Smart Communications, Inc. is a wireless carrier subsidiary wholly owned by PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company). It is the largest mobile operator in the Philippines and is commonly known as Smart among the masses. It was founded in 1991, and presently has headquarters in Manila, Philippines. Smart has a vast network coverage throughout the country, and it provides the fastest internet data speed in the Philippines based on the latest Ookla Speedtest Report. The company offers various recharge plans and multiple ways to recharge its prepaid SIM card. With that said, let’s analyze each of the methods to recharge your Smart SIM card one by one.
1. Recharge Smart SIM Through a Call/Text Card
Smart offers Smart Link top-up cards to recharge your Smart prepaid SIM card offline. You can buy them from a number of partner stores and local retailers in the Philippines. The top-up vouchers come in two denominations, i.e., 300 PHP (Philippines Pesos) and 500 PHP. Steps to recharge using Smart Prepaid top-up cards are as follows:
- Look at the back of the top-up card.
- Scratch off the protective layer carefully. You will see a 14-digit code.
- Open your phone’s dial pad, dial 1510 + 14-digit code, press the Call button.
- A voice prompt will give you a confirmation message if your reload is successful.
If you are on international roaming and want to top up with your Call and Text Card on your Smart prepaid for free, follow the given steps:
- Dial *133# and press the Call button.
- A flash message will appear. Choose the Load option.
- Next, another flash message will display, select the CTC Loading option.
- After this, enter the 14-digit code given at the back of your Call and Text Card. Wait for the reload confirmation message.
2. Recharging Through Credit Transfers to Other Smart Users
Smart provides a feature called PasaLoad which enables all Smart users to transfer credit/load to other Smart prepaid users anywhere and anytime. Unsurprisingly, to use it, your Smart prepaid SIM must have sufficient balance to transfer the amount to your friends and loved ones who use Smart SIM cards. Here are the instructions for using this method:
- Open your SMS app.
- Type PASALOAD (space) Receiver’s Smart mobile number (space) Amount in PHP.
- Send the text to 808.
You can only send a fixed amount via this feature. That amount will be deducted from your prepaid SIM, or be added to your mobile bill if you are a postpaid SIM card user. In the latter case, there will be an additional 1 PHP as a service charge. The amounts you can transfer at once are 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 100, and 200 PHP.
3. Top Up Using GigaLife App
The quickest and the most secure way to reload your Smart prepaid account is through the GigaLife mobile application. It is an online method, so you need to have an internet connection to use this feature. The steps to reload are as follows:
- Download the GigaLife app from Play Store or App Store.
- Install and open the app.
- Upon your first login, the app will ask you to turn on your mobile data. That way, it can automatically detect and fetch your Smart SIM card mobile number.
- After the successful login, you will see a dashboard showing your load balance.
- Click the + icon beside your load balance.
- Select your reload amount.
- Select your preferred payment option and enter the details. Follow the procedure to pay.
- You will receive the notification after your load is received successfully.
4. Recharge SIM Card Via Smart Official Website
Recharging your Smart prepaid from Smart’s official website works like this:
- Open your browser and visit the official website of Smart.
- Log in to your account.
- Under the Prepaid Balance tab, click on the Reload button.
- Choose your desired load amount from the Smart Load list, then click Select.
- Click Yes, Proceed.
- Select your mode of payment to pay for the load.
5. Recharging From Third-Party Websites
There are many websites that offer prepaid recharge services internationally. One such website, which we have no ties to, is Recharge. Follow these steps to reload your Smart prepaid SIM using Recharge:
- Visit the official website of Recharge.
- Select your country as Philippines.
- Select your desired reload option from three subsections named Phone Credit, Data, and Bundles.
- Click the Order button.
- Enter the Smart mobile number you wish to reload.
- Enter your email address. It will receive the reload confirmation mail.
- Select your preferred mode of payment, such as Visa or Mastercard credit cards or PayPal.
- Fill in your card details and click the Start Payment button. After the completion of the payment process, you will get a confirmation email. It may take up to 15 minutes to get the reload.
6. Renew Balance Using Mobile Banking
You can easily reload your Smart balance using your bank account. But before that, you need to activate your mobile banking feature within your bank account. After the service for mobile banking is active, follow these simple instructions:
- Open your GigaLife App and go to the Smart Menu.
- Click on Mobile Banking.
- Select your preferred bank.
- Click on Reload Buddy.
- Select Others, press the OK button.
- Enter the desired mobile number you wish to recharge.
- Confirm the load by clicking the OK button.
- Select the bank account you want to reload from.
- Enter the reload amount and press the OK button.
- Enter your ATM pin or mPIN (whichever you have registered previously).
- Press the OK button and wait for the “Reload successful” confirmation message.
Your bank may charge a transaction fee to use the mobile banking payment feature. It usually ranges between 1 PHP and 3.50 PHP.
Parting Words
There are some more techniques you can reload your Smart prepaid balance with. For instance, you can use Load Machines. Load Machines are similar to ATMs and installed at select Smart Stores in the Philippines for its users to renew their balance. No matter which way you choose to reload your account, it is important to check your Smart balance for confirmation afterward.