Switching to a new network isn’t as simple as it may sound, as customers have to keep in mind several factors. This might include network coverage, SIM availability, customer service, or many other things. That’s where Giffgaff comes into the picture.
It is one of the original no-frills virtual networks, offering all the benefits of a traditional monthly contract but without any commitment. This network is an ideal option for those looking for real flexibility and control. While it is one of the smaller mobile networks, Giffgaff features a huge customer base and immense popularity.
Furthermore, this network is also known for providing reliable low-cost SIM-only plans and customer-oriented services to facilitate the users. The rage of plans and deals is designed to suit every budget. Interested to know more about these plans and deals? Here’s a detailed Gigggaff review covering everything you should know before making a final choice.
Giffgaff Pros and Cons
Great customer service, value for money, and simple plans – Giffgaff is mainly characterized by these three top marks. However, like other networks, it also comes with a specific set of pros and cons, that users must be mindful of before purchasing the services.
Here, we’ve compiled some advantages and disadvantages of using the Giffgaff network. Let’s get into the list.
Pros
- No contract
- No credit check
- Simple and flexible mobile plans
- Unlimited UK calls and texts
- High data allowance at low prices
- Tethering on all our plans with hotspot
- Excellent customer service
- Free roaming in the EU
- Affordable roaming services outside the EU
- 4G and 5G ready
- Change or cancel the plan at anytime
Cons
- No Wi-Fi calling
- No inclusive roaming beyond Europe
- No data rollover
Giffgaff Sim Only Plan Deals
Giffgaff offers plenty of SIM-only plan deals to ease the customers. You can buy any of them, based on your preference and budget. This telco provider has classified its plans into two parts – Monthly rolling and Pay as you go plans.
Keep on scrolling the page to know more about these deals here.
Giffgaff Monthly rolling
| Data | Price | See details |
|---|---|---|
| 2GB | £6 | View Plan> |
| 5GB | £8 | View Plan> |
| 20GB | £10 | View Plan> |
| 26GB | £12 | View Plan> |
| 35GB | £15 | View Plan> |
| 100GB | £20 | View Plan> |
| Unlimited data | £35 | View Plan> |
Pay as you go
| Data | Price | See details |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB | £6 | View Plan> |
| 4GB | £8 | View Plan> |
| 15GB | £10 | View Plan> |
| 25GB | £12 | View Plan> |
| 30GB | £15 | View Plan> |
| 80GB | £20 | View Plan> |
| 150GB | £35 | View Plan> |
All these plans offer unlimited UK calls and texts and are available on the monthly basis only. The Giffgaff SIM Card is 4G and 5G ready so you can easily use them on your 5G-enabled devices. These recurring plans come with no contract; hence, you can cancel or update your deal at any point in time, without thinking twice.
Moreover, all these plans entail EU roaming so you can stay connected with your near and dear ones while traveling within the European Union without paying extra charges. The golden goodybags offer even better value for money but are only available to customers who are looking for long-term companionship with the Giffgaff network. You can easily pay for them by using credit, debit card, or top-up vouchers.
Furthermore, joining these plans is extremely simple. All you have to do is select the plan, order your SIM and activate it once the sim card arrives. Before switching to Giffgaff, you must know that it doesn’t offer add-ons for goodybag bundles that are currently active.
Besides, you do not have to wait for your plan to auto renew. You can opt to to purchase your next plan early if you’ve used up your allowance before your next plan starts. Or else you need to use pay as you go credit to stay connected with charge of 10p/MB for data. And you can change or cancel your plan anytime.
Giffgaff Network Coverage
Network and coverage play a crucial role in the Giffgaff review, now let us check if Giffagff a good network. It operates on O2’s network, which covers around 99% of the UK population. The Giffgaff network has great coverage in the UK. It offers both 3G and 4G data speeds, so you can always stay connected. Along with 4G, Giffgaff also includes a 5G network, however, it is quite limited to 4G and is available to major towns and cities only.
The data speeds are also very good, especially in major cities. According to Ofcom’s survey, about 86% of the customers believe that they are getting good signals and reception, which in turn makes it one of the suitable networks in the UK to opt for. The signal is strong and users might not face dropped call problems.
