eSIM Philippines
Philippines eSIM from 2,95€ on the Globe network: 1 to 20 GB or unlimited, prepaid with no contract, online by QR code minutes after you land in Manila or Cebu.
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2GB highspeed/day, then unlimited at 1Mbps
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Your plan only starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination — so you can buy today and travel in three weeks.
How does Simbye eSIM work for the Philippines?
Install it before you fly
After your purchase you get an email with a link and a QR code. Install the eSIM calmly at home on Wi-Fi, it takes two minutes. That does not start the clock – your plan only begins when you first connect in the Philippines.
Switch it on after you land
Whether you arrive at Manila NAIA (Terminals 1 to 3), Mactan-Cebu International, Clark, Kalibo for Boracay, Bohol-Panglao International, Puerto Princesa or Davao: turn on data roaming for the Simbye line and set it as your data line. It connects to the Globe network, and from that moment your plan is running.
Top up as you go
If you run low, you can top up any time through the app or the website. It stays the same eSIM, with nothing to reinstall. Your home line can stay active alongside it so calls and SMS codes still reach you – just leave data roaming off on that one. What your provider charges for incoming calls abroad is in its own price list.
Check Device Compatibility
Make sure your device supports eSIM before purchasing
Which networks will you be on in the Philippines?
In the Philippines your eSIM connects to the Globe network on its own – no APN, nothing to set up.
| Networks | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Globe Philippines | 25Mbit/s | 6Mbit/s | 78ms |
Source: nPerf averages, 01.07.2025 – 30.06.2026.
There is nothing to configure. When you land and your phone looks for a network, it picks Globe. You never type in an APN. What you do need to do: switch on data roaming for the Simbye line and set that line as your data line, while leaving data roaming off on your home SIM so it cannot run up data charges. Incoming calls and texts are still billed by your home provider at its own overseas rates. If nothing happens after landing, ten seconds of airplane mode almost always sorts it out. Your plan makes no difference to the network: 1 GB for seven days or unlimited across 30 days, you are on the same Globe network either way. To be straight with you: this is one network. Switching over to Smart or DITO is not possible with it.
Where Globe reaches: across Metro Manila, Cebu City and Mactan, Davao, Iloilo, Baguio and Clark you have signal almost everywhere, and the same goes for the travel spots themselves – White Beach on Boracay, El Nido, Coron, Puerto Princesa, Panglao and General Luna. Where it does not: once you leave town it thins out. On island-hopping boats, at remote beaches and dive sites and on many inter-island crossings you will be offline, and that applies to every provider. Download your maps and tickets in advance and an hour without signal stops being a problem.
eSIM or a local SIM card in the Philippines?
The eSIM is the lighter option for the Philippines: it sits outside the SIM registration rules and follows you from Palawan to Siargao, while a local card wants your passport, a local address and often an onward ticket.
| Feature |  Simbye eSIM |
Local SIM card |
|---|---|---|
| ID and registration | Not required. The eSIM issues no Philippine number and falls outside the SIM registration rules. | Mandatory. For registration the operators ask for your passport, an address in the country and usually a return or onward ticket. |
| Time after landing | Installed at home by QR code, online the moment you step off the plane. | Find the counter in arrivals, queue, fill in the registration form, wait. |
| Phone number | None. Data only, no calls and no SMS over the network. | A Philippine +63 number, which is what makes GCash, SMS codes and calls work. |
| Validity and data | 7 to 30 days, 1 to 20 GB or unlimited, top up any time. | Tourist SIMs are often capped at around 30 days from registration. |
| Paying | Online in advance, the price is settled before you travel. | On the spot in pesos, and cash is usually the smoothest option at the airport counter. |
| Your home number | Stays active in the phone, so SMS codes and calls still reach you, at your provider's overseas rates. | On a single-SIM phone you have to swap it out, which puts your number offline. |
| Island hopping onward | Same eSIM on Palawan, Cebu, Bohol and Siargao, nothing to do. | Same SIM, but you top up the credit and data packages yourself. |
| Hotspot | Allowed, you can share with a laptop or tablet. | Handled differently depending on the package, worth asking at the counter first. |
For most travelers the eSIM is the simpler choice: set up before departure, no queuing on arrival.
How much data do you need in the Philippines?
Trip length
How you use your phone
What does an eSIM for the Philippines cost?
from 2,95€
8 plans · 7–30 days · unlimited from 23,95€
Simbye offers 8 plans for the Philippines from 2,95€ to 57,95€ — data packs from 2,95€, unlimited from 23,95€. Prepaid, no contract.
