Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
How Do eSIM Plans Work?
Step 1: Purchase Your eSIM Data Pack
You'll receive an email with your eSIM after purchase, no matter where you are in the world.
Step 2: Receive Activation Details
You'll get a QR code or manual installation instructions via email and WhatsApp to activate your eSIM.
Step 3: Install And Activate Your New eSIM
Set up your eSIM before your trip, and once you reach your destination, enable the data plan to start using the internet.
Is My Mobile Phone eSIM Compatible?
- iPhone XR, XS, XS Max
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd & 3rd gen)
- iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 13, Mini, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 14, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 15, Plus, Pro, Pro Max
- iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, Pro Max, 16e
- iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e
- iPhone Air (eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max
- iPhone Duo (foldable, eSIM only, no SIM tray)
- iPad Pro 11″ (2018+) & 12.9″ (2018+)
- iPad Air (2019+)
- iPad (2019+)
- iPad Mini (2019+)
- iPad 10th Gen (2022)
*Two eSIMs can be active at the same time on iPhone 13 and later. *iPhones from mainland China do not support eSIM. *Hong Kong/Macao models (except 13 mini, 12 mini, SE 2020, XS) lack eSIM. *US models of iPhone 14 and later do not have a physical SIM tray. *iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are eSIM only in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Guam, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. *iPhone Air and iPhone Duo have no SIM tray in any country. They run on eSIM only.
Explore Philippines
Philippines eSIM: two weeks, five islands, one plan
Most trips to the Philippines are not one place but a chain of them, and the eSIM4 Philippines eSIM is built for exactly that. It is a prepaid tourist eSIM with no physical SIM card, it uses the Smart network for high-speed mobile data, it costs from USD 2.98, and the QR code lands in your email a few minutes after checkout. Here is how a typical fortnight uses it.
Days 1 to 2, Manila. You land at NAIA, switch on data roaming, and Grab is booking the car to Makati before the luggage belt starts. Intramuros, the jeepney routes, the table booking in Poblacion: all on the phone, all on the same data plan.
Days 3 to 6, Cebu and Bohol. The ferry timetable to Tagbilaran changes, and you find out on the pier rather than at the hotel. Coverage across the Philippines takes in the Chocolate Hills road and the Panglao beaches on Bohol; the tarsier sanctuary is a place to put the phone away anyway.
Days 7 to 11, Palawan. El Nido and Coron town are covered, and on the island-hopping boats connectivity thins, as it does on every network, so the offline map is saved the night before and the photos go out from the harbour bar at sunset. This is where a bigger plan earns its keep.
Days 12 to 14, Siargao or Boracay. Surf reports, the last-night dinner booking, the flight check-in back through Cebu or Manila. The eSIM has not been touched since day one.
Which plan for that fortnight. For maps, messaging and a daily upload, 3 GB over 30 days is USD 6.98 and 5 GB is USD 10.98. For video calls home and streaming on the ferries, 10 GB is USD 17.98 and 20 GB is USD 28.98. For a fortnight without a data counter, unlimited for 15 days is USD 46.98. A short city stop needs only 1 GB over 7 days at USD 2.98. Whatever you choose, it starts counting only when it first connects in the Philippines, so buy it whenever the flights are booked.
Flying on to Bangkok, Bali, Singapore or Tokyo? The Asia eSIM covers the Philippines and 17 other countries on one plan (1 GB over 7 days: USD 3.98), and in the Philippines it connects to both Globe and Smart rather than Smart alone. If your trip crosses borders, or you want the two Philippine networks on one eSIM, the Asia plan is the one to buy.
Choose the plan that fits the itinerary, check out and stay connected from the arrivals hall; the rest happens in your inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Smart, with 5G in Metro Manila and Cebu and 4G across the islands visitors go to, from Bohol and Siargao to El Nido and Coron town. Your phone should automatically pick the strongest Smart signal as you hop between islands, and the same plan runs the whole fortnight with nothing to change at each ferry. If you would rather have both Philippine networks on one eSIM, the Asia plan described above connects to Globe as well as Smart; for the Philippines alone, this plan is the better value, from USD 2.98 for a week.
You can, but the Philippines now registers every SIM by law, so the counters at NAIA want your passport and a hotel booking or address before the line goes live, the tourist registration runs for a fixed period, and there is a queue behind every long-haul arrival. The Philippines eSIM is a foreign line roaming on Smart, so the registration rule does not apply: no counter, no form and no physical SIM card to swap. Buy it at home, install it over Wi-Fi, and it is live when you land, with Grab booking the car to Makati before the luggage belt starts.