However, there are some areas where the signal is weaker. Although O2 claims to offer a 4G network to 99% of the population both indoor and outdoor, the signal can get affected by local geographies, such as large buildings that stand between you and your network providers’ tower.
Hence, before you order the Giffgaff SIM card, you are advised to check the Giffgaff’s coverage checker to determine whether you are getting a signal in your home or not. Moreover, the checker also lets you know whether signals are available in all other areas where you are likely to travel, such as your route and place of work.
Since it operates on the O2 network, the data speed might be quite slow as compared to other leading networks available in the UK. O2’s nationwide median download speed is 15.6Mb per second, the slowest of the four major networks. However, this virtual network is now improving to ease the users. In the recent survey, 96% of the customers said that they had adequate speeds for web browsing and social media, while 92% of them also claim the same for audio streaming.
So, all and all, Giffgaff offers excellent coverage to the users so they can easily stay in touch with others. 5G network is growing but still, the availability is limited. Giffgaff’s 5G is available in UK’s 16 biggest cities, lagging behind the three major networks. Evaluate whether your area gets good signals or not and order the sim card accordingly. The best thing is that you are not locked and you are free to cancel your existing plans if you feel that you could get a faster connection elsewhere.
Giffgaff International calling
International calling and texts abroad from UK is not included in any of their Plans. You need to add credits to stay connected with people outside UK. However, Giffgaff offers excellent international calling rates. You can call any country in the world for the same low rate, and there are no connection fees.
The typical international calling rate is as follows:
- Landline – 2p per minute
- Mobile – 2p per minute
- Text – 8p
- MMS – 24p
However the price changes country by country, you can go to check the rates for different countries by entering the country name.
This makes it a great option for staying in touch with family and friends abroad. The quality of the calls is also excellent, so you can be sure that your conversations will be clear and crisp.
Remember that you will have to add the credit to make an international call or send a text message abroad and free international calling is not included in any of their plans.
You can enjoy an affordable international calling facility in three simple steps – order the Giffgaff SIM card, activate the same and top up your account to place the call right away.
You can make international calls with the following steps:
- Key in ‘+’
- Enter the country code and then area code without the first 0
- Pop in the rest of the phone number
If international calling is a key feature for you, you can consider other telecom which provide Internationale calling for free such as Lebara Mobile, which provides free calling to 42 countries.
Giffgaff international roaming
Traveling abroad and wondering if Giffgaff sim card allows you to keep in touch with your near and dear ones? Well, in that case, you don’t have to worry about it. EU roaming is available on all Giffgaff plans, be it golden goodybags or regular ones.
With Giffgaff, you can stay connected while you’re traveling abroad without having to worry about expensive roaming charges. Giffgaff offers a variety of international roaming plans to suit your needs, so you can stay connected without breaking the bank.
Free roaming in the the EU and other selected destinations
Undoubtedly, they’ve made it super easier to use your phone abroad when traveling to Europe and other selected destinations at no extra cost. It provides unlimited calls and texts while traveling in EU like in the UK.
As for the data, you should remember that the data usage for EU roaming is 5GB of your goodybag allowance. Once you have exceeded the cap, you will be charged 10p/MB while roaming.
Countries included as a part of the EU and other selected destinations where you can enjoy free Giffgaff roaming are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
If you have opted for Pay As You Go and use credit instead of data, calls, and texts, then it will be charged according to the UK rates.
Affordable roaming charges outside EU ad selected countries
However, if you are traveling outside the EU, it is advised to check the roaming costs. For other destinations, you have to add a top-up to your account to use your phone as normal.
Below is the typical roaming rates outside EU such as in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan:
| Data | 20p per MB |
| Calls & voicemail (charged in per second increments after first 30 seconds) | £1 per minute |
| Receiving calls (charged in per minute increments) | £1 per minute |
| Sending texts | 30p per text |
| Receiving texts | Free |
| Picture messages (MMS) to a UK/EU mobile | 30p per MMS |
| Picture messages (MMS) to any other mobile | 24p per MMS |
You can check the roaming rates on its
To roam internationally with Giffgaff, simply enable the feature in your account settings before you leave.