Plans for the Philippines range from 1 GB to 20 GB, plus unlimited options.
Validity runs from 7 to 30 days and starts with your first connection in the Philippines.
Data plans
Unlimited
- 1 GB 7 days 2,95€ 0,42€ per travel day
- 3 GB 30 days 5,95€ 0,19€ per travel day
- 5 GB 30 days 11,95€ 0,39€ per travel day
- 10 GB 30 days 14,95€ 0,49€ per travel day
- 20 GB 30 days 28,95€ 0,96€ per travel day
- Unlimited 7 days 23,95€ 3,42€ per travel day
- Unlimited 15 days 38,95€ 2,59€ per travel day
- Unlimited 30 days 57,95€ 1,93€ per travel day
Good to know
- Networks
- Globe Philippines
- Setting it up
- A link in your email, or the QR code — one tap is enough
- Network technology
- 4G/LTE — and 5G where the network already offers it
- APN and settings
- Nothing to set. The eSIM brings everything with it
- Hotspot
- Allowed — for a laptop, tablet or a travel companion
- Adding more data
- Top up any time, without setting anything up again
- Calls and texts
- Not included — WhatsApp calls run over the data
- Your own number
- Stays in the phone and stays reachable
- Contract
- None. The plan ends by itself
- Worth knowing
- Roaming on your home contract gets billed here — this eSIM is prepaid, so nothing is added afterwards
Frequently Asked Questions about Philippines eSIM
Data, calls, real phone numbers, top-ups and setup — everything you need to know before you buy a Simbye eSIM.
You don't need a SIM card for the Philippines – an eSIM is enough, as long as your phone supports one. You scan the QR code at home, the eSIM then sits as a second line alongside your usual number and connects to the Globe network once you land.
No, you don't have to register this eSIM. The SIM Registration Act applies to SIM cards and eSIMs issued by Philippine providers. Your eSIM is not a Philippine number, it simply roams on the Globe network. So there is no passport upload, no local address and no return ticket to produce.
No, no Philippine phone number with it. This is a data-only plan with no phone number: you cannot make calls or send and receive SMS over the mobile network. Calls over WhatsApp or Messenger do run on the data connection and work, and verification texts should keep going to your usual number.
No, you can't use GCash with it. GCash requires a Philippine phone number and in-country verification, which a data-only eSIM cannot provide. Bring cash in pesos, and if you really need GCash, buy a local registered SIM alongside it.
Coverage on Boracay, Palawan and Siargao is enough in town: White Beach, El Nido, Coron, Puerto Princesa and General Luna are covered. Once you leave town it thins out – on island-hopping boats, remote beaches and dive sites you often have no signal at all, with any provider. Download your maps and bookings beforehand.
An eSIM in the Philippines starts at 2,95€; the final price depends on how much data and how many days you need, and the table above shows every Philippines plan with its current amount. Two weeks of island hopping needs more than a short business trip, so bundles are priced by size. You pay once, prepaid, with no monthly bill.
Yes, an eSIM in the Philippines is a data profile you install before flying. Your phone connects through local partner networks the same way a Philippine SIM card would, covering Manila, Cebu and the main island destinations. Any unlocked phone that supports eSIM can run it, and you install the profile before you fly instead of queuing at the airport.
You can get an eSIM in the Philippines online here in a few minutes. Choose a plan from the table above, pay, and the QR code arrives by email straight away. Scan it with your camera and the Philippines profile is stored on your phone, ready to switch on when you land in Manila or Cebu. Nothing is shipped.
How much data you need for the Philippines depends on use: maps and messengers use very little, about 1-3 GB a week suits most trips. Booking ferries, using Grab in Manila and uploading beach photos from Palawan or Siargao push you towards 10 GB. Streaming on long boat and bus rides, or hotspotting a laptop, is where the largest sizes pay off. Sizes are above.
The best eSIM for the Philippines depends on which islands you visit. This one is on Globe and stays there — Smart and DITO are not available on it. Globe is reliable across Metro Manila, Cebu City, Mactan, Davao, Iloilo and Baguio; on smaller islands and boat crossings expect gaps whichever provider you pick. It is data only, with no Philippine number, so calls run through WhatsApp or Messenger.
Ready for the Philippines?
Pick a plan, tap the link in your email — you are online from the moment you land.
Choose a planPrepaid, no contract. The plan simply ends on its own.
