Manila – known for its churches/cathedrals, malls & museums.
It is also the most congested city in Southeast Asia.
So, you better plan ahead when scheduling your day… because you will be late if you do not leave (way) too early).
Writing a list of all the cool things to do in Manila would require another blog post (or a dedicated Manila blog), so I will save you from that because you want to know what SIM card options are available at the airport.
Which SIM cards are available at the airport?
You can get a Smart or Globe SIM card for between 1500 PHP (26 USD) and 3500 PHP (60.80 USD) at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA).
And eSIMs are available too 😎.
These are not low prices (by Philippine standards).
The average cost for a SIM card is around 2250 PHP (39 USD).
If you are willing to get a SIM card outside the airport, they are available for as little as 49 PHP (0.85 USD).
Yeah… crazy premiums at the airport 😩.
Let's review all your options at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Original publication: 20th of April 2024. Last updated: 20th of April 2024.
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Mobile Operators in the Philippines
The Philippines has three mobile operators and various Mobile Virtual Mobile Operators offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- Smart Communications Philippines
- Globe Telecommunications Philippines
- Dito Telecommunity
- Cherry Prepaid (Globe MVNO)
- GOMO Philippines (Globe MVNO)
- TM Philippines (Globe MVNO)
- TNT Philippines (Smart MVNO)
Only Smart and Globe SIM cards and eSIMs are sold at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA).
They only sell (tourist) SIM cards at inflated prices at the airport (compared to SIM cards sold at their regular stores or from resellers).
If you truly need to be connected as soon as you land, you can consider getting a Traveler eSIM from Globe on their app (giving you 80 GB) or one of the travel eSIMs mentioned in my Philippines eSIM buying guide.
For now, let's see what options Manila Airport offers us.
Where to Buy a SIM Card at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Smart Philippines and Globe Philippines SIM cards are sold in the (international) arrival halls of terminals 1, 2 & 3 at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA).
Manila Airport also has a fourth terminal, Terminal 4, which only handles domestic flights. Therefore, SIM cards are not sold at this terminal.
As each terminal serving international destinations has Smart and Globe booths selling SIM cards, there is no need to travel to another terminal to buy a SIM card.
I flew with China Airlines from Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to Manila Airport and arrived at Terminal 1.
Transferring between the three terminals is time-consuming, so I did not visit Terminal 2 or Terminal 3 to see what they offer.
However, Globe's and Smart's salespeople informed me that the same SIM cards and plans are sold at those terminals.
So, while this guide will focus on the locations at Terminal 1, the plans and prices will be the same at Terminals 2 and 3.
After luggage claim and customs, there are two ways to enter and leave the arrivals hall.
Regardless of the door you walk through, you will find the Globe and Smart stands on your left.
You cannot miss the banners.
And the salespeople will often yell across the arrivals hall asking if you want a SIM card, so you can truly not miss them.
At the airport, expect to spend at least 1500 PHP (26.50 USD) and up to 3500 PHP (62 USD) on a SIM card or eSIM.
In comparison, you can get Globe and Smart SIM cards with up to 5 GB starter data for only 150 PHP (2.65 USD).
Anyway, the Smart and Globe stores are open 24/7, so you can always buy a SIM card upon arrival.
Let's go through each mobile operator to see what they sell at Ninoy Aquino Airport.
Smart Philippines SIM Cards at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Smart Philippines SIM cards and eSIMs are sold between 1500 PHP and 3500 PHP at the international arrival halls at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA).
Smart Communications Philippines, just Smart, is the largest mobile operator in the Philippines.
Although it is only slightly bigger than Globe Philippines by a subscriber count of less than one million.
However, it is regarded as the mobile operator with the fastest mobile speeds and the best (5G NR) coverage.
After luggage claim and customs, walk through the sliding door and head to your left.
Remember, this guide focused on Terminal 1 only. The directions for Terminals 2 and 3 are probably different.
You will find the Smart (and Globe) stand here – it cannot be missed.
I was told Smart sells two plans at Manila Airport: Data Packages with No Expiry and Unlimited Data Plans.
The following Unlimited Data packages are available:
| Price | Data 1 | Local Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 PHP | Unlimited | 31 minutes | 30 days |
| 2000 PHP | Unlimited | 93 minutes | 30 days |
| 2500 PHP | Unlimited | 156 minutes | 30 days |
| 3000 PHP | Unlimited | 218 minutes | 30 days |
| 3500 PHP | Unlimited | 281 minutes | 30 days |
1 5G NR access
All plans, even the ones mentioned later, are also available as eSIMs.
