eSIM for Philippines

Viasimo's Philippines eSIM starts at $1.29 for 100 MB over 7 days, running on Globe and SMART with 5G where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Philippines

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Bicol Region
Boracay
Cagayan Valley
Calabarzon
Caraga
Cebu

Select your planIn stock

Duration

Quantity

Unlimited data · 3 Days$9.00

Unlimited data · 3 Days ×1

$9.00

Going to more than one country? See regional plans

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Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

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Network

Which networks does the Philippines eSIM use?

Host networks: Globe / SMART

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 100 MB – 50 GB or unlimited
Validity: 1–180 days
Speed: 4G LTE / 5G
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Automatic on arrival
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Connects via: Singapore
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$2.001 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$6.995 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$12.9910 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$18.99Unlimited, 7 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$1.29

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

An archipelago is a hard place to generalise about coverage, and the Philippines is thousands of islands wide. What holds true everywhere is the shape of the problem: cities and resort towns are well connected, the water between them is not, and the difference arrives suddenly rather than gradually. Getting a line onto your phone before you leave home means the connected parts work from minute one, and you can plan the gaps deliberately.

Getting online when you land

Set the eSIM up on wifi at home, keep it off, and enable it after you land. Manila's terminals are busy and the immigration hall can be slow, which for once works in your favour: the line will have registered long before you reach the front of the queue.

Have your ride app open before you leave the terminal. Manila traffic makes the difference between a booked car and a kerbside negotiation into an hour of your life, and airport pickup points are marked in the app rather than signposted usefully. If you are connecting onward to Cebu, Palawan or Siargao the same day, leave the line on through the domestic transfer so you can track gate changes, which happen.

The networks you'll be on

Coverage comes through whichever of Globe or SMART has the better signal, both running 4G LTE and 5G. The 5G footprint is an urban thing, concentrated around the metros; treat it as a bonus where you find it rather than something to plan around. LTE is the everyday reality across the main towns and resort areas, and 3G is what you will fall back to on smaller islands and in the interior.

One local characteristic worth knowing: performance varies more by time of day than by technology. Resort areas fill up in the evening and the network fills up with them, so a video call that was crisp at breakfast may struggle at nine at night. Shift your uploads and calls earlier and the whole experience improves.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Manila is thoroughly covered across Makati, BGC, Ermita and the sprawl beyond, and Cebu is much the same through the city and out to Mactan. Other provincial capitals, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod and Puerto Princesa among them, are reliable in town.

The resort islands are more mixed. Boracay has service the length of White Beach and through the station areas, though it feels the evening congestion badly. El Nido town is connected; the lagoons, the island hopping boats and the beaches on the outer islands are not, and the road north from Puerto Princesa has long quiet stretches through the interior. Coron follows the same pattern, connected in town and offline on the water. Siargao has coverage around General Luna and thins toward the north of the island.

Then the true gaps. Inter island ferries lose signal partway across almost every crossing. Dive sites, by definition, offer nothing. Mountain interiors, the Cordilleras around Sagada and Banaue included, hold signal in the villages and drop it on the trails between. And a practical point rather than a coverage one: typhoons and power interruptions do knock towers out regionally, so during storm season treat any single connection as something that could go away for a while.

What you'll actually use data for here

Messaging carries most of the weight. Facebook Messenger is the default channel for a huge amount of local communication, including plenty of small tour operators, boat owners and guesthouses who have a page and no website. If you are booking anything informally, that is where it will happen.

Ride hailing in Manila and Cebu, ferry and flight schedules for the constant island hopping, and weather are the other three. Storm tracking in particular is not a background concern between roughly June and November; ferry cancellations and flight changes cascade quickly, and knowing early is the difference between rebooking calmly and sleeping at a port. Add to that maps, which are genuinely useful in cities where street addresses are approximate, and photo backup each night while you still have a room and a signal.

