Verizon won't work over there because it uses the CDMA standard, and basically the rest of the world uses GSM. Most likely he could probably find something when he gets there, but if you want him to have something in the mean time, I would check out onesimcard.com and get a phone from them. I'd prepaid, so you can keep the cost down that way and watch how much he uses it. He could probably just keep the phone he gets from onesimcard.com and get a new SIM card (a microchip that bascially stores all the data for the phone, you can switch them out easily) when he gets there.

I just got back from China. Shanghai was our last stop. I had bought a GSM cell phone in the US specifically to use in China from Tiger direct. It didn't work. I had to buy another one in Beijing and it worked in Shanghai. It was a Motorola I think C118 for about $60 or so USD. You get some minutes that if you use a special number before it, you will get a discount. I used onesuite.com and got a prepaid phone card which I had relatives here call me in China in 2.2 cents/min. It worked very well.
I have Verizon also. When my other cell didn't work, I had to use it and it worked in Beijing. I would assume it would work in Shanghai. I'm sure the cost will be high though. As I recall, it was something like $2.49/min plus a fee that China tacks on that Verizon couldn't tell me. I'm not looking forward to that bill for that call. Texting however I was told would cost only 50 cents to text the US. We tried it and got no answer, so I'm assuming it didn't go thru. If I recall correctly, receiving texts was only 5 cents. Please call Verizon to confirm these costs, I may not be remembering correctly.
ATM cards worked great for us, but I have heard of posters who said theirs didn't work. Traveler's checks were fine to cash at hotels. HOpe this helps.

Take a GSM phone and buy a pre-paid SIM when he arrives in Shanghai - China Mobile or China Unicom are both fine. You can control the cost because it is pre-paid. Make sure the GSM handset in "unlocked" so you can put a pre-paid SIM in it.

All credit cards work in China. He can use the ATM to get cash. Do not take traveller checks - the exchange rate is not favorable at all.

If you take Foldee's advice, make sure that the phone you buy will handle the 900 and 1800 Megahertz frequencies used in China and most other countries. A triband phone will accept them, as well as the 1900 Mhz used in North America, and a quadband phone will also accept the other North American GSM frequency, 850, allowing it to be used almost anywhere in the world including the US. Otherwise just get an inexpensive 900/1800 unlocked phone.

Here's a previous discussion re: cell phones. Maybe you could buy a phone on ebay? One of the phones we use in China is a Motorola Razr and we just pop in a local sim card purchased at a convenience store. Lots of options for sim cards so be sure to choose the right one so as not to be in Beijing with a "Shanghai only" card.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34958755

My sister used her Verizon phone in Shanghai a few years ago. It was a bit pricey. Seems this link will help.
http://mobileoptions.vzw.com/international/roaming/rates/China.html

I don't think it's effective to use travelers checks here. Could be fake so they have to be perfect to be accepted and only certain places will take them. I've only used ATMs to withdraw cash in Shanghai since 2004 and haven't had a problem. Your bank should be able to tell you where ATMs in their network are located.
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34866545
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34965373

I've never had a problem using my Mastercard anywhere in Asia. My husband had a problem with his corporate Visa when in a hotel in Xuzhou (not Suzhou) and had to use a personal Mastercard.

My ATM experience one Sunday in Shanghai should be kept in mind by your son. I got carried away with some shopping one Sunday, and had no cab fare left to return to my hotel. I went to 4 ATMs and NONE had money! I knew I was miles from the hotel, and leaving for the U.S. in a few hours, so I was beginning to plan asking around how to ride the bus, not an easy thing when English is hardly spoken. So I walked to the nearest large avenue, and luckily for me I found a large bank which was open on Sunday and had an ATM with funds inside, what a relief.
the lesson is: It is not unusual for ATMs to run out of money, so be sure to get more before you are totally out of money. If not staying in a hotel, cashing a travelers check would be problematic. Make sure the ATM card is a Visa or the like, requiring a 4 digit code. Ask the provider and alert them you will be using it in China, or the cards can be denied.
As to the phone costs. Once he gets an unlocked triband and buys a prepaid card in Shanghai, you should call him, not the other way around. My husband stayed in the U.S., so I got my husbands' cell phone an international calling plan and he could call me for 16 cents a minute to the cell, a bit less to a land line. I received the calls on the cell cheaply, using only local minutes. Two things to keep in mind: if he travels outside of Shanghai and uses the Shanghai cell card, it incurs lots of extra charges and he quickly runs out of prepaid time. His friends can call him, and tell him he can't call them with his phone. He should find an internet cafe, though they are not as many as in Europe. Also, he can re-insert his U.S. card and text message to the U.S. cheaply. We use Cingular, check out their web site.

