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Buying a SIM card in Macau means choosing between local calls, regional data and the convenience of an eSIM. Here is how CTM’s prepaid options work, what registration involves and where Roafly fits.
CTM, 3
Instant delivery
4.50 USD From 3.83 USD
Lena Hartley
Updated Sep 28, 2026
9 min read
Best for most trips
CTM, 3
Macau
10 GB · 30 days
Enough for maps, bookings and everyday travel.
Hotspot supported
$14.00
$11.90
MACAU15 automatically applied
$4.50From 3.83 USD
15% reader discount
CTM’s Chill Travel Card is a practical starting point for a short Macau visit, especially if you need local calls or will also visit Hong Kong and mainland China. Roafly suits an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone when you want prepaid data arranged before departure and a longer allowance period. Bring your original passport when buying a local prepaid SIM, and distinguish the card’s purchase price from the balance loaded onto it.
Match the package to your itinerary before comparing prices. Five days of regional service with local calls and 30 days of Macau-only data cover different needs.
| Option | Data and validity | Price basis | Calls and trip fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTM Chill Travel Card | 5 GB at full speed, then reduced-speed data; 5 days | MOP50 promotional card price; MOP100 stored value | 500 Macau local minutes; Macau, Hong Kong and mainland China data |
| CTM 5.5G Social Unlimited Data Plan | 12 GB at full speed, then reduced-speed data; 30 days | MOP88 plan fee deducted from prepaid credit; suitable SIM required | 480 local minutes; Macau data |
| Roafly Macau eSIM | 10 GB or 20 GB; both valid for 30 days | 10 GB: US$14; 20 GB: US$20 | Data only; no local number; hotspot supported |
CTM offers and owner-verified Roafly standard prices checked on 28 September 2026. The CTM travel-card price is promotional; the MOP88 monthly option is a service fee, not a verified total for buying and setting up a new SIM. Prices and terms may change.
If you are still deciding whether to buy mobile data at all, compare the broader ways to get internet in Macau, including public Wi-Fi and pocket Wi-Fi.
The five-day Chill Travel Card combines a short data pass with a Macau phone number. Its regional allowance makes it useful when Macau is one stop on a Hong Kong–Macau–mainland itinerary.
Three amounts explain the offer:
MOP50: the advertised promotional purchase price.
MOP100: the stored value loaded onto the card.
MOP80: the initial deductions—MOP70 for the five-day package and MOP10 for the CTM Buddy voice service—leaving MOP20 in credit.
Those deductions come from the included balance. Adding them to the purchase price would overstate the advertised cost.
“Unlimited” also needs context: full-speed data ends after the included allowance, followed by reduced-speed access. Treat the high-speed allowance as your working budget for uploads and video rather than assuming unlimited high-speed use.
The Social Unlimited plan offers a longer Macau allowance with local calling. Its MOP88 charge comes out of prepaid credit; the purchase of a suitable starter card and any automatically activated services still matter when calculating your initial payment.
Keep these conditions in mind:
The 12 GB full-speed allowance is for local Macau data.
After that allowance, CTM applies reduced speeds under the plan’s terms.
The plan renews every 30 days by deducting its fee from the prepaid balance.
Additional credit may fund another renewal, so review recurring services before topping up for a short extension.
This is a useful option to discuss at a CTM store if you need a local number for an extended visit. Ask staff for the complete starting payment and explain how long you intend to keep the service.
3 Macau is scheduled to stop providing mobile services from 1 December 2026. During the transition, existing users can arrange a move to CTM; the official service-transition announcement explains the change.
Old 3 Macau package tables are therefore a poor basis for a new tourist purchase. SmarTone’s Macau operation already ceased service on 11 November 2024, so older guides recommending its local prepaid SIMs are also out of date.
China Telecom Macau remains a separate local operator, but we have not verified a sufficiently clear current tourist offer and complete starting price to include it in this comparison.
Visit an official shop if you want someone to explain the balance deductions, register your passport and help select a plan. Two concrete options are:
Nam Van Shop: Avenida de D. João IV, 12–14, ground floor A–B, on the Macau Peninsula.
