Philippines eSIM for Indians (2026): Globe vs Smart, island hopping and the eTravel form

Jio and Airtel both cover the Philippines with roaming packs, so the choice is between one of those packs, a local SIM and a travel eSIM installed at home. Whichever you pick, register on eTravel before you fly: the airline checks its QR code at boarding.

Prices side by side

Other sizes: 1 GB for 7 days is ₹149 for a stopover, and 3 GB is ₹399 and 20 GB is ₹2,299, both for 30 days. Unlimited plans give 1 GB a day at full speed, then 512 Kbps: ₹399 for 3 days, ₹599 for 5, ₹849 for 7, ₹1,199 for 10, ₹1,699 for 15 and ₹3,099 for 30. Pick the 30-day size even for a short trip: 3 GB for 30 days is ₹399, while 3 GB for 7 days is ₹749. Every plan is on the Philippines eSIM page.

Going on to other countries? The Asia plan covers the Philippines, at ₹699 for 5 GB over 30 days across 14 countries. Check its page for the rest of your route.

How much data you need

Networks and coverage in the Philippines

The Philippines has three mobile operators, Globe, Smart and DITO, and eSIMKite's Philippines plans connect to Globe and Smart. In Opensignal's July 2026 report, DITO won Best Network for the second time running, with 8 awards including the fastest download and upload speeds and Reliability. Smart also won 8 awards, including Games and Voice App experience. Globe won Coverage Experience, at 7.4 out of 10, for the fifth time, and Consistent Quality.

Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for September 2026 puts the country's median mobile download at 102.55 Mbps, with 12.23 Mbps upload and 23 ms latency, 77th in the world. Visiting family or friends? Most of the more than 70,000 Indians in the Philippines live in and around Metro Manila, Davao and Cebu, according to the Indian Embassy in Manila (early 2025).

Island hopping and ferries

We have no island-by-island results for Palawan, Boracay or Cebu, and no figures for signal at sea. Globe's Coverage Experience award is the one national pointer, and our plans can use Globe as well as Smart. Globe has also launched Starlink Mobile, a direct-to-cell satellite service meant for the roughly 4% of people outside normal mobile coverage; we have not checked whether travel eSIMs can use it. Before a ferry or a small-island stay, download offline maps, tickets and hotel details.

Bank OTPs, WhatsApp and UPI

eSIMKite plans are data only. Your Indian SIM stays in the phone as the second line, so your number, WhatsApp and UPI apps stay as they are. More in keeping WhatsApp and bank OTPs working abroad.

• Jio: the Philippines is on the 75-, 100- and 132-country lists, so the ₹589 and ₹951 packs work, with 20 and 25 SMS. It is not on Jio's 135-country list for data-only packs, so those will not help here. Without a pack, check in MyJio that your plan receives SMS abroad.
• Airtel prepaid: the Philippines is on Airtel's covered-countries list. The 5- and 10-day packs include 20 SMS, and the IR activation pack is ₹118 for 28 days at standard charges.
• Airtel postpaid: new plans from ₹499 a month include one free 5-day roaming trip a year from 8 Oct 2026, with free incoming SMS. Airtel has not listed the countries, so check the app.
• Vi: we did not check Vi's Philippines rates. Look in the Vi app before you go.
• WhatsApp: Freedom House's 2025 report rates the Philippines 'Partly Free' (61/100) but says social media is not blocked, though some websites are. WhatsApp messages and calls go over the eSIM's data.
• UPI: UPI merchant payments were not live in the Philippines on 31 August 2026, so carry a card or a forex card.

Before you land: eTravel

• Register on eTravel: every arriving foreign passenger must register on eTravel, the only official site, or in the eGovPH app. It is free, and sites asking for payment are scams.
• Do it from India: save the QR code on your phone, because the airline checks it before boarding. That means you fill the form on home Wi-Fi or Indian data, not on a Philippine connection.
• When: the eTravel FAQ says registration opens within 72 hours before arrival, while the Bureau of Immigration's advisory says to register or update 'at least 72 hours before' travel. The two official wordings differ, so check etravel.gov.ph three days before you fly.
• At immigration: a green QR code takes you straight to immigration; a red one means extra quarantine checks.
• Visa: the Indian Embassy in Manila's India-Philippines brief (early 2025) says the Philippines fully implemented an e-Visa for Indian nationals from 28 October 2024. Check the current rules before you apply.

Set it up at home

1. Check your phone takes an eSIM: iPhone XS or newer, Google Pixel 3 or newer, and recent Samsung Galaxy S and Z models. Dial *#06#: if an EID shows, it does.
2. Buy the Philippines plan and scan the QR code on Wi-Fi before you leave India.
3. On most plans the validity starts when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you buy or install it.
4. On landing, turn the eSIM line on, switch on data roaming for it, and set it as the mobile data line.

Step-by-step pictures for iPhone and Android are in how to install a travel eSIM.

When a local SIM or roaming is the better choice

Pick a Jio pack if you will make normal calls on your Indian number: ₹951 gives 4 GB, 100 outgoing and 100 incoming minutes and 25 SMS for 10 days, against ₹649 for our 5 GB plan with no calls. For a trip of 10 days or less with daily calls home, that pack is a fair buy. Airtel's ₹1,298 10-day pack gives 6 GB and 200 minutes, close to the price of our 10 GB plan at ₹1,199. Jio's Wi-Fi calling packs, ₹121 for 100 minutes or ₹521 for 500, cover calls to India over hotel Wi-Fi if your phone supports Wi-Fi calling.

A local SIM gives you a Philippine number, which helps on a long stay. We did not check local SIM prices or the rules for tourists buying one, so check with Globe, Smart or DITO directly. For a month on our side, 20 GB is ₹2,299 and Unlimited ₹3,099, both for 30 days. The travel eSIM makes most sense when you want data from landing, with your Indian SIM kept for OTPs. More in Jio vs Airtel vs Vi roaming packs.

Questions

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Get your Philippines eSIMQR code on screen and by emailQR code by email after a document check · 4G/5G · from $1.99

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Written by the eSIMKite team and checked by Vicky Pathak. Prices checked on 21 October 2026. We sell travel eSIMs, so every outside figure links to where we found it.