CMLink UK
eSIM + PhysicalChina Mobile International's UK service on EE — dual-number SIM for UK–China commuters
Best for: Students and frequent UK–China travellers who need a UK number plus a Chinese secondary number for mainland SMS verification.
Overview
CMLink UK is China Mobile International's MVNO on EE's network, aimed at students and UK–China travellers. Entry from a £1 trial SIM (1GB UK data / 30 min / 30 SMS / 30 days, free shipping, 2026-09 listing); standard activation needs a £2+ top-up (not re-confirmed on public pages 2026-09); keep the number by ordering a new bundle within 90 days (monthly/annual) or 30 days (travel/one-off bundles). Best value: £19 / 90 days with 40GB China-roaming data. Must first activate in the UK or EU.
CMLink UK is the pick when your traffic is China-bound: mainland-China roaming rides EE's network with a native UK IP, mainland apps like TikTok work normally while roaming, and bundle prices are fixed and repeat-orderable. Its signature is one-card-two-numbers — a UK number plus a Chinese secondary number for receiving SMS and verification codes in mainland China.
Acquisition flow (2026-03 review): pick a bundle on the official site, choose eSIM as the SIM type at checkout (the direct eSIM option has been removed from the storefront at times — order the physical SIM and convert via customer service if absent), fill in email/name/phone, agree to terms, pay, and receive the eSIM QR code by email.
Activation must happen with signal in the UK or EU (mainland China activation is not supported; Hong Kong activation has been reported unreliable).
Number-keeping: monthly/annual bundles — auto-cancellation after 90 consecutive days without a new bundle; travel/China/one-off/keep-alive/trial bundles — 30 days (the 30-day one-off rule was re-confirmed verbatim on planlist 2026-09; the 90-day monthly/annual rule was not re-found on public pages that round — likely lives in the product T&C PDFs). 5G supported, data quality rated better than CTExcel's, and it is the better choice of the two Chinese-operator UK brands for receiving mainland verification codes.
Community single-user hands-on (2026-09, unverified, likely a third-party channel price): a $7.9/year tier with 10GB high-speed plus one year of unlimited 512kbps low-speed data; mainland-China roaming lands on a Hong Kong native residential IP, with Singapore split routing over broadcast + residential IPs — well suited to AI subscriptions and cheap backup. Note: this price does not match official monthly plans; treat as third-party/promo and verify at the official store.
Popular plans
| Plan | Data from | Validity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| China data bundle | 40GB (UK + China shared) | 90 days | £19 |
Plan terms per CMLink UK official pages (2026-03 review; re-checked 2026-09-16: £19/90-day China bundle and the 30-day one-off deactivation rule confirmed, £1 trial SIM now listed, £2 activation top-up and the 90-day monthly/annual rule not re-found on public pages). Activation location restrictions apply.
Pros
- One card, two numbers — mainland SMS verification solved
- Stable mainland-China roaming on EE with native UK IP
- 5G supported; repeat-orderable fixed-price bundles
- Entry from a £1 trial SIM (2026-09); low £2 standard activation top-up
Things to note
- Must first activate in the UK or EU (not mainland China; HK unreliable)
- eSIM storefront option comes and goes — may need CS-assisted conversion
- 30-day re-order window for one-off bundles is strict
- Community-reported $7.9/year tier not listed on official pages; verify channel before buying
Key features
- UK number + Chinese secondary number on one SIM
- £19 / 90 days bundle with 40GB China-roaming data
- Native UK EE IP while roaming in mainland China
- £1 trial SIM listed 2026-09; standard activation £2+ top-up, in UK/EU only