TELECENTRO Concept Store: Rua de Lagos, Telecentro ground floor, Taipa.
Take your phone as well as your passport. Ask staff to show which allowance has been activated and test mobile data before leaving.
Selected Circle K and 7-Eleven branches appear in CTM’s Chill Card sales network. These can be convenient when a listed branch is near your accommodation, but selling a starter card and providing full registration assistance are different services.
Read the packaging before paying: Chill Card and Chill Travel Card have different starting arrangements. Match the exact card to the allowance you want, and ask about assistance if you cannot complete registration yourself.
If you intend to buy at Macau International Airport, establish whether the seller is accessible from public arrivals or is inside departures before relying on it. Keep a city-store option available if you have not confirmed an accessible airport seller and the exact package.
Avoid assuming an airport price is higher or a city price is lower. Compare the same card, included balance and any separately quoted service charge.
Local prepaid SIMs require real-name registration. CTM accepts an original identity card or a valid passport, making passport registration the relevant route for most international visitors.
Use this sequence at purchase:
Show your original passport and identify the exact prepaid card you want.
Complete registration through the operator’s supported process; keep your details consistent with the document.
Confirm the active package, its expiry and any recurring deductions.
Insert the SIM and test data, then make a local call if calling is part of your reason for buying it.
Keep the packaging and receipt for the phone number, account details and support information.
CTM’s prepaid registration and card conditions also cover number allocation and card expiry. Buying the card alone does not complete registration.
Your phone must accept another carrier’s SIM. Check that it is unlocked and has a physical SIM slot before choosing this route; eSIM-only models need a compatible digital plan instead.
Local prepaid service makes sense when you need a Macau number, included conventional calls or the CTM card’s specified regional coverage. Roafly is more convenient when you mainly need data for maps, messaging, bookings and sharing a connection with another device.
You can arrange a Macau eSIM before departure and install it while connected to Wi-Fi. Roafly’s Macau plans are data-only, support top-ups and let you use hotspot from the purchased allowance without a separate hotspot quota.
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Roafly listed CTM and 3 as supported networks on 28 September 2026. Because 3 Macau has announced its December closure, use the network details attached to the package at purchase for later travel dates; this guide does not promise continued 3 access after the transition.
The practical choice is straightforward:
Local calls or a Macau number matter: consider CTM prepaid service.
You want data ready without a shop visit or physical SIM swap: consider Roafly on a compatible, unlocked device.
You want to compare travel-eSIM plans more broadly: review the best eSIM options for Macau.
Treat Macau, Hong Kong and mainland China as separate coverage areas when buying a package. The trip’s border crossings matter more than whether the SIM is described broadly as a “China” or “Macau” card.
CTM’s Chill Travel Card includes data across all three destinations. Its 30-day local plan has a Macau data allowance, while the Roafly country packages discussed here cover Macau. Regional coverage should be explicit in the package you buy.
Before a combined trip, establish:
Where the data works: each destination on your route should be named.
How the allowance is shared: regional data may be one shared pool rather than a separate allowance per destination.
What happens to calls: included Macau local minutes should not be treated as free roaming calls elsewhere.
Whether the package lasts through your final stop: count the whole itinerary, including days outside Macau.
If you already have a Hong Kong SIM, inspect its Macau roaming allowance before buying another card. Existing coverage may be enough for a short side trip.
No. CTM’s Chill Travel Card has a 180-day card-validity period, but its included travel package lasts five days. Keeping the number or remaining credit active does not extend the initial data pass.
You can keep using WhatsApp with your existing registered number while another SIM or eSIM supplies the internet connection. There is no need to use WhatsApp’s Change Number feature simply because you switch mobile-data plans.
No. CTM and China Telecom Macau are separate operators. Check the operator name on the package rather than treating the two names as interchangeable.
Roafly publishes this guide and offers the travel-eSIM service discussed above.
Best for most trips
CTM, 3
Macau
10 GB · 30 days
Enough for maps, bookings and everyday travel.
Hotspot supported
$14.00
$11.90
MACAU15 automatically applied
$4.50From 3.83 USD
15% reader discount
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