ENC Mobile now supports both the ENC-A and ENC-T U.S. networks, so you can choose the one that works best based on coverage where you are. It also adds ENC-T Unlimited Pro, which costs $50 per month and includes 10GB of DualData that can be used directly for high-speed data in the U.S., mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. You could say this is the phone plan best suited for U.S. students, frequent China-U.S. travelers, and people in China who use a U.S. card remotely!

If you sign up using our partner referral code AAK8, you can get a $15 credit reward (the reward posts after activation and 35 days of service). Please note that this promo code does not apply to the $10 plan, so you can choose the $20 plan for the first month and then downgrade to the $10 plan in the second month. That will be slightly cheaper.

ENC is a good fit for U.S. students, people who travel between China and the U.S. frequently, and anyone who likes flexible plans. Its main advantages include:

  • It now supports both the ENC-A and ENC-T U.S. networks, so you can choose based on local coverage;
  • A physical SIM card can be shipped for free to China or the U.S., or you can choose eSIM directly;
  • You can activate the U.S. number early while in China and start using it right after landing in the U.S.;
  • The lowest plan is only $10/month, and if you do not need it for a while, you can apply for a $3 + tax / 30-day keep-alive plan;
  • Wi-Fi Calling is supported, so you can keep receiving texts and making calls with your U.S. number while in China;
  • You can apply for an additional virtual China number for a dual U.S.-China number setup on one card;
  • ENC-T Unlimited Pro comes with 10GB of DualData, which can be used directly for high-speed data in the U.S., mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau;
  • Supports WeChat Pay, Alipay, and bank card payments.

ENC is also suitable for long-term use in China (for people who use a U.S. card remotely) or for long-term foreign trade users

  • Price: the lowest-cost option is the $3/month keep-alive plan with free Wi-Fi calling; if you need U.S. data, go with the $10/month plan plus an $8/GB data package
  • Order in China and have a physical SIM delivered to your home by SF Express, or use eSIM directly; it can be activated in China with no usage restrictions (Tello and Google Fi can no longer be activated in China and are more likely to be blocked)
  • Wi-Fi Calling is available, so you can make and receive U.S. calls for free;
  • You can buy an international roaming package and bypass the firewall directly;
  • While roaming, you get a clean U.S. IP, so you do not have to worry about fraud controls when applying for cards or logging into online banking;
  • If you need a lot of data, you can get the 10G Pro plan, which is an excellent deal
  • Supports WeChat Pay, Alipay, and bank card payments.
  • You can join our private group for Chinese-language support

If you need help, you can also join the ENC group to ask questions. If the QR code has expired, add the U.S. Cards 101 assistant (WeChat ID uscards101)

ENC SIM card new-user promotion

If you register for ENC phone service through our referral link and enter referral code AAK8, you can get $15 in free credit. Make sure you enter it in the correct field!

The $15 credit reward requires the number to be activated and service to remain active for 35 days before the reward is credited. Please note that this promo code does not apply to the $10 plan, so you can choose the $20 plan for the first month and then downgrade to the $10 plan in the second month. That will be slightly cheaper. In addition, the student plan is $10, and it can also trigger this credit reward. Click to apply, and when a success popup appears, it means it worked.

About ENC Mobile

ENC Mobile is a mobile carrier that provides communication services for U.S. local users, students, and overseas Chinese customers. It offers U.S. local calling, international calling, global texting, one-card dual-number service for the U.S. and China, Wi-Fi Calling, and international roaming. The biggest change in 2026 is that ENC now offers two U.S. networks:

  • ENC-A: places more emphasis on coverage within the U.S. and is suitable for highways, suburbs, and remote areas;
  • ENC-T: places more emphasis on 5G speed and U.S.-China cross-border use, and offers DualData plans.

