ENC Mobile now supports both the ENC-A and ENC-T U.S. networks at the same time, so you can choose the better network based on coverage where you live. It also adds the ENC-T Unlimited Pro, which costs $50 per month and includes 10GB DualData that can be used directly in the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau for high-speed data. It may be the most suitable phone card for U.S. students, people who travel back and forth between the U.S. and China, and people who use a U.S. SIM while living in China!

Now, if you register with our partner referral code AAK8, you can get a $15 account credit reward (the reward will be credited only after activation and 35 days of service). 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, which is a little more cost-effective.

ENC is a good fit for U.S. students, people who travel frequently between the U.S. and China, and people who like 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;
  • Physical SIM cards can be shipped for free to China or the United States, or you can choose eSIM directly;
  • You can activate your U.S. number in China ahead of time and start using it directly after landing in the U.S.;
  • The lowest plan is only $10/month, and when you do not need it temporarily, you can apply for a number-retention plan at $3 + tax per 30 days;
  • It supports Wi-Fi Calling, so you can keep using your U.S. number in China to receive texts and make calls;
  • You can apply for an additional virtual Chinese number to get a single card with two numbers for China and the U.S.;
  • ENC-T Unlimited Pro includes 10GB DualData and can use high-speed data directly in the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau;
  • Supports payment by WeChat, Alipay, and bank card.

ENC is also suitable for long-term use in China (people who use a U.S. SIM while living in China) or for long-term cross-border trade users.

  • Price: The lowest-cost option is the number-retention plan at $3/month, with free Wi-Fi Calling; if you need U.S. data, choose the $10/month plan plus an $8/G data add-on
  • Place an order within China and have a physical SIM shipped to your home via 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 easy to get blocked)
  • You can use Wi-Fi Calling to make and receive U.S. calls for free;
  • By buying an international roaming package, you can directly bypass the network wall;
  • While roaming, you get a clean U.S. IP, so you do not have to worry about risk controls when applying for cards or logging in to online banking;
  • If you need a lot of data, you can buy the 10G Pro plan, which is extremely cost-effective
  • Supports payment by WeChat, Alipay, and bank card.
  • You can join our exclusive group for Chinese-language support

If needed, you can also join the ENC group for help. If the QR code has expired, add the US Cards 101 assistant (WeChat ID: uscards101)

ENC Mobile New User Promotion

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

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 then downgrade to the $10 plan in the second month, which is a little more cost-effective. In addition, the student plan is $10, and it can also activate this credit reward.

About ENC Mobile

ENC Mobile is a mobile carrier that provides communication services for local U.S. users, students, and overseas Chinese users, offering 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: puts more emphasis on coverage within the United States and is suitable for highways, suburbs, and remote areas;
  • ENC-T: puts more emphasis on 5G speed and cross-border use between the U.S. and China, 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 for you, you can also contact ENC to ask about switching. ENC's main advantages currently include:

  1. Free physical SIM card shipping between China and the U.S., and eSIM is also available;
  2. You can activate it in China ahead of time and start using it directly after arriving in the U.S.;
  3. It offers a $3 + tax per 30 days number-retention service, which is suitable for students who return to China for long summer and winter breaks;
  4. You can apply for an additional virtual Chinese number to receive SMS verification codes from Chinese apps, banks, and more;
  5. Customer service is available in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese;
  6. Supports payment by WeChat Pay, Alipay, and bank card.

Plan Details

Regular Plans

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

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 U.S. high-speed 5G/4G LTE data;
  • 10GB of that is DualData and can be used in the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

You can choose based on the following:

  • After the high-speed data is used up, base data service is still provided. The current official speed is about 128kbps, which is suitable for receiving messages and simple 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 frequently between the U.S. and China and want to keep using high-speed mobile data directly after returning to China, the most distinctive option right now is ENC-T Unlimited Pro.

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

Student Discount Policy

If you are a student preparing to study in the United States, ENC currently also has a 2026 international student discount (edu email verification required!). During the promotion, the following three plans are all 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 after purchase it must be activated within the specified time. The application process:

  1. Go to the student promotion page on the ENC Mobile official website;
  2. Choose whether you have not received a card yet or already have an ENC card;
  3. Choose the 5GB, 15GB, or Unlimited plan;
  4. Complete student verification with a qualifying U.S. .edu email address;
  5. If you do not have a .edu email address, you can upload an admission letter and other documents for manual review as required on the page;
  6. Complete payment and choose a physical SIM or a qualifying 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, so if you do not want to keep using the original plan, remember to change it in your account in advance. Whether the promotion and the referral bonus can be used at the same time is subject to the final display on the purchase page and ENC's current promotional 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, since you do not need to provide an SSN, address, or similar details—just your name and email address!

The detailed steps are as follows

  • Shipping to either China or the U.S. is free
  • Then use our discount code AAK8. Using our referral code can get you $15 in credit, limited to first-time ENC users. The $10 Plan cannot use it, so start with a $20+ plan and downgrade in the second month for better value.

Activate 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 in advance, so students can get a U.S. phone number before traveling to the U.S. for use on rental applications, school forms, bank forms, or any other documents that require a U.S. number.

If you need to use Wi-Fi Calling, you need to enable the corresponding 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 necessary, search Google for a local home address, but do not copy one directly from someone else's article.

China virtual number

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

When applying, you need to enable it in your account and upload real-name verification documents as required. The China 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 specific bank or platform still depends on the other side'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 choose a very low-cost number-retention option. Number retention only costs $3 per month, and during the retention period the U.S. phone line still works. Every 30 days, you can make and receive 30 minutes of calls and send and receive 100 text messages for free; once you go over the limit, calling and texting are no longer available. Note that number-retention service can be selected for up to 120 days at a time. After it expires, if you want to keep the number, you must first subscribe to a main plan and then reactivate number retention. This can be used when you return to China during summer or winter break, and it saves a lot of money. During the retention period, you can also use Wi-Fi calling outside the U.S., and calling and texting remain free.

Using it in China

If you are in China long term or have returned home temporarily, you can use their Wi-Fi calling to make calls and receive texts, all for free! Here is how to activate it

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

Which plan should remote users choose

If you use it in China long term, you can follow the steps below

  • Buy the $20 ENC-T plan. Starting with $20 is to make it possible to add referral code AAK8 and get $15 in credit; ENC-T has slightly 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 gifted $15 credit after day 35
  • After that, depending on your needs, you can keep the $10 minimum plan long term, or use the $3 number-retention plan (free Wi-Fi calling)
  • Depending on your needs, when you want a clean IP, buy roaming data to get a U.S. IP

If you need a very large amount of data, just buy the $50 ENC-T Pro plan; it gives you 10G of roaming data every month directly.

Comparison with Tello

Many users currently report that Tello can no longer be activated directly in mainland China, and long-term use of roaming in China 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
  • Phone numbers can be activated normally in China, and the U.S. roaming feature can be enabled (roaming automatically uses a U.S. IP, which is very clean)
  • The lowest plan is $10 per month, but you can time it to suspend the line and keep the number; number retention only costs $3 per month, and you can still make and receive calls normally via Wi-Fi calling during that time
  • The entry price for international roaming add-ons is relatively low
  • Long-term use in China will not get the account banned, because many foreign-trade professionals use it too!

ENC SIM card new-user offer

If you register 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!

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 then downgrade to the $10 plan in the second month, which is a little more cost-effective. Also, the student plan is $10, and it can also trigger this credit reward.