Your phone may hold your payment apps, directions, tickets and hotel contacts. Prepare its power supply before you pack. There are two separate questions: can your equipment use the local electricity supply, and can your power bank travel on every flight in your itinerary? A universal plug adapter does not answer both.
Check the equipment before choosing an adapter
List the chargers you need for your phone, camera, laptop and any other essential equipment. Read the input label on each power adapter. A plug adapter changes the physical connection; it does not necessarily convert voltage. A plug fitting into a socket is not proof that the combination is safe, and the USB output rating is not the same as the mains input requirement.
If the label is unclear, send the manufacturer the model and a photograph of the input information. Ask whether it is suitable for your destination. High-power appliances also require compatible equipment with an appropriate rating. If you cannot confirm compatibility, ask the hotel about equipment it actually provides instead of improvising with several adapters.
Test the exact chargers and cables you intend to pack. For two travellers, check whether both phones can charge at the same time. Keep an everyday cable in your hand luggage so a delayed suitcase does not remove your only way to charge.
A domestic flight in China requires more than a capacity check
A Civil Aviation Administration of China notice dated 26 June 2025 introduced restrictions, effective 28 June 2025, on power banks without a clear CCC marking and on recalled models or batches on domestic flights. Buying a device overseas, carrying a small capacity or having flown with it previously does not establish compliance for your next flight. CAAC notice, in Chinese
If you arrive internationally and then take a domestic flight, check both sectors. Identify the operating airline, including for codeshare flights, and send it clear photographs of the model, rating and markings if you need clarification. Do not rely only on the international baggage page for your first flight.
The CAAC's published travel guidance also distinguishes batteries up to 100Wh from those above 100Wh and up to 160Wh, for which airline approval is relevant. Power banks and spare lithium batteries must not go in checked baggage. Capacity rules do not override marking, recall or other carrier requirements. CAAC travel guidance, in Chinese
Your packing checklist
Item: Phone and laptop chargers / Check before departure: Input rating, compatibility and working cables / If you cannot confirm it: Ask the manufacturer or use confirmed compatible equipment
Item: Plug adapter / Check before departure: Connection type and rated load / If you cannot confirm it: Do not assume it converts voltage
Item: Power bank / Check before departure: Model, markings, recall status, Wh and each carrier's rules / If you cannot confirm it: Resolve the uncertainty before going to the airport
Item: Hand luggage / Check before departure: Accessible everyday charger and cable / If you cannot confirm it: Avoid packing every cable in your checked suitcase
Item: Offline information / Check before departure: Chinese hotel address, booking details and contact number / If you cannot confirm it: Keep a second-device or paper copy
Make a flat battery an inconvenience, not a lost itinerary
Write down the Chinese name and address of your hotel, the correct station or airport for the day and one confirmed contact number. Prepare a backup payment method. None of these backups needs to contain your passwords, verification codes or full bank-card details.
Do not assume a hotel socket will be beside your bed or that a transfer vehicle will have the right charging connection. Ask about a connection if it matters, but carry your cable and an offline address even when the answer is positive.
If airport staff identify a non-compliant device, follow the airport and carrier's handling instructions. Do not move it into checked baggage. Having saved your essential travel information beforehand means you can handle the problem without losing your hotel address at the same time.
Sources checked: 22 October 2026. Recheck with the operating airline close to departure. This guide does not certify an individual device or recommend a particular product.
Editorial archive date: 2026-01-05. This guide was compiled later; use the source-check dates stated in the text.