Users can choose a network based on their school, home, and the areas where they spend the most time. If you later find that the other network has better coverage, you can also contact ENC to ask about switching options. ENC’s main advantages currently include:

  1. Free shipping for physical SIM cards between China and the U.S., or you can choose eSIM;
  2. You can activate it in China in advance and start using it directly after landing in the U.S.;
  3. It offers a $3 + tax / 30-day keep-alive service, which is ideal for long winter and summer breaks back in China;
  4. You can apply for an additional virtual China number to receive SMS verification codes from Chinese apps, banks, and more;
  5. Customer support is available in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese;
  6. Supports WeChat Pay, Alipay, and bank card payments.

Plan details

Regular plans

ENC is a prepaid mobile service, so plans must be paid for in advance. Unlike traditional postpaid carriers, there is no credit check when signing up, so the process is relatively simple. At present, the regular monthly plans for ENC-A and ENC-T are basically the same price:

Plan High-speed data Monthly fee
2GB 2GB $10/month
5GB 5GB $20/month
10GB 10GB $25/month
15GB 15GB $30/month
Unlimited 40GB high-speed data $45/month

ENC-T also offers:

  • Unlimited Pro: $50/month;
  • Includes 40GB of high-speed 5G/4G LTE data in the U.S.;
  • Of that, 10GB is DualData, which can be used in the U.S., mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

You can choose based on the following criteria

  • After the high-speed data is used up, basic data service is still provided. The official listed speed is about 128kbps, which is suitable for receiving messages and basic web browsing, but not for HD video or large downloads. If you only want to keep a U.S. number long term, the $10 plan is enough.
  • If you use a lot of data within the U.S., you can choose 5GB, 10GB, 15GB, or Unlimited based on your actual needs.
  • If you travel between China and the U.S. frequently and want to keep using high-speed mobile data after returning to China, the most distinctive option right now is ENC-T Unlimited Pro.

Note that the bonus high-speed data, except for ENC-T Unlimited Pro, is U.S.-only domestic data. So if you only use it in China, you do not need to buy extra high-speed data, but you will need to purchase an international roaming package to get online (U.S. IP). If your data usage is very heavy, you can consider the $50 plan, where the included 10GB can all be used in China, which is cheaper than buying a 10GB roaming package.

Student discount policy

If you are a student preparing to study in the U.S., ENC also has a 2026 student discount (edu email verification required!). During the promotion period, the following three plans are only:

  • 5GB: $10/30 days;
  • 15GB: $10/30 days;
  • Unlimited: $10/30 days, including 40GB of high-speed data.

You can choose to buy 1 month or 3 months. For example, 3 months of Unlimited costs only $30 in total, which works out to $10 per 30 days. The current student promotion runs from May 20, 2026 to October 15, 2026, and you must activate after purchase within the required time. The signup process:

  1. Go to the student promotion page on the ENC Mobile website;
  2. Select whether you do not have a card yet or already have an ENC card;
  3. Choose the 5GB, 15GB, or Unlimited plan;
  4. Complete student verification using a qualifying U.S. .edu email address;
  5. If you do not have a .edu email address, you can upload an admission letter or other documents for manual review as required by the page;
  6. After payment, choose a physical SIM or an eligible eSIM;
  7. It is recommended to activate 1–2 days before traveling to the U.S.

After the student promo plan ends, it will renew or change at the regular plan price. Auto-renewal is enabled by default; if you do not want to keep using the original plan, remember to change it in your account in advance. Whether the promotional discount and referral bonus can be used at the same time should be based on the final display on the purchase page and ENC's current promotion terms.

Application Process

They are a prepaid carrier, so you need to pay the monthly fee before using the service. Prepaid is also very convenient—you do not need to provide an SSN, address, or anything else; just your name and email address!

The specific steps are as follows

  • Shipping to China and the U.S. is free.
  • Then use our discount code AAK8. Using our referral code can get you $15 in credit, for first-time ENC users only. The $10 plan does not work, so choose a $20+ plan first and switch next month for better value. Click Apply, and when a success message pops up, you're done.