Yes. Grab runs on your home account and the eSIM data, with the one-time code arriving on your home SIM, which stays in the phone the whole trip, and the same goes for the ferry booking sites, the airline apps and WhatsApp with the dive shop. The one app that insists on a Philippine number is GCash, the local wallet, and the tourist trail does not need it: cards and cash cover the hotels, the restaurants and the boat trips, and the eSIM carries everything else.
An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone. Instead of swapping a plastic card, you scan a QR code, or tap one link on a recent iPhone, and the plan installs in about a minute alongside your existing SIM. Your home number stays exactly as it is, and you can switch between plans in Settings whenever you like.
You pay once, from a few dollars, instead of a daily roaming charge, and there is no airport kiosk, no ID check and no card to swap. Buy it at home, install it on Wi-Fi, and you land with maps, ride apps and WhatsApp already working in the arrivals hall. If plans change, every eSIM tops up online in about a minute.
As a guide: 1 GB covers a week of maps, messaging and a few photos a day; 5 GB over a month suits social media and daily browsing; 20 GB or unlimited suits streaming, video calls and working on the road. If in doubt, start small: every plan tops up online in about a minute, so you never pay for data you will not use.
Yes. Our regional plans cover many destinations on one eSIM, so a multi-stop trip needs nothing new at each border: Europe, Asia, Latin America, North America, Africa, Oceania and a World eSIM for trips that cross regions. The countries included are listed on each regional plan page, and you can combine a regional plan with a country plan for the best value.
No. Most people are done in under two minutes: scan the QR code from the activation email, or on iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later simply tap the Direct Installation link in the same email and the eSIM installs itself. Step-by-step guides are here for iPhone guide and Android guide, our support team is on hand, and a refund guarantee covers you if the eSIM cannot be installed on your device.
Most phones from the last five years support eSIM, including every iPhone from the XR onwards and recent Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models. Check your model in our compatibility guide before you buy. If your phone was bought on a carrier contract it may need to be unlocked first, which your carrier can do.
Open the activation email, then on iPhone go to Settings, Cellular, Add eSIM and scan the QR code, or tap the Direct Installation link on iOS 17.4 or later. On Android go to Settings, Connections, SIM Manager and scan. Most phones can scan the QR code straight from a screenshot in your photo gallery, so no second phone is needed. Once the eSIM appears in your cellular settings it is installed and ready. Full walkthroughs: iPhone guide and Android guide.
Install it any time before you travel, on Wi-Fi at home: the eSIM does not expire while it sits on your phone. When you land, switch it on and enable data roaming, and your days start counting from that first connection abroad, not from the day you bought it. You can also install on arrival, as long as you have Wi-Fi to download the eSIM.
Yes. Your phone runs as a dual SIM, with your home SIM and the travel eSIM side by side, and most phones store several eSIMs at once with one active for data at a time. Keep a plan for each country on your trip and switch between them in Settings as you cross borders.
Yes. Tethering is included on every plan, so your laptop or a second phone can share the connection whenever you need it.
Your connection pauses rather than charging you more. Top up online in about a minute using the link in your activation email, or in the Yabb app, and you are back online with the same eSIM.
The activation email includes a link to a live usage page for your eSIM, so you can see exactly how much data is left at any time and top up before it runs out.
Top local carriers at up to 5G speeds. The network for this destination is shown above the plans on this page, and the eSIM connects to it automatically when you land.
Choose a 90-day plan where one is offered, or top up your existing plan as you go. Either way the eSIM stays on your phone for the whole trip.
Travel eSIMs are data only, which is exactly why there is no ID or address check to buy one. Everything you normally use runs on the data: WhatsApp, FaceTime, iMessage, Uber, maps and your bank app. If you want a real phone number for calls and SMS abroad, our Yabb app gives you calls, texts and a temporary local number without roaming charges. In a few countries we also sell plans that include a local number, minutes and texts, shown in the plan name; those minutes and texts are for local calls and local texts within that country only.
Yes. WhatsApp, iMessage and Signal stay on your existing number with every chat intact; there is nothing to re-register. The eSIM simply supplies the data they run on.
Yes, with your home SIM left in the phone. The eSIM carries all your data, and most carriers deliver incoming text messages to your home number abroad at no charge, so one-time codes from your bank, Google, Airbnb and the rest arrive exactly as they do at home. Keep the home SIM switched on with data roaming turned off, and only the eSIM uses data. Two things to know before you fly: making a call or sending a text from the home SIM is what triggers roaming charges on most carriers, so leave calling and texting to WhatsApp and the like, and a few carriers do charge for incoming texts or block them abroad, so a quick check with your carrier before you leave settles it.