cell phone on holiday

[bastonjock]

Hi Guys

I thinking of buying a local sim card for my phone whilst in the Phils  , any advice on this ? 

thanks in advance

[virginprune]

40 minutes ago, bastonjock said:

Hi Guys

I thinking of buying a local sim card for my phone whilst in the Phils  , any advice on this ? 

thanks in advance

Check which is the best coverage for your area, it does vary, then just buy a sim load up and register the load to get the best plan for your money. Your partner will help you to do this I'm sure. Do make sure your phone is unlocked, if not you can buy a cheap phone here.

Happy holidays, hope all goes well for you and you like it here 

[GeoffH]

There are small shops at Manila airport where you can buy a local SIM card and pay for some load after you arrive, Smart and Globe for sure (not all are open all hours).

Also your home country phone might roam onto a Philippines network but it'll be much more expensive (you might be able to purchase an overseas roaming pack to reduce that cost but it will still be more expensive than a local SIM).

I use a dual SIM phone with a Smart SIM in slot 1 (primary SIM for voice and data) and my Australian SIM in slot 2 (which roams onto Globe in the Philippines so I can use Globe if Smart isn't working) and I can still answer incoming voice calls or texts from Australia on my Australian number.  The main issue I've found with having a local SIM card in your phone (without a second phone or dual sim phone) is that people won't know your new Philippines number.

Edited February 18, 2018 by GeoffH

[Dave Hounddriver]

If you have only one ladyfriend, then ask what network she is on and consider getting a sim from the same network.  Makes for cheaper calling for her and for you (she will care even if you don't) and after all . . . who ya gonna call?

[Snowy79]

When you step off of the plane there's usually stalls inside the airport that give away free sims in the hope that you will top up onto their network. I'd go as far as to get 2 different sim cards for different networks even if you only use one. 

To load them you just buy a credit card sized card which had various loads on it. 100,200,300,500 Peso etc. As an example if you want Globe you get the Globe sim and top up then fit the sim and dial *143Hash. A new menu will appear giving you a choice of about 10 options. Select my account then load card. Enter the details from the card you've bought and it'll credit your sim. Once credited go back into the menu again and you can decide if you want to use the credit for calls, text or surf. 

At the Airport and a few Malls if you have a Sim you can connect to free Globe or Smart wifi for 30 mins. I use up the 30 mins then swap the sim and get another 30 mins. The credit on your phone usually has a life span of about 30 days.

[Gator]

Unless you spend a small fortune and get unli data, then regardless of the carrier be sure to turn off your cellular data when not using it otherwise your load will get eaten. 

[Julia]

9 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

If you have only one ladyfriend, then ask what network she is on and consider getting a sim from the same network.  Makes for cheaper calling for her and for you (she will care even if you don't) and after all . . . who ya gonna call?

[Kuya John]

10 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

who ya gonna call?

Ghostbuster's.....sorry Dave thought I would say it before someone else did

[allancomeau]

It used to be that SMART has better coverage in the more remote areas, but it seems Globe has caught up.

The availability of SIM cards at the airport depends on what time you arrive and which airport.

For example, the airport in Cebu had SIM sellers but the rate for a week (the maximum length of time available from them) was twice the normal price.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by allancomeau

[allancomeau]

22 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

*143Hash

that's Hash as in Hashmark  #

 

This isn't Amsterdam ;)

Edited February 20, 2018 by allancomeau