Activating the Service

After you receive the physical SIM card, you can activate it online through the ENC website; supported phones can also use eSIM directly. ENC supports activation in China ahead of time, so international students can get a U.S. phone number before heading to the U.S. to use for rental applications, school, banking, or other forms that require a U.S. number.

If you want to use Wi-Fi Calling, you need to enable the feature on your phone and set a U.S. E911 Address for emergency services. You can use a friend's address or your school address; if that does not work, just Google a local residential address. Do not copy it directly from someone else's article.

Chinese virtual number

ENC can add a Chinese virtual number on top of your existing U.S. mobile service, giving you one card and two numbers for China and the U.S. Current pricing is: first month free; then $1.99/month.

When applying, you need to enable it in your account and upload identity verification documents as required. The Chinese number can be used to receive SMS verification codes from many Chinese apps, banks, e-commerce platforms, and other services. Note that whether you can receive verification codes from a particular bank or platform still depends on that platform's SMS delivery and number-recognition rules. Of course, if you do not need this feature, none of the features above involve real-name verification.

$3 Number Retention

Another advantage of ENC is that you can keep the number at a very low price. Number retention only costs $3 per month, and during the retention period the U.S. mobile line is still usable. Every 30 days, you get 30 minutes of calls and 100 text messages for free; beyond that limit, calls and texts are no longer available. Note that you can choose number retention for up to 120 days at a time. When it expires, if you want to keep the number again, you need to subscribe to a main plan first and then activate number retention again. You can use this when you go back to China during summer or winter break and save a lot of money. During the retention period, you can also use Wi-Fi calling outside the U.S., and calls and texts are still free.

Using it in China

If you are staying in China long-term or returning home temporarily, you can use their Wi-Fi calling to make calls and receive texts, both free! Here's how to activate it:

If you need data, you need to buy an additional international roaming package. The price is 1G for $8. As mentioned above, if your monthly usage exceeds 5G, you can directly buy the $50 Unlimted Pro plan, which includes 10G of U.S.-China data.

Which plan should remote users choose

If you plan to use it mainly in China, you can follow this process:

  • Buy the $20 ENC-T plan. The reason to buy the $20 plan is that adding invite code AAK8 can give you $15 in credit; ENC-T has fewer restrictions than A, so choosing T is better
  • Choose a physical SIM or eSIM based on your needs
  • Switch to the $10 plan in the second month
  • Receive the bonus $15 credit after day 35
  • After that, you can either keep the $10 lowest-tier plan long term, or use the $3 number-retention plan (with free Wi-Fi calling)
  • When you need a clean IP, buy roaming data to get a U.S. IP

If you need a lot of data, just buy the $50 ENC-T pro plan; it gives you 10G of roaming data every month.

Compared with Tello

Many users currently report that Tello can no longer be activated directly in China, and using roaming in China for a long time may result in account suspension. In addition, Tello's prices have gone up and taxes are charged, so it is not very cost-effective. The reasons are as follows:

  • Free SF Express delivery to your home in China, with a physical SIM card, so you do not need to buy an extra eSIM device
  • You can activate the phone number normally in China and enable U.S. roaming (roaming automatically gives you a U.S. IP, very clean)
  • The lowest plan is $10 per month, but you can pause service on schedule to keep the number; retention only costs $3 per month, and during that period you can still make and receive calls normally with Wi-Fi calling
  • The entry price for international roaming packages is relatively low
  • Long-term use in China is less likely to get the account banned, because many foreign-trade professionals use it too!

ENC SIM Card New-User Promotion

If you sign up for ENC mobile service through our referral link and enter referral code AAK8, you can get $15 in free credit. Make sure you enter it in the correct place! Click Apply, and when a success popup appears, you're done.

The $15 credit reward requires the number to be activated and the service to remain active for 35 days before the reward is credited. Note that this promo code does not apply to the $10 plan, so you can choose the $20 plan for the first month and downgrade to the $10 plan in the second month; that is a little more cost-effective. Also, the student plan is $10, but it can still trigger this credit reward.