If you have the chance to go to Hong Kong 🇭🇰, be sure to do these three things.

1. Buy a Hong Kong phone number
Go to Watsons and buy a 33 HKD prepaid SIM card. Once purchased, it can be used worldwide, and I’ve personally tested that this brand is the cheapest and most convenient.
First, this 33 HKD card can be used in Hong Kong for 5 days (activation includes 50GB data and 1500 minutes of calls). After that, if you download their app or visit their official website, a 60 HKD number retention plan can keep your number for a whole year. They also accept mainland China payment methods.
What can you do with this phone number? Once you keep it, it’s extremely useful.
Roaming costs are much cheaper than buying data plans. For example, a 30-day plan for the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand costs only 138 HKD, and all the apps needed for international travel can be accessed. Since I travel abroad frequently, I bought a 900 HKD plan for two years, allowing me to travel worldwide without needing additional data packages. I think it’s very cost-effective.
You can also use this phone number to register various accounts, such as an Apple Hong Kong account, different apps, and even recharge this number to pay for these apps.
However, many foreign apps have difficulty receiving verification SMS with mainland China numbers, but this one can receive them all. A downside is that it may be slower in remote areas.
2. Open a Hong Kong bank account
Hong Kong bank accounts are very useful, even to the point where you don’t need to visit a bank—just operate through an app, and the card can be mailed directly to your home in mainland China.
I recommend trying HSBC and Bank of China Hong Kong once you arrive. Just make sure to bring your ID and Hong Kong-Macau travel permit, and your phone must have NFC functionality. Connecting to Hong Kong Wi-Fi for 20 minutes is enough to complete the process. I applied for this card and got approval on the same day, and before I even got home, the card was delivered.
The biggest benefits of a Hong Kong bank card:
No foreign exchange restrictions, and you can use it for cross-border investments, trading US stocks or Hong Kong stocks. Different cards offer various discounts in different regions, so it’s worth having one or two. Regularly depositing money helps maintain the account—no need for quick in-and-out transactions.
Finally, when in Hong Kong, definitely visit Victoria Peak to experience the world-class “sense of wealth,” known as one of the “Three Great Night Views of the World.”
Standing here, you can directly feel the pulse of Hong Kong as an international financial center:
Skyline view: The skyscrapers in Central (IFC, Bank of China Tower, etc.) face the ICC in Kowloon across the harbor. This dense, modern architectural aesthetic is top-tier worldwide!