The Philippines is a fascinating place, consisting of over 7500 islands with a rich mix of culture that blends together its indigenous heritage with that of its American and Spanish former colonizers.
The influence of those colonizers remains apparent today: the country is deeply religious, with over 90% of the population subscribing to Catholicism thanks to the Spanish influence. Likewise, one of the country’s two official languages — alongside Tagalog — is a variant of American English.
On July 4, 1946 — by no coincidence lining up with American Independence Day — the United States granted the Philippines independence but retained influence and military bases in the nation.
Today, the Philippines is known internationally for its complex history, cultural assets like Intramuros, well-developed modern city centres like Metro Manila, and the stunning islands, from luxury resorts on Boracay to the island hopping opportunities around El Nido.
So when looking at SIM Cards for your phone, where should you go? Well, the moment you get off the plane in the various international airports such as Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, grabbing your bags and walking to the exit to start your Filipino adventure you will find popup stands selling SIM Cards in the foyer of the airport. These will be perfect for your needs coming for a vacation.
SIM Cards and mobile phone network providers for those making the move to lay roots and live in the Philippines may want to look past pay as you go SIM Cards and look at ‘Network Contracts’
So here’s our Guide to Purchasing SIM Cards or eSIM in the Philippines
Globe is probably the Philippines best network giving users a mobile signal in the most locations where people live, work and travel. Globe is the first Filipino operator to win Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience award. It does so with a score of 7.1 points on a 10-point scale, fractionally ahead of Smart’s 7.05 points.
Other SIM Card options…
When it comes to the top SIM card providers in the Philippines, Smart Telecommunity and Dito Telecommunity lead the pack alongside Globe. Each provider offers different pricing and benefits, catering to a wide range of traveler needs emphasizing the wide LTE connection.
Globe – Click HERE
Smart Telecommunity – Click HERE
Dito Telecommunity – Click HERE
For eSIM check out Nomad for your best option for ‘Only Data needs’.
Travel eSIM for the Philippines
Travel eSIMs are a good alternative to buying a physical SIM, if you don’t need a local phone number, there’s no reason (other than cost) that you couldn’t just use one the whole time.
Given how cheap service is in the Philippines, you’ll pay a bit more for an eSIM, but they’re more convenient and still very affordable. If your phone doesn’t have a SIM slot, or you just can’t be bothered with the purchasing and registration hassle of physical SIMs, they’re the way to go.
We recommend checking out Nomad if you want anything beyond the smallest data pack. It’s cheaper and has more options, going all the way up to 50GB valid for a month if you think that’s what you’ll need.
Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: there’s no phone number with it. These days with WhatsApp, iMessage and Google Voice, you may just feel you dont need to purchase a new physical SIM. Everyones travel style is different, so be you and decide what suits your needs.
How to Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in the Philippines
The easiest way to obtain a SIM card is to buy one from the airport or any 7-Eleven as soon as you arrive in the country, most likely in a hub like Manila or Cebu. Most of the time, you will be able to easily find 5G SIM cards at an affordable rate.
If you know where you’ll be staying well in advance, you can also pre-purchase a SIM from Globe’s online store on the Lazada or Shopee marketplaces and get it posted out.
You won’t need to bring your passport or other form of identification with you to buy the SIM, but you will need it (along with a WiFi connection) to register and activate it on your carrier’s SIM registration portal. This is thanks to those aforementioned new regulations, but is a simple-enough process.
From your phone or laptop, you’ll need to enter details such as your name and gender, and upload a photo of yourself and your passport. If all goes well, you’ll be instantly approved and receive a text message from your carrier to confirm the successful registration.
Note that as part of the new registration rules, if you entered the country on a tourist visa, your SIM card will expire after 30 days. If you get a visa extension, you can likewise extend the validity of your SIM card, but it doesn’t happen automatically.
We’d assume you’d be able to get your SIM extended if you took your new visa details to a carrier store (often found in shopping malls), but haven’t been able to get a clear answer as to whether it’s also possible online or via some other method. If you know the exact details, feel free to leave a comment!
Prepaid SIM and eSIM Costs
Globe
If you buy your prepaid SIM at a 7-Eleven, the cost is around 50 Philippine pesos (around $1) (at time of writing this article), which is the same as via the Lazada and Shopee online shops.
The main reason to use the online stores is the convenience of knowing your SIM has arrived at your hotel before you even land in the country, although it’s not exactly hard to find a 7-Eleven either.
If you do go the online route, be sure to use the official stores for both carriers! There are plenty of unofficial and unreliable listings on both the Lazada and Shopee platforms.
The government crackdown on SIM registration means it is not worth saving a couple of bucks to risk your SIM randomly being deactivated while you’re out exploring the city or lounging on the beach.
Once you’ve completed your SIM registration, assuming you purchased a Globe SIM card, you can get a running start with 5GB free for three days. Just text “FREE” to 8080. The convenience store staff may say you have to download the app to get this promotion, but you don’t: sending that text is sufficient.
Note that you can’t use that promo code until after you’ve completed your registration, so be sure you have access to a WiFi connection to complete that first.
Nomad
It’s often the best option for anyone wanting a lot of data, but in this case it’s also the cheapest for smaller amounts as well. It’s hard to argue with 5GB of data for a month that costs ten bucks!
We’ve compared many travel eSIM companies in the past: here’s how the best ones stack up price-wise in the Philippines.
aloSIM
| Validity Period | Data Amount | Price (USD) |
| 7 days 15 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days | 1 GB 2 GB 3 GB 5 GB 10 GB 20 GB | $4.50 $7.50 $9.50 $13 $24 $32 |
Airalo
| Validity Period | Data Amount | Price (USD) |
| 7 days 15 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days | 1 GB 2 GB 3 GB 5 GB 10 GB 20 GB | $4.50 $7 $9.50 $13 $21 $32 |
Nomad
| Validity Period | Data Amount | Price (USD) |
| 7 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days 30 days | 1 GB 3 GB 5 GB 10 GB 15 GB 20 GB 30 GB 40 GB 50 GB | $4 $7 $10 $17 $21 $27 $35 $40 $49 |
Topping Up
Globe
Assuming you have a trip longer than three days, or plan to take advantage of the 5G connectivity to stream a lot of of Netflix, topping up and purchasing a new call, text, and data pack is easy. The best way is to head back to a 7-Eleven and use one of the CLiQQ e-Money terminals found inside.
These touchscreen terminals let you to easily top up your phone credit and buy a new package. If you have any trouble, you can speak to the store cashier to get help. You can also do it via the GlobeOne app in the iOS App Store or Google Play Store, although obviously support is a bit harder to come by there.
There are a range of different package options available, and none are particularly expensive. They typically last between three and fifteen days, and either include unlimited domestic calls and texts as well as a certain amount of data, or just a given amount of data.
As a helpful reader pointed out in the comments (thanks, Julian!), you can also buy scratch cards in various amounts for both Globe and Smart, both from 7-Eleven and many other outlets. Once you’ve topped up (or added “load”, as it’s called in the Philippines), you can choose a new package from your phone.
Either use the carrier app if you have it installed, or dial *143# for Globe or *123# for Smart to see the list of packages and subscribe to the one you want.
Nomad
If you’re using Nomad or one of the other eSIM companies, topping up is done through logging into the website or app. You just select your Philippines eSIM, hit the top-up button, and pick whichever option sounds appealing.
All of the data packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.
ExPat Philly 
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