Travel Guide

muShanghai Arrival Guide: Phone, Payments, Transport

How to set up your phone, Alipay, Didi, and metro card for muShanghai. Everything you need in your first 2 hours after landing.

By Dr. Dominik Dotzauer
TL;DR — your first 2 hours
  1. Get an eSIMbefore you fly
  2. Alipay + foreign cardbefore you fly
  3. Download Didibefore you fly
  4. Metro cardat the airport

That's it. Everything else can wait until you're settled.

Phone & internet

The muShanghai campus has unrestricted internet — Google, GitHub, X, everything works. For mobile data outside the campus you have two options:

Recommended

International eSIM

$15–2510 GB / 30 daysWorks on landing

Buy an Airalo or Nomad eSIM before you fly. It roams through Hong Kong or Singapore, so your usual apps and services work seamlessly.

Chinese SIM card

100–200 RMB30 daysPassport needed

China Mobile counter at the airport (T1 and T2 at both Hongqiao and Pudong). You get a Chinese number, which makes Alipay and WeChat Pay setup smoother.

💡

If you only pick one: get the eSIM before you fly. You can always grab a Chinese SIM later for the local number.

Payments: Alipay

China runs on mobile payments. Cash works but is inconvenient. International cards work at hotels and some chain restaurants but fail everywhere else.

Set up Alipay before you land:

  1. Download Alipay — not "Alipay HK", the mainland version with the blue icon.
  2. Register with your phone number. A foreign number works.
  3. Tap "Tour Pass" or open the international card section.
  4. Link your Visa or Mastercard.
  5. Done — you can now pay at any store, restaurant, taxi and vending machine.

There’s a daily limit for foreign cards (~5,000 RMB/day, ~$735) — more than enough for daily spending. The muShanghai partner hotels all accept Alipay.

WeChat Pay is the other option. Same idea: link your foreign card inside WeChat → Me → Services → Wallet. Most places accept both.

Transport: airport to campus

The muShanghai campus is in Minhang, near Hongqiao Hub.

✈️

Landing at Hongqiao (SHA)? You're 10 minutes away. Metro Line 2 (3 stops) or a Didi for ~15 RMB. Walk out and you're basically there.

Landing at Pudong (PVG)? You’re 60–80 minutes away. Pick one:

Metro Line 2

~90 min9 RMB

End to end. Cheapest option, but long.

Maglev + metro

~60 min50 + 4 RMB

Faster — and the coolest ride in town.

With luggage

Didi

~60 min150–200 RMB

Door to door. Easiest if you're carrying bags.

Download Didi before you land. It works like Uber, has an English interface and pays through Alipay or a linked card. You won’t need to speak Chinese to get anywhere.

Metro card

Buy a Shanghai Transportation Card at any metro station, including the airport stations: 20 RMB deposit plus whatever you load. Tap on, tap off. A typical ride costs 3–6 RMB — you’ll use it daily.

Alternative: Alipay has a metro QR code built in (search “Shanghai Metro” in the app). It works, but it’s slower than a physical card.

Police registration

⚠️

Mandatory within 24 hours. Chinese law requires foreigners to register their address after arrival. Hotels do it automatically at check-in. If you rent an apartment, your landlord needs to take you to the local police station — it takes about 15 minutes.

Checklist

Before you fly

At the airport

At the hotel

That’s it. Everything else — finding food, getting a haircut, buying a SIM card later — can happen once you’re settled.

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