Airalo worked okay at least in Manila. But speed is not that high at all and upload speed can be quite slow sometimes. I used it only for messaging, maps, Grab, etc. so was okay for me.
It's a roaming network provided by Singtel so it goes through Singapore with latency of a bit shy of 100ms.
If you don't mind the task of getting a local SIM and swapping it in your phone, you'll get better deal and better latency for sure. But as far as prepaid eSIM goes, Airalo does a decent job I think. You just have to lower your expectation a bit.
I was in Manila, El Nido and Coron. It worked well enough in Manila that I had no complaints. In El Nido, I had to manually select a network for it to work. Leaving it on automatic on the phone will choose the wrong network. In Coron, I had no reception once outside the main town. My wife had a physical SIM card and she had no issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Airalo offer unlimited data eSIM for Philippines?
Airalo does not provide a truly unlimited high‑speed data eSIM for the Philippines. The plans listed as “Unlimited” allow 3GB of high‑speed data per day, and once that daily quota is reached the speed is reduced to 1000kbps. After the daily limit, additional data uses the throttled speed.
If an unlimited‑like option is preferred, travelers can instead choose from Airalo’s fixed‑data plans. For instance, the Asialink 100 GB plan delivers high‑speed data for 180 days at about $89 USD, and the Alpas Mobile 50 GB plan offers 50 GB for 30 days at roughly $48 USD. These fixed plans give a large amount of data without daily throttling, which can be more cost‑effective for heavy‑usage travelers.
Does Airalo offer Philippines eSIM with phone number and SMS?
Airalo does not provide eSIMs that include a local phone number or SMS capability for the Philippines. Customers who need voice or text services in the Philippines will need to use data‑based services such as VoIP apps. Airalo only offers data‑only eSIM plans for travel in the Philippines.
How many data plans does Airalo offer for Philippines?
Airalo offers a total of 18 single‑country data plans that cover the Philippines only, and 40 multi‑country plans that include the Philippines among other destinations. The plans span a price range from about $4 to $89 and data caps from 1 GB up to 100 GB, with validity periods anywhere between 3 and 365 days. Some plans use a fixed data amount, while others provide a daily data cap, allowing users to choose between a set amount of traffic for the entire validity window or a daily allotment that rolls over.
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