Before you fly

Install the profile at home and confirm it is there before you pack. Keep your home SIM in the phone for bank codes and set the eSIM as the data line so nothing roams by mistake.

Download offline maps for every island on your itinerary, not just the first. Screenshot ferry bookings, dive centre confirmations and your accommodation's location pin, because those are needed precisely when the boat is out of range. Take a power bank rated for a full day, since brownouts on smaller islands are ordinary and a resort generator may only run certain hours. And plan a couple of genuinely offline days into the trip rather than fighting them; on the water between islands, that is what you are getting anyway.

Unlimited runs at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continues slower.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
5G only works where the host network has deployed it and your phone supports it. Everywhere else it falls back to 4G LTE.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.
Unlimited plans run at full speed up to a fair-use limit, then continue at a reduced speed. Read the fair usage policy

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Philippines?

Yes. Your Philippines eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Globe, SMART. Coverage runs on 4G LTE and 5G where the network has rolled it out, and falls back to 4G elsewhere.

Do I get 5G in Philippines?

Yes, where it has been deployed. 5G runs on Globe, SMART in Philippines, and your eSIM uses it automatically on a 5G-capable phone, dropping back to 4G LTE outside covered areas. No country is covered everywhere, so 5G availability varies by location.

Do tourists have to register a SIM card in the Philippines?

Yes. Under the SIM Registration Act of 2022, every SIM in the Philippines must be registered, including those sold to tourists, and over 54 million unregistered SIMs were deactivated in 2023. Registering at the airport can take time, so the US State Department suggests setting up an eSIM before you travel, which is already working when you land.

Is Grab safe in Manila?

The US State Department describes ride-share apps as safe and widely used in Metro Manila and Cebu. Grab is the main one. Cars can be scarce at rush hour, late at night and in heavy rain. If you take a taxi instead, insist on the meter, avoid cabs that already have a passenger and photograph the number plate.

When is typhoon season in the Philippines?

Most typhoons occur from July to November, but they can come at any time. Follow PAGASA, the national weather agency, for storm tracks and warning signals, and PHIVOLCS for earthquakes and volcanoes. Flights and ferries are often cancelled when signals are raised, so keep mobile data on and check updates before travelling between islands.

Are ferries between Philippine islands safe?

The US State Department strongly advises its staff against inter-island ferries unless there's no alternative, citing many fatal accidents. Domestic flights are the safer choice for longer hops. For short boat trips, check the forecast, make sure there are life jackets, and expect to lose mobile signal partway across most crossings.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Philippines?

For 7 days in Philippines, Viasimo sells 100 MB for $1.29, 1 GB for $2.00, and unlimited data for $18.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Philippines: what to know before you land

Every SIM card in the Philippines has had to be registered since the 2022 SIM Registration Act, which is why the US State Department suggests visitors set up an eSIM before they leave. Yours connects to Globe or Smart, whichever is stronger, on 4G and 5G. Book rides by app in Manila and Cebu, and keep PAGASA's typhoon updates close between July and November.

Emergency: 911 police and ambulance
117 PNP hotline
Plugs: ABC 220V, 60 Hz
Currency: Philippine peso (PHP)

Main airports

MNL Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Manila)
CEB Mactan–Cebu International Airport

Apps worth having GrabFacebook MessengerGCashWazePAGASA

SIM registration and the eTravel declaration on arrival

The SIM Registration Act was signed in October 2022, and every SIM in the country had to be registered by July 2023. More than 54 million unregistered SIMs were switched off when the deadline passed. Buying a local SIM as a visitor therefore means registering with your passport, and the US State Department notes that this can cause delays at airport counters. It recommends setting up an eSIM before departure instead.

Before you fly, also complete the Philippines' free eTravel declaration online through the official government site, and save the QR code it gives you as a screenshot. Have your onward ticket and accommodation details saved offline too.