Giffgaff vs Lebara vs Voxi vs Smarty
Doing a comparison is hard for different mobile services, but I have broken the option down based on data and prices as follows:
| GiffGaff | Lebara | Voxi | Smarty | |
| Network | O2 | Vodafone | Vodafone | Three |
| 5G | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| £5 | N/A | 3GB | N/A | N/A |
| £6 | 1GB | N/A | N/A | 4GB |
| £8 | 3GB | N/A | N/A | 12GB |
| £10 | 15GB | 15GB | 15GB | 30GB |
| £12 | 20GB | N/A | 25GB | N/A |
| £15 | 30GB | 30GB | 30GB | 50GB |
| £20 | 100GB | N/A | 60GB | Unlimited |
| £25 | Always On*(80GB) | Unlimited | N/A | N/A |
| £35 | Unlimited | N/A | Endless Data | N/A |
| £41 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Learn more | View More | View more | View More | View More |
Giffgaff Customer service
Wondering Is Giffgaff a good network? Well, the answer depends a lot on the customer service section. No matter how affordable the plans are or how good the network will be, there’s one thing that you can never get enough of customer service. One must select the network only if it has good customer support and the team is readily available to assist you, especially in the hour of your need. On Trustpilot, Giffgaff gets 4.3 out of 5 points with more than 16,000 reviews, which is a good score for UK mobile carriers.
When it comes to Giffgaff, you are in luck as this telecom provider offers exceptionally good customer service to ease the users. They are always willing to help you with whatever issue you’re having, no matter how big or small. They are quick to respond to any questions or concerns you may have, and they are always available to help you troubleshoot any problems you may be experiencing with your service.
The company has a team of highly trained and experienced customer service representatives who are always ready to help customers with any issue they may have. They are also available 24/7, so you can always reach them when you need assistance. In addition, the company has a very user-friendly website that makes it easy to find the information you need.
If the online forum is unable to help you, get in touch with one of their super-smart agents by connecting them in person. Their typical response time is up to 24 hours so, you have to wait for a while. For more commercial inquiries, you can send an email to giffgaffteam@mailuk.custohelp.com.
In addition, Giffgaff also has an online forum where customers can ask questions and get help from other Giffgaff users.
Overall, Giffgaff’s customer service is top-notch and they always go above and beyond to make sure their customers are happy. This telecom provider scored really high for customer satisfaction, making them an ideal choice for all.
What are the alternatives to Giffgaff?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Giffgaff offers great network coverage and cheap sim-only deals to facilitate the customers. Ofcom’s recent survey shows that around 96% of the Giffgaff customers are satisfied with the network and consider this provider as value for money. Hence, Giffgaff is undoubtedly a good bet when it comes to picking a reliable mobile provider in UK.
Giffgaff primarily operates on the O2 network, covering 99% of the UK population. Since it relies on O2, it offers coverage and speed based on that specific network only. A standard 4G coverage is available throughout the country and a limited 5G is available in UK’s biggest cities.
Yes. Giffgaff offers 5G services in the major cities and towns so that the customers can stay connected with the fastest network. All its sim plans are 5-G ready so you can use them on 5G-enabled devices. If you have a Giffgaff sim card, then turn on 5G in your Giffgaff settings and get started.
The cheapest Giffgaff SIM card is available at £6. It offers standard services and 1GB of data. You can cancel or update the same at any point in time.
Final Verdict
That’s it!! We hope our detailed Giffgaff review will help you understand the core aspects of this virtual network so you can make an appropriate choice. Giffgaff is widely appreciated for offering excellent network coverage and affordable SIM-only plans to facilitate the customers.
Furthermore, it is quite different than other mobile networks, as it only offers monthly plans so you can easily switch the operator or plan, based on your needs and preferences. So, if you are looking for something cheap and affordable, Giffgaff might be the best pick to cater to your requirements.
Article Updates
July 29, 2024： Updates Giffgaff plans