esim.gg (Turtle Telecom)
Number-keeping SIM- Network
- Top Connect (licensed Estonian MVNO), per the seller; some early blogs said Elisa
- Price
- €2.99 to open (official site, Sept 2026); users paid about €3.66–€4 in 2025; Alipay accepted
- Keeping the number
- Official: use it at least once a year and the balance never expires. Receiving SMS doesn’t count as use (seller, Feb 2025); since Feb 2026 a keep-number fee is deducted if the eSIM hasn’t connected to a network for a year — bloggers suggest keeping €5+ and going online once a year.
- ID check
- No ID required
- SMS & calls
- Incoming SMS free; outgoing SMS to China about €0.24; voice is 2G-only, so calls mostly don’t work in mainland China
Reported sign-up results
TelegramWorksXPartly limited
Pros
- Cheap to open, no monthly fee, one use a year keeps the number
- Free incoming SMS, works while roaming in China
- No ID, bought online, Alipay accepted
- Mobile data exits via an Estonian IP
Watch out
- MVNO numbers may be recycled — search the number before buying
- Google and X codes work for some users but not others (Naixi forum, April 2025)
- 2G-only voice, so calls basically don’t work in China
- Small operator, so there’s a risk it shuts down — don’t tie important accounts only to it
- Since Feb 2026 a fee is deducted if it stays offline for a year
Where to buy: esim.gg