SoSIM Review: Is the HK$33 Prepaid SIM Worth It? PARKnSHOP Referral Code S06JZLW, Renewal Costs, Real-Name Registration and User Ratings

SoSIM is a prepaid SIM brand of Hutchison Telephone Company Limited (3HK). It runs on the 3HK network, and Hutchison Telephone also publishes the app; SoSIM says it has sold more than two million cards. It is designed as self-service telecoms: buying, real-name registration, switching packs, topping up and porting a number are all done in the app or web account, and there are no SoSIM shops.

Physical cards are sold in more than 200 PARKnSHOP stores, in Watsons stores (including the Hong Kong-Macau and China Ferry Terminals) and from a vending machine at K11 Musea; cards bought on the SoSIM online shop can be collected at Hung Fook Tong, PARKnSHOP or Watsons, and the online shop also sells eSIMs, taking Visa, Mastercard, Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay. SoSIMs from different channels are different "partner" editions: in-store top-up gifts and the referral programme are both tied to where the card was bought, which matters for the referral code.

A new card costs HK$33 and must be activated within 60 days of purchase. The default Hong Kong service gives 50GB of local data for the first 30 days (up to 4G 42Mbps, then 128kbps) and 1,500 local minutes. New cards activated between 1 September and 30 November 2026 that keep Hong Kong data as their default pack get an extra 50GB for the first 30 days, 100GB in total.

To take the travel service instead, tap "Convert to travel data" in your SoSIM account within 48 hours of activation. You get 5 days of Asia-Pacific travel data (24 destinations including the Mainland, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan) plus 3GB of extra local data for 30 days. The travel data can be used day by day (500MB a day, then 128kbps) or as 2,500MB over 5 consecutive days, and converting extends the card's validity to 180 days. The travel service does not require real-name registration, but you must register before using the card in Hong Kong.

Since 1 December 2025, new cards can also switch to eSIM for free (normally HK$28) and choose a number for HK$8 (normally HK$28); the coupons arrive within 5 working days of activation and are valid for 7 days.

When the default pack ends, SoSIM automatically renews a 30-day pack for HK$48 if your balance covers it: 60GB of local data, 5,000 local minutes (with VoLTE and VoWi-Fi), 30 on-net SMS, five 24-hour "5G booster" passes, five 24-hour unlimited YouTube passes and the anti-scam service. Auto-renewal can be switched off in Settings. A card with no pack still receives SMS free, and with credit it can make and receive calls at HK$0.05 a minute.

Other local packs include 120GB for 90 days (HK$122), 60GB every 30 days for 360 days (HK$504), and short passes of 500MB for 1 day (HK$10), 2GB for 2 days (HK$18) and 5GB for 7 days (HK$25); heavier users can take 120GB with Night Fever for 30 days (HK$96) or larger packs. Travel data is priced by the day, for example HK$12 for 500MB in Asia-Pacific, HK$10 in Greater China, HK$18 in North America and HK$23 in Europe.

Over a year: HK$33 for the first 30 days and 11 renewals at HK$48 come to HK$561 for 360 days; switching to the 360-day pack after the first 30 days costs HK$33 plus HK$504, HK$537 for 390 days. The card is valid for 120 days after activation and is extended by topping up at least HK$20 before expiry; the number lapses with the card, while packs can be bought only when needed.

SoSIM's referral programme has run since 1 January 2024 with no published end date. A new customer who enters a referral code in the SoSIM app within 30 days of activating the prepaid card receives a 30-day Social Data and Night Fever Package: 50GB of social media data for local use of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LINE, WeChat and Signal, unlimited "Night Fever" data from 11pm to 7am every night, and 10,000 local minutes.

The key condition is the channel: the referrer and the new customer must have bought their SoSIMs from the same partner. S06JZLW belongs to a PARKnSHOP SoSIM, so the new card must be bought at PARKnSHOP; a Watsons SoSIM does not qualify. Once activated, the partner logo at the top left of your account shows where the card came from; check it shows PARKnSHOP before entering the code.

To enter it, tap 「使用推薦碼」 (Enter Referral Code) at the top of the app's home screen, type S06JZLW and confirm; in the web account, tap "Learn More" in the home-page prompt, then "Enter Referral Code" in the Blue Reminder. The reward arrives as an e-coupon in Rewards > My Coupons; the new customer's coupon is valid for 30 days, and the pack starts the moment you tap Redeem Reward, showing under Home > Active Plan.

If the card expires, SoSIM cancels every reward without refund; rewards have no cash value and are not reissued if lost or deleted. Unless stated otherwise, the referral cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. S06JZLW is our referral code.