I was told that you get truly unlimited data with these plans (so there are no speed caps or daily data allowances).
I am unsure why the call allowances are so random, nor do I know what is meant with up to.
But I suspect on-net calls (Smart to Smart) use “fewer minutes” than off-net calls (Smart to Globe or Dito).
Next, we have data-limited plans:
| Price | Data | Bonus Data | Local Minutes | Local SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1600 PHP | 72 GB | N/A | Unlimited (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) |
| 2100 PHP | 96 GB | 6 GB (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) |
| 2600 PHP | 132 GB | 6 GB (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) |
| 3100 PHP | 168 GB | 6 GB (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) | Unlimited (90 days) |
These are generous data allowances!
However, I wonder why the 6 GB bonus data for most plans is not included in the no-expiry data allowance 🤷🏿♂️.
Anyway, I did not buy a Smart SIM card at the airport because they are highly overpriced.
The cheapest plan, 1500 PHP, is around 26.20 USD, and the most expensive plan, 3100 PHP, is about 54.10 USD.
Depending on where you are from, these prices may be low in your eyes… but they are not for Philippine standards.
For example, the most generous regular Smart plan is the 30 Days Unli 5G+ Plan.
It gives unlimited data on 5G NR (and 4G/LTE) for only 1199 PHP (21 USD).
But it also gives you unlimited minutes and SMS.
If you do not care about calling and texting, the same plan (but called 30 Days Unli 5G with Non-Stop Data instead) is sold for 999 PHP (17.45 USD).
Cheaper plans with data limits for 4G/LTE are also available.
Still looking at 30-day plans, you can get the Unli 5G plan for 599 PHP (10.50 USD) with unlimited 5G NR data but only 12 GB on 4G/LTE (no calling or texting allowed).
So yeah, way cheaper plans are available outside the airport.
As of mid-2023, SIM card registration is required in the Philippines (like all countries in the region).
In most countries, registration is quicker when you buy a SIM card at the airport (or at a telecom store compared to self-registration, which is possible in the Philippines).
This is not the case at Manila Airport… or in the country at all.
So, even though you pay a premium for SIM cards sold at the airport, the staff will either tell you to do registration yourself or use the basic registration form on your behalf.
Why does this matter? Smart's SIM card registration process is not instant – it can take up to 24 hours before you can actually use your SIM card (and visiting a Smart store cannot speed up this process).
So, what are you paying extra for? You cannot use your SIM card immediately after purchase 🤔.
I recommend visiting a regular Smart store or a reseller (convenience stores or small electronic stalls in malls) and buying SIM cards there.
I got mine for only 150 PHP (2.60 USD) from a reseller (because the Smart store has no prepaid SIM cards in stock anymore 🫠).
But they can be sold for as little as 49 PHP.
When your SIM card is successfully registered, you get 5 GB of data, 30 local minutes & 100 local SMS for three days for free.
Most resellers will try to register the SIM card on your behalf (unless it is a convenience store – they do not have time for that).
If registration fails (which can happen because the reseller uses the mall's slow WiFi, for example), they will direct you to a Smart store.
The queues are always long… and here is how I found out that the representatives use the same registration form anyone can access (aka registration is not instant).
In my case, my SIM card was activated the morning after 🗿.
If you do not have the time or patience to wait for your SIM card to be activated, you can consider getting a travel eSIM for the Philippines instead.
Most of them have generous data allowances for the country, and even unlimited data plans are available.
I write about the best travel eSIMs for the Philippines in my Best Philippines eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my Philippine eSIM review series.
Globe Philippines SIM Cards at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Philippines SIM cards and eSIMs are sold for 2000 PHP, 2500 PHP & 3000 PHP at the international arrival halls at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA).
Globe Telecommunications Philippines, just Globe, is the second-largest mobile operator in the Philippines.
It is slightly smaller than Smart Philippines (by less than one million subscribers).
Globe's coverage is extensive – not as good as Smart's, but way better than Dito's.
After luggage claim and customs, walk through the sliding door and head to your left.
Remember, this guide focused on Terminal 1 only. The directions for Terminals 2 and 3 are probably different.
You will find the Globe (and Smart) stand here – it cannot be missed.
