GiffGaff SIM Only deals

Why choose a Giffgaff SIM Only deal?

Giffgaff sells both 30-day and 18-month SIM Only plans, and in most cases you get more data for your money on an 18-month plan, but at the expense of the flexibility of a 30-day rolling deal.

Giffgaff’s SIM Only plans come with up to unlimited data, so it’s ideal even for the heaviest mobile data users, and you can also tether on Giffgaff’s plans (so you can use your phone to get other devices online).

Giffgaff’s SIM Only deals all include free roaming in Europe too, so you can keep using your allowances when abroad, and 5G comes as standard on all Giffgaff’s SIM Only plans.

Is Giffgaff a good network?

Giffgaff is powered by O2’s network, meaning that its coverage is identical to O2’s. For reference, O2 has around 99% population coverage with 4G, while its 5G service is available in over 3,200 towns and cities – and probably even more by the time you’re reading this.

So coverage on Giffgaff is similarly great, and Giffgaff’s speeds should be similar to O2’s as well. That means you should be looking at a median 5G download speed of 75.1Mbps according to a 2023 RootMetrics report, and an average 5G download speed of 77.0Mbps according to an Opensignal report from September 2023.

The same report found that when factoring in a combination of 5G, 4G, and 3G, O2’s download speeds average 20.9Mbps, while its upload speeds average 5.0Mbps.

As for customer service and customer satisfaction, an Ofcom report from 2023 found that 95% of customers were satisfied with Giffgaff’s service overall, 83% were satisfied with the signal on the network, and 93% were satisfied with the value for money. The satisfaction with the service and value for money were well above the industry average.

The report also found that 11% had a reason to complain, and 52% were satisfied with the way their complaint was handled, both of which are roughly average.

FAQ

Can I roam abroad with Giffgaff?

Yes, Giffgaff allows all SIM Only customers to roam abroad at no extra cost in dozens of European destinations, though note that there’s a fair usage limit of 5GB of data per month when roaming.

Does Giffgaff have credit checks?

Giffgaff won’t credit check you for its SIM Only plans, which is a major perk for anyone with a poor credit rating. For other no credit check options, check out our guide covering who offers SIM Only deals with no credit check.

Can I keep my number when switching to Giffgaff?

Yes, to keep your number when switching to Giffgaff, you should order a Giffgaff SIM Only deal, and then text ‘PAC’ to 65075 from your old SIM. You’ll be sent a PAC (a Porting Authorisation Code) in return, so hang on to this until your new Giffgaff SIM card arrives, and then activate the new card.

After that, just head to Giffgaff’s number transfer page, where you can enter your PAC, the old number you want to keep, and your new temporary number, and then you can pick which date you’d like the transfer to be carried out on. For more details, check out how to keep your number when switching to SIM Only.

Can I get unlimited data on Giffgaff?

Yes, Giffgaff offers SIM Only plans with unlimited data, but there’s a fair usage policy which states you shouldn’t use 650GB or more of data twice in a six-month period, and you shouldn’t regularly tether more than 11 devices. There’s also a 5GB fair usage limit when roaming.

Additionally, if you choose an ‘Always On’ plan rather than a true unlimited data plan, your speeds will drop after using a certain amount of data each month.