Staying connected in the Philippines.

The SIM Registration Act, in force since 2022, requires every Philippine SIM to be registered before it can be used, and it applies to visitors. Expect to provide your passport, a local address (your hotel or resort booking normally works) and in some cases a return or onward ticket. Registration is done online or at the counter and takes a few minutes when the network cooperates.

The part that surprises people is the validity window: a tourist registration is commonly described as running about 30 days before the SIM deactivates unless extended. For a two-week trip that is irrelevant. For a longer stay, a return visit, or anyone leaving a SIM in a drawer for next year, it is not, and a number that stops working takes any app verifications tied to it with it. Buy from an official Globe or Smart store or airport counter rather than a stall, since a pre-registered SIM sold to you is registered to somebody else.

An archipelago of seven thousand islands is a hard place to build a network, and it shows. Metro Manila and Cebu are decent, if not fast by regional standards, and the main resort towns are covered. Away from them: much of Palawan outside El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa, the smaller Visayan islands, the long ferry and bangka crossings that hold an itinerary together, the surf coasts of northern Luzon and the Cordillera interior around Sagada and Banaue.

So island-hopping days are offline days. Download offline maps, screenshot your ferry and transfer bookings rather than trusting an email to load at the pier, and note down your accommodation's number. Resort and cafe wifi is common on the tourist trail and often satellite-backed, which means it works and it is slow. Smart generally has slightly wider reach, with Globe competitive in the cities and DITO cheaper and thinner.

A local tourist data pack at 9 to 18 dollars undercuts roaming comfortably, since AT&T and Verizon day passes are about 10 to 12 dollars a day, and AT&T caps its Day Pass at 10 daily fees per line per bill period, about 120 dollars, while Verizon's TravelPass has no equivalent cap and keeps billing daily. T-Mobile's current tiers include roughly 5GB on Experience More, Magenta MAX and Go5G Plus, 15GB on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next and 30GB on Better Value, slowing to 256kbps after that, so check your own plan before buying: on a week in Manila and Cebu a T-Mobile allowance may be enough.

Between the local SIM and a Nomad eSIM at a few dollars per gigabyte, the local pack is usually cheaper per gigabyte and the eSIM avoids the registration process, the address question and the 30-day clock, since a travel eSIM roams onto Philippine networks rather than being a Philippine SIM. That is a real distinction rather than a marketing one, and it is also the thing we earn on, so weigh it accordingly: if you are here for two weeks and do not mind the counter, buy local. This guide is written for US travelers departing the US. For more, see cash or card in the Philippines, taxis and apps in the Philippines, and the Philippines money guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Philippines

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Tipping in the PhilippinesThe Philippines tips more than most of Asia, closer to the US: about 10% is customary and appreciated. The one thing to check is the service charge already on many bills. Here is what you actually owe.
• Do I need cash in the Philippines, or can I use cards?Short answer: carry cash, and use cards only where they are taken. Here is where each works, how to handle the low ATM limits, and the one habit that saves you money.
• Do US citizens need a visa for the Philippines?Short answer: no visa for a normal visit, but there is a free form you must do before you fly, and scam sites try to charge for it. Here is exactly what you need.
• Getting around the Philippines: Grab and jeepneysShort answer: use Grab in the cities, carry coins and small bills for jeepneys and tricycles, and be firm about the meter with taxis. Here is how each works and what it costs.
• Common money scams in the Philippines, and what they cost youThe Philippines is safe for the great majority of visitors, Filipino hospitality is real, and almost none of this is dramatic. The traps tourists actually meet are ordinary money ones: a fare quoted instead of metered, a stranger who is unusually keen to help, a card machine offering dollars. They cost tens of dollars and a few habits defuse nearly all of them. Here is each one, what it costs, and how to sidestep it.
• What does getting sick in the Philippines cost a visitor?The Philippines has one of the more surprising medical-money stories on this site: demanding a deposit in a true emergency is a crime here, with prison terms attached. And yet private hospitals routinely ask for a deposit at admission, and discharge waits until the bill is settled. Both halves are true, and the line between them is the word emergency.