*Have your son purchase the phone in China (or Hong Kong). He'll have to purchase the sim card there anyway, so why not purchase everything there? Then you'll know for certain that everything will work, and you're not stuck into any contract and worry if the phone was correctly unlocked. Also note that Verizon phones won't work. Skype (a free internet telephone service) is the best way to go for outgoing calls. Also he can use Twitter online (instead of trying to text internationally or constantly switching SIM cards) to stay in touch with his friends in real-time.

*Don't use travellers checks - they only cause difficulties there and force your son to potentially spend hours in line at the local bank.

Shanghai is a modern city - most ATMs accept foreign cards now. There are also Citibank ATMS in many locations for foreign cards only, so credit/debit cards shouldn't be a problem at all.

I agree with all of the above:
- I switched from Verizon specifically because CDMA does not work in most places outside of the western hemisphere (and their "international service" is very expensive and not great).
- With my US Cingular phone, I purchased a prepaid China Mobile sim card once in China; it's easy to refill the sim by purchasing recharge cards in 50 or 100 yuan increments at just about any newsstand or other shop, and there's a number to call to check your balance. The service is in both Mandarin and English, so your son will be able to do this on his own.
- It's cheaper to receive calls than to make them, and of course text messages are cheapest of all. My boyfriend and I had no problem keeping in touch via SMS (text message), and it kept my costs down.
- If your son will have his own laptop with him, by all means have him install Skype (skype.com). It's a great way for him to keep in touch with you - and everyone else. My friend who is now living in Beijing communicates daily with her family in Minneapolis this way; the web cam even lets her see her brother's dogs and everyone else! A certain level of the service is free; otherwise there's a nominal monthly charge.
- In the Continental in-flight magazine, I saw an ad for Cel Trek (www.celtrek.com); I was planning on checking it out once I returned home. This or some other "international local number" service might be an ideal way to go.
- Travelers checks will be difficult to exchange, and the rate isn't great because of the fees. It was recommended to me to bring US$, and they too were a pain to deal with: on average, an hour and half waiting at the bank for my turn in line, and you have to find a bank that will take foreign currency.
- I used my HSBC debit card without difficulty to get money at ATMS. (I was located in Beijing, which has very limited opportunities to use an "international card" in shops.) There was a Deutche Bank near my Beijing residence with an ATM that only accepted foreign cards; same with the HSBC I found in Chengdu. I know that China Construction Bank is affiliated with Citibank and takes non-Chinese cards; they have branches everywhere. Just make sure your cards are affiliated with a major network (Mastercard, Plus, etc.). FWIW, I have heard mixed things about the Citibank ATMS in China; not all of them actually work with US cards.
- I would recommend that your son use an ATM attached to an actual bank branch during business hours, at least for his first withdrawal. That way if there are problems, he can go inside and get help.
- Make sure the card(s) have a 4-digit PIN or they might not work internationally. (My old card had a 6-digit PIN, which isn't a viable option overseas.)

I hope this helps!
ggreen

OMG forgive me, ggreen, I didn't realize you are a young lady. Of course at my first SF GTG, they thought I was the obnoxious guy from Florida who had relocated to SF, haha, heehee.

I thought ggreen was male as well. I suppose that's a common mistake on these forums here with no personal profiles