Best SIM card for the Philippines

I've done a bit of a search on LP but couldn't find specifics. So I would appreciate your advice on the best SIM card for the Philippines and where I might purchase it. I have a tri-band mobile phone and want to both call to and receive calls from the U.S.

Do any of the cards allow for free incoming calls on a mobile? About how much is the average cost per minute to and from the U.S.?

Thanks!

As for me i can say GLobe Telecom offers the best mobile service in the philippines. from messaging to call bothe international and local. you can buy it anywhere from malls to convenient stores.

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Globe and Smart pre-paid sim cards abound in malls, convenient stores (even the local "sari-sari store"), MRT stations, even shops inside airport and sea pier terminals. These cost around Php50-60, then you just have to reload it in different increments. Reloading stations are even more abundant, just ask the locals around where you can buy "load" for cellphone. Calling the US normally costs Php15/minute and does not charge incoming calls. You can check the Globe website to see current promos for calling the US.

I agree with number 1.

I visited indonesia two months ago and used Globe's international roaming during my stay. a month later i checked my bill i cant believe they charged almost the same rate for calling and sms for so cheap. Kudos for Globe.

comment for smart? i dont want to cemment. i might get sued

Stiff competition between Globe (they also own Touch Mobile), Smart (they also own Talk n Text) and Sun Cellular is driving call and text rates down! I say kudos to Sun Cellular. They were the ones responsible for providing unlimited call and text services (Sun to Sun) and cheaper international calls that forced Globe and Smart to provide the same services.

#3 Really? I may have been overcharged by Globe then.

Globe has stronger reception than Smart. I've found that if I'm travelling by ferry, and a long way from land, I can usually still get reasonable reception if I have a Globe sim card, but not if I have a Smart sim card.

I followed the above link to the Globe site, but I could not understand that site at all. Unfortunately, I didn't get any helpful information.

I did want to ask about Telestial--which I gather is the same as Smart (??) and not well thought of (??). For $49 U.S. prepaid, you get free incoming, voice mail, but only $11 U.S. counts as credit towards calling time. Telestial offers more of what I am interested, and the site was easy to understand. But, jeez, that's expensive.

Thanks for all your thoughts.

Buy it (the SIM) when you get there (the Philippines) much cheaper.

I have always used Smart. Had no reason to try a different network.

You could buy one Smart and one Globe sim it's cheap enough.

Smart has the most customers and coverage.

in the visayas & mindanao, smart&talk n text have better coverage.

I had 2 phones, one Smart and one Globe, in the Philippines. This seemed to quite common with Filipinos, despite the relative expense of phones compared to incomes. I texted and called Smart numbers with the Smart phone and Globe ones with the Globe one. It might sound a bit complicated, but it wasn't at all.

I used the Smart phone more than the Globe one in the Philippines itself.

now I'm back in the UK one of those phones has a Globe international roaming card in it that is supposed to make life easier for those many millions of Filipinos with relatives and friends living and working overseas. They can send texts to the UK for only 1 peso instead of the 15 it would normally cost.

my Thai and other Asian friends are more readier to send normal texts abroard than Filipinos are. 9 baht for a Thai is a lot less than 15 pesos is for a Filipino.