ClubSim, its call, SMS, and data packages are more cost-effective. Most people buy its DIY package, which allows you to customize combinations of voice calls, data, and SMS, much like ClubSim.
Many people buy 3HK SIMs to use Hong Kong networks for roaming in mainland China, accessing sites like Google that are otherwise restricted. Since it provides a native IP, it can unlock any streaming service, such as Netflix or Disney+. However, compared to ClubSim’s dedicated top-up package for app store or Google Play purchases, 3HK doesn’t offer a clear advantage. Since I don’t use the number for calls, data, or SMS, I ultimately chose the Clubsim card with the top-up package:
Notes
There are some important points to note. Clubsim SIM cards also cannot be shipped to mainland China, so you’ll need to purchase them through Taobao. Based on my understanding of Clubsim’s terms of service, the initial activation of the card must be done in Hong Kong—it cannot be activated in mainland China. However, Taobao sellers claim that their customers have successfully activated Clubsim cards in mainland China. After reviewing some materials and videos, it seems possible to request activation through customer support. Since my card hasn’t arrived yet, and the Taobao seller asked for my Clubsim account (just the username, not the password) after I placed the order—claiming it needed to be linked—I assume the seller has no reason to deceive me (since the payment is still held by Taobao and hasn’t been released to them). Therefore, it’s reasonable to conclude that Clubsim cards can indeed be activated and used normally in mainland China.
Finally, it’s worth noting that, as introduced in the aforementioned article: Which region should you choose for Apple Music subscription? — A comprehensive comparison of six regions: China, US, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan (Second Edition)], the completeness of Hong Kong’s App Store and other Apple services still lags behind regions like Taiwan and Japan. For instance, Hong Kong lacks Apple One and Apple Arcade. However, my priority was access to the full versions of Apple Music, Apple TV, iTunes Store, and Books, along with a relatively smoother cultural environment (language-wise), which led me to opt for the Hong Kong region.
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From the author:
I often wish that when facing some key decisions in life, someone could tell me the best course of action so that I would not waste my precious time. Putting myself in others' shoes, I therefore write blogs often, hoping to record in this tiny corner of the vast Internet the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that matter to me, and to help those who seek help.
