Clark airport SIM card or eSIM (CRK): land online

Practical notes

1. 1Getting to Metro ManilaCRK sits inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga and is reached via the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, which links to the North Luzon Expressway for Metro Manila, as its operator describes. Genesis Transport's own route list carries point-to-point services from Clark to TriNoma, PITX, NAIA terminals 1 to 3 and Balanga, as well as the run to Baguio; the airport's bus page also lists Victory Liner and the Clark Loop among the services calling at CRK.
2. 2The terminalThe new passenger terminal opened in May 2022, a four-level building of 110,000 square metres built for eight million passengers a year, and it holds both the domestic and international halls, LIPAD's page says. International transfer passengers have a transfer desk of their own and skip immigration on the way to the departure area. Grab puts Angeles City about 10 km away, a trip of about 20 minutes.
3. 3Getting onlineThe eSIM is installed at home before the flight and switched on when you land, so nothing waits at a counter. A SIM card bought on arrival is registered to the buyer: the SIM Registration Act (Republic Act 11934) requires all new subscribers to register their SIM card before activation, as DITO's registration page sets out. Each of the three networks publishes its own coverage, so check Globe's, Smart's or DITO's own pages for Pampanga and Central Luzon before the trip.
4. 4PayingThe currency is the Philippine peso (PHP). The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the country's central bank, says it has the exclusive power and authority to issue the coins and notes for circulation in the Philippines, and its site publishes a daily reference exchange rate bulletin. Check that bulletin before changing money at a bank or money changer in town.