How to get Philippines tourist SIM card?

It is simple to get a SIM card in the Philippines in order to effortlessly network or make emergency calls. While you can get fast wifi connections in Thailand, Singapore, and Bali, the Philippines will not provide you with the speed you require. As a result, it is critical to bring a sim card when visiting the Philippines! Let’s look at how to obtain a tourist SIM card in the Philippines down below.

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card How to get sim card in the Philippines
Coron Island, Philippines

Why should you buy sim phones in the Philippines?

  • Get lost and you need GPS.
  • Find tourist information.
  • Reservations
  • Need to contact people overseas
  • In case you need to book a hotel or make an inquiry about the availability
tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card
Credit: tourist sim card Philippines blog.

Where can you buy a SIM card in the Philippines?

When landing off the airport, don’t forget the first and necessary thing to do is to find the place to buy a SIM phone, these following places are highly recommended.

Airport

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card
Credit: tourist sim card Philippines blog.

At the airport, there are several SIM card sales counters. The price is slightly more here, but not prohibitively so. Buying one at the start will save you a lot of time later on when you’re traveling to a place. Credit card payments are practically non-existent in the Philippines. There are also few ATMs, so when you visit a city, make sure you have enough cash to last till you visit the next city.

At any stores by the road

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card
Photo by: Philippines tourist sim card blog.

Shops of SIM cards in the Philippines are ubiquitous. You can buy in any small market or roadside shop, and it will soon to see TNT, Globe and Smart advertisement signs.

In a phone shop in the city

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card

There are several retail malls, shopping outlets, and phone stores in the Philippines. Filipinos learn English at an early age when they attend school; if you get lost, don’t be afraid to approach someone for help; they will point you in the direction of the next phone shop.

Phone sim card supplier in the Philippines

In this country there are two major networks:

Smart

smart sim card philippines
Photo by: Philippines tourist sim card blog.

Smart is one of the Philippines’ two major network providers, having over 70 million subscribers across all three of its brands: Smart, Sun Cellular, and Talk ‘n Text. Their prepaid cards are available on every street corner, and you will see their sign. The beginning price is approximately 40 pesos, there is no credit on the card, but there is a 30MB offer that can be utilized in 7 days and 35 domestic texts.

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card
Credit: tourist sim card Philippines blog.

The recharge is also very easy, can be done anytime, anywhere, using electronic charging system. The seller will use a special SIM card (retailer’s SIM) to transfer/recharge your account. The minimum charge is PhP15.

Globe

Tatoo (Globe’s main mobile sim card), Touch Mobile – commonly known as TM, ABS-CBN mobile, and Cherry Prepaid are all part of Globe. With over 40 million subscribers, this is Smart’s sole competition in the Philippines. Globe’s prepaid sim card, which costs 40 pesos, is always accessible on every street corner. Recharging is simple at any Globe selling outlet in the Philippines for P10 or more.

tatoo sim card tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card
Tatoo. Photo by: Philippines tourist sim card blog.

 

TM. Credit: tourist sim card Philippines blog.

tourist sim card philippines philippines tourist sim card

In the Philippines, there has long been debate about whose network is superior: Globe or Smart. Most places (outside of Manila) utilize only one operator. Boracay, for example, makes use of the term “smart.” In Baguio City, the Globe outperforms the Smart. If you need to utilize sim cards at a certain place, ask the locals to opt in, but do not ask anyone who has touch with the seller at the counter, since they are just interested in selling the goods. It is preferable to inquire with the hotel personnel where you are staying.

Cherry Prepaid SIM card
Cherry Prepaid SIM card. Credit: tourist sim card Philippines blog.

How to use SIM card?

Photo by: Philippines tourist sim card blog.