Questions about eSIM in the Philippines

An eSIM is a SIM that arrives as a QR code instead of a plastic card. You scan it at home on Wi-Fi and keep the line off until you land; in the Philippines, turn it on and choose it for mobile data. It runs on a Philippine network, and your usual SIM stays in the phone, so calls and texts to your own number keep arriving.

The one you can check before you pay: the Philippine network it runs on, the data and the days, and the price in US dollars with tax. Every plan here runs on Globe and is data only; it costs from US$2.88 with tax, and is refunded in full if it does not work and cannot be fixed.

Yes. Pick a plan on VietSIM, the same company's store for Vietnam and Asia: this site's buttons open its Philippines page, and the QR code shows right after payment. Install it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly.

Yes: an eSIM is bought online before you fly and installed at home on Wi-Fi, within 30 days of buying it. The QR code appears on screen right after payment; save the page link.

Yes: the eTravel registration at etravel.gov.ph is the online arrival declaration, filed free within the 72 hours before you arrive, and it ends with a QR code to keep on your phone. It is not a visa.

Many visitors, UK citizens included, can visit without a visa for up to 30 days, with proof of onward travel; to stay longer, apply for an extension with the Bureau of Immigration. Whether you need a visa depends on your nationality, so check before you book, and remember the eTravel registration is not a visa.

It is +63. From abroad, drop the first 0 of a Philippine number: 0917 XXX XXXX is dialled +63 917 XXX XXXX. Inside the Philippines, dial the number as written, with its 0.

The Philippine peso, written PHP, divided into 100 centavos. Cards are widely accepted in the cities and tourist areas; cash covers markets, jeepneys and small vendors. Change money at banks or money changers, and the BSP publishes the daily reference rate.

Philippine sockets take flat type A and B pins, US style, and the country runs on 220 volts at 60 Hz. A charger rated 100 to 240 volts works as it is; UK and Australian plugs need an adapter.

The dry season runs roughly December to May, and the rainy season roughly June to November, when around 20 typhoons a year cross the country. Coasts stay warm all year, around 25 to 32 degrees, and the mountains are cooler.

Take normal care and follow the official advice: the UK advises against all travel to western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Mindanao, with some islands excepted. In the cities, petty crime is the common issue. Emergency: 911.

Dial *#06# and read the display: an EID there says the phone carries an eSIM. It also has to be free of carrier locks, not tied to whoever sold it. Check before buying, since a phone that cannot install a working eSIM is not a refund case.

Yes. Globe and Smart publish eSIM support for their own customers, and a travel eSIM for the Philippines connects to a Philippine network. The plans here run on Globe, named before you pay, and your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked.

Right after payment the store puts the QR code on screen; keep the page link, since that is where the code lives. The eSIM installs within 30 days of buying it. Where it fails and no fix helps, the refund is full.