Many nationalities can stay up to 30 days visa-free. For a longer stay you need a visa arranged before travelling. Children under 15 who aren't travelling with a parent need a Waiver of Exclusion Ground.

The State Department also points out that sockets run at around 220V. Most phone and laptop chargers are fine, but check anything else you bring, and pack adapters for Type A, B or C sockets.

Booking Grab rides from NAIA (MNL) and Mactan–Cebu (CEB)

Ride-hailing apps are safe and widely used in Metro Manila and Cebu, according to the State Department, though cars can be hard to find at rush hour, late at night, on holidays and in heavy rain. Grab is the main app for both cars and food delivery, so install it and add a card before you leave home.

At Ninoy Aquino International (MNL) and Mactan–Cebu International (CEB), taxi drivers sometimes overcharge or refuse to use the meter. If you do take a taxi:

Insist on the meter.
Don't get into a taxi that already has a passenger.
Photograph the number plate before you set off.

For island hopping, domestic flights are the safer option. The State Department strongly advises its own staff against inter-island ferries unless there's no alternative, because of the number of fatal accidents. If you do take a boat, check the weather, see that life jackets are on board, and save the operator's number.

Cards are accepted in larger hotels and restaurants, but taxis and small shops usually want pesos in cash. ATM fees can be high, withdrawal limits low, and some machines have been fitted with skimmers, so use ATMs inside banks or malls.

Typhoon season alerts from PAGASA and PHIVOLCS

Most typhoons hit the Philippines between July and November, although they can arrive at any time of year and bring flooding and landslides. The country also has frequent earthquakes and active volcanoes, including Taal near Manila and Mayon in Albay.

The two official sources to follow are PAGASA, the weather agency, for storm tracks and signal levels, and PHIVOLCS for earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity. Both post updates online and on social media, so your eSIM's data is what keeps you informed when you're away from hotel wifi.

A few practical steps:

Follow PAGASA before booking boat trips, island hopping or flights to small airports. Domestic flights and ferries are often cancelled when a storm signal is raised.
Keep your phone and a power bank charged when a typhoon is forecast, as power cuts are common.
Know the emergency numbers: 911 for police or ambulance, and 117 for the Philippine National Police hotline.

The State Department advises against all travel to the Sulu Archipelago and Marawi City, and recommends reconsidering travel to much of Mindanao. Davao City, Davao del Norte province (which includes Samal Island), Siargao and the Dinagat Islands are the listed exceptions.

Researched October 2026 · 4 sources

travel.state.gov Philippines International Travel Information (US State Department)
en.wikipedia.org SIM Registration Act (Wikipedia)
etravel.gov.ph eTravel: Philippine electronic travel declaration
worldstandards.eu Plug, socket and voltage by country (World Standards)

7-day itinerary

Seven days in the Philippines: Manila, El Nido and Coron

A first-timer's week focused on northern Palawan's limestone islands: a day in Manila's old walled city, three nights in El Nido for Bacuit Bay's lagoons and beaches, then the fast ferry to Coron for lakes, lagoons and Second World War wrecks before flying back to Manila.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 3

When to go December to May is the dry season and the calmest for island hopping, with March to May hottest; the July to November typhoon season brings cancelled boats and flights, so follow PAGASA if you travel then.

Day 1 Manila

Manila: Intramuros and Rizal Park

From Ninoy Aquino International (MNL), book a Grab car rather than a street taxi.

Spend the day in Intramuros, the Spanish walled city. Walk or cycle the walls, visit Fort Santiago and the shrine to the national hero José Rizal, and see San Agustín Church, the oldest stone church in the country and part of a UNESCO listing of baroque churches. Cross to Rizal Park and the National Museum of Fine Arts, then watch sunset over Manila Bay.

Signal Globe and Smart both run 5G in parts of Metro Manila, and 4G is solid in Intramuros; inside the thick-walled churches and Fort Santiago signal weakens.
Day 2 El Nido

Fly to El Nido

Direct small-aircraft flights from Manila to El Nido take about 1 hour 20 minutes; the alternative is flying to Puerto Princesa and a 4 to 5 hour van ride.

