Giffgaff Mobile: Is It The Network For You?

The giffgaff mobile phone network positions itself as ‘the mobile network run by you’, but do its users benefit from the kind of customer-centric service promised? We take a look at customer benefits and reviews as well providing a giffgaff login tutorial for web browsers