How do I top up or add load to a Philippine prepaid SIM?
You can add load through your operator's app (GigaLife for Smart, the DITO app for DITO), at any convenience or sari-sari store, through e-wallets like GCash and Maya, or via retail e-channels. Loading credit and subscribing to a data promo are two separate steps — credit alone gives you no data allowance.
Checked 26 Jul 2026·2 plans cited·2 verified from provider·How we check this
The two-step model
This is the part visitors most often get wrong. Adding ₱300 of load does not give you 30 days of data. It gives you ₱300 of credit, which you then spend by subscribing to a specific promo. If you skip the second step, that credit drains at expensive pay-as-you-go rates.
- Load credit onto the SIM — app, store, e-wallet, or e-channel.
- Subscribe to a data promo using that credit — through the operator app, or by dialling the operator's USSD code.
Where to load
- Operator apps — the easiest route, and they show which promos are available on your number.
- Sari-sari stores and convenience stores — ubiquitous, work with cash, useful when you have no data to open an app.
- GCash and Maya — convenient if you already use Philippine e-wallets.
- For Smart, dial *123# to see promos available to your number.
Answer last reviewed 26 Jul 2026. How we check our data.