SoSIM's charges page sells a Social Media Data pack with the same contents as the referral pack (50GB of social data, Night Fever and 10,000 minutes) for HK$48, valid for 180 days. The referral version lasts 30 days, so its value depends on how much you use in that month rather than equalling HK$48.

For anyone who sends photos and videos on WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook all day, 50GB of social data takes a large load off the general allowance, and Night Fever suits overnight downloads, system updates and streaming. On the default Hong Kong service, the first 30 days already include 50GB of general data (100GB if activated by 30 November 2026); with the referral pack's 50GB of social data and eight unlimited hours each night on top, the first month carries far more data than most people use. The 10,000 minutes matter most to people who make many local calls.

The pack does not work abroad and cannot be exchanged for cash. If you only use SoSIM as a travel data card, it adds little; if SoSIM will be your main or backup Hong Kong number, the extra first-month allowance is substantial.

Each SoSIM offer and reward has its own deadline, and missing one loses the benefit: a new card must be activated within 60 days of purchase; the travel option must be taken within 48 hours of activation; the referral code must be entered within 30 days of activation; the new customer's coupon expires 30 days after it is issued; and the card is valid for 120 days after activation (180 days on the travel option).

In practice, the safest route is to activate the card on the day you buy it, complete real-name registration and enter the code straight away, then redeem the coupon at the start of the 30 days in which you need the most data. With only 30 days of coupon validity, there is little room to wait.

SoSIM's local data runs at up to 4G 42Mbps by default; for 5G or full 4.5G speed you need a 24-hour booster pass (the HK$48 pack includes five every 30 days), which also speeds up Night Fever data. Every pack has a fair-use allowance, after which speeds drop to 128kbps. SoSIM's larger packs (such as the HK$144 full-speed 3X pack) include a full-speed version of Night Fever; the referral pack has the standard version, and SoSIM does not publish its speed.

Pay-as-you-go local calls cost HK$0.05 a minute, on-net SMS HK$0.3 and off-net HK$0.7, with no admin fee. Changing your number costs HK$28, converting a physical card to eSIM HK$28, and eSIM back to a physical card HK$48. Under OFCA guidelines, local calls made from a newly activated prepaid card first play the recipient a "call from a new prepaid SIM" announcement, which is worth knowing if SoSIM will be your work number.

Every prepaid SIM used in Hong Kong must be registered under the real-name scheme. After you insert the card, an SMS arrives with a registration link; registering with an iAM Smart-verified Hong Kong Identity Card works at once, while other documents or a business registration certificate go through a manual check of usually one to two hours and up to 48 hours. An individual can register up to 10 prepaid cards with the same operator, and anyone under 16 needs an adult's documents as well.

eSIMs can be bought on the online shop or converted from a physical card. Many iPhones sold in Hong Kong are dual nano-SIM models without eSIM, so dial *#06# to check your phone shows an EID before converting. Number porting is applied for in the app with no contract or extra charge; review usually takes 3 to 5 working days and the switch can happen in as little as 3 days. SoSIM sends an SMS with the result the day before, and a failed application must be resubmitted the next day. Aim to port after your old contract ends and before its billing cut-off, so you do not pay an extra month.

SoSIM also has a port-in reward (from 1 June 2024 until further notice): a successfully ported main card receives 100GB of local data for 30 days, a 30-day free supplementary card trial and three 33%-off travel data coupons, provided you buy and use a local data pack of 30 days or longer. The referral code goes on a new PARKnSHOP card, and SoSIM's terms say promotions cannot be combined unless stated otherwise, so read each coupon's terms before relying on both.

As of 8 November 2026, the SoSIM app scores 1.7 out of 5 on Hong Kong's App Store (616 ratings) and 3.3 on Google Play (about 1,860 reviews, more than 500,000 downloads). Most App Store reviews over the past year give one star.

The most frequent complaint is an ad layer on launch that will not close and leaves the whole screen unresponsive, blocking top-ups and balance checks; others are failed logins or rejected SMS codes, delayed top-up credit and difficulty reaching a person in customer service. Some users also report weak signal in places and very slow travel data after the daily 500MB. When the app misbehaves, the SoSIM web account handles top-ups, usage checks and referral codes; SoSIM lists customer service on 1033, as well as online chat.

Get it if you want to try a HK$33 card and then pay about HK$48 a month for 60GB; if you need a backup number, a tablet data SIM or data for short Asia-Pacific trips; or if you live on social apps and will use the referral pack's 50GB of social data and overnight data. Contract customers nearing the end of their term who are happy to port their own number should also consider it.

Skip it if you want shop or human support, if SoSIM would be your main work line and you would rather callers did not hear the new prepaid SIM announcement, if you need 5G speeds around the clock, or if you have already bought a SoSIM at Watsons or elsewhere (that card cannot earn the referral pack from S06JZLW).