Fly to El Nido's small airport at Lio, north of town. Settle in, then walk the beach at El Nido town under the limestone cliffs. In the late afternoon, take a tricycle to Las Cabanas beach to watch the sunset over the islands of Bacuit Bay. Book tomorrow's island-hopping tour in town and pay the municipal environmental fee.

Signal 4G in El Nido town and Lio from Globe or Smart, whichever is stronger; no 5G here, and power cuts can knock out cafe wifi.
Day 3 El Nido

Bacuit Bay: the lagoons

Join island-hopping Tour A, the classic lagoon circuit: kayak into the Big Lagoon between sheer limestone walls, swim through the narrow entrance into the Small Lagoon, and stop at Shimizu Island and Seven Commandos Beach for snorkelling and lunch. Tours usually run from about 9am to mid-afternoon. Back in town, eat by the beach.

Signal Expect little or no signal inside the lagoons and around the outer islands; 4G returns as the boat nears El Nido town.
Day 4 El Nido

Nacpan Beach or a second boat tour

Take a tricycle or scooter north to Nacpan Beach, a long curve of pale sand backed by palms and coconut groves, about 45 minutes away, and climb the small hill at one end for the view over the twin beaches. Alternatively, join Tour C for the Hidden Beach and Secret Beach. In the evening, pack for an early ferry.

Signal Coverage on the road to Nacpan is patchy and the beach itself often has only a weak signal; download an offline map before setting off.
Day 5 Coron

Fast ferry to Coron

Fast ferry from El Nido, about 3.5 to 4 hours; check the PAGASA forecast and that life jackets are on board, or fly via Manila instead.

Take the morning fast ferry across the Linapacan Strait to Coron town on Busuanga island. After lunch, climb the roughly 700 steps up Mount Tapyas for views over the town and islands, ideally starting in the late afternoon to catch the sunset. Then take a tricycle to the Maquinit hot spring, where geothermal pools drain into the sea.

Signal Signal disappears for much of the crossing; Coron town has 4G.
Day 6 Coron

Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and the wrecks

Join a Coron island tour: climb to the viewpoint above Kayangan Lake and swim in its clear water, snorkel the underwater rock formations at Barracuda Lake, and kayak or swim under the rock arch into Twin Lagoon. Divers can instead visit the Japanese warships sunk in 1944, which lie at depths of about 10 to 40 metres and are among the best wreck dives in Asia.

Signal Coron Island has little or no coverage, so expect to be offline from the time the boat leaves until you are back near town.
Day 7 Manila

Back to Manila

Van to Francisco B. Reyes airport (USU), then about an hour's flight to Manila.

Take a final morning swim or snorkel at a nearby beach, or relax in Coron town. Transfer to Busuanga airport for the flight back to Manila. If you have an evening in Manila, visit Binondo, the old Chinese quarter, for food and the Binondo Church, or take a Grab car to the bay for a last sunset.

Signal 4G at Busuanga airport and back on 5G in parts of Metro Manila.

Staying connected on this route

Set up your eSIM before you fly: local SIMs must be registered with your passport, which can mean delays at airport counters.
Download offline maps of El Nido and Coron and save boat tickets offline; island tours are usually out of signal.
Follow PAGASA for storm warnings before booking boats or small-airport flights.
Install Grab and add a card for Manila; taxis at the airport sometimes refuse the meter.

Itinerary sources · 5

en.wikivoyage.org El Nido (Wikivoyage)
en.wikivoyage.org Coron (Wikivoyage)
gov.uk Philippines travel advice (GOV.UK)
whc.unesco.org Baroque Churches of the Philippines (UNESCO)
travel.state.gov Philippines International Travel Information (US State Department)

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified October 30, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified October 30, 2026