Here, the salesperson will let you know about the three plans they sell:
| Price | Data 1 | Local Minutes | Local SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 PHP | 131 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days |
| 2500 PHP | 200 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days |
| 3000 PHP | 262 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30 days |
1 5G NR access
All these plans are also available as eSIMs.
Unlike Smart Philippines, Globe does not sell unlimited data plans at Manila Airport.
On Globe's website, way cheaper tourist SIM cards are listed (with much lower data allowances):
When I asked the salesperson about these plans, she had no idea what I was on about 🗿.
Even though the site claims these SIM cards are sold at Manila Airport.
Additionally, a tourist eSIM with 80 GB of data, unlimited local minutes & unlimited local SMS is also available through the GlobeOne app.
You can order and install the eSIM before arriving in the Philippines (although I would not do it too early—at most one day before traveling to the country).
I did not buy a Globe SIM card at the airport because they were expensive.
The cheapest plan, 2000 PHP, is around 35 USD, and the most expensive plan, 3000 PHP, is about 52.30 USD.
For some readers, these prices are standard… even cheap (looking at you, Canadians 🤪).
But by Philippine standards, these prices are outrageous.
Sure, data plans with 100 GB+ are not available through ordinary recharges.
However, 25 GB of data, which should be enough for most, can be purchased for only 400 PHP (7 USD).
As of mid-2023, SIM card registration is required in the Philippines (like all countries in the region).
In most countries, registration is quicker when you buy a SIM card at the airport (or at a telecom store) than when you self-register, which is possible in the Philippines.
This also applies to Globe at Manila Airport.
But that is because Globe's registration process is efficient (unlike Smart, which can take up to a day before your SIM card can be used).
It is not that the salespeople have access to a staff-only form or something.
They use the same form you can access yourself.
Once you have filled in all the details, you will receive a text message informing you that your SIM card has been registered (practically immediately, in my case).
If you text Free to 8080, you get an additional 5 GB of data and unlimited local minutes for three days (beneficial for those not buying SIM cards at Manila Airport).
So, if I do not recommend buying a SIM card at the airport, where else should you get one?
I recommend visiting a regular Globe store or a reseller (convenience stores or small electronic stalls in malls) and buying SIM cards there.
I got mine for only 150 PHP (2.60 USD) from a reseller.
But they can be sold for as little as 59 PHP (giving you the free 5 GB of data I mentioned earlier after sending Free to 8080).
Most resellers will try to register the SIM card on your behalf (unless it is a convenience store – they do not have time for that).
If registration fails (often because the reseller uses the mall's slow WiFi), they will direct you to a Globe store.
The queues are always long, so I recommend registering the SIM card yourself when you have a stable WiFi connection.
Remember, the Globe staff use the same site/form to register SIM cards as you can.
While waiting for a salesperson to assist you, which can take an hour on bad days, you could have registered your SIM card.
But yes, those are the (expensive) plans sold at Manila Airport.
You can consider getting a travel eSIM for the Philippines instead.
Most of them have generous data allowances for the country, and even unlimited data plans are available.
I write about the best travel eSIMs for the Philippines in my Best Philippines eSIM buying guide.
I even tried many of them extensively for my Philippine eSIM review series.
Should You Buy a SIM Card (or eSIM) at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport?
I do not recommend getting a SIM card at Manila-Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/NAIA) because plans are overpriced. But if you need to be connected as soon as you land, I recommend getting a Globe Philippines SIM card.
Two of the three Philippine mobile operators, Smart Philippines and Globe Philippines, sell SIM cards at Manila Airport (in Terminals 1, 2 & 3)
There SIM cards and eSIMs are sold within these price ranges:
- Smart Philippines: 1500 PHP – 3500 PHP (nine options)
- Globe Philippines: 2000 PHP – 3000 PHP (three options)
As mentioned, I recommend going with Globe if you need a SIM card from the airport.
But… why not Smart? I mentioned that it has the most options, unlimited data plans, the best coverage & the fastest speeds.
That is because Smart's SIM card registration process is not instant – it can take up to 24 hours.
In my case, I registered my SIM card in the evening, which was activated the morning after.
That is not useful if you need to be connected immediately.
However, Globe's registration process was instant after filling in the form – even if you did not buy your SIM card at Manila airport.
So, while it is not the best option between the two, it is the best if you need to use your Philippine SIM card upon arrival.
But if you have more patience, head to the closest mall or convenience store & get a Globe SIM card.
Register it yourself, reload it & you will save up to 20 USD, depending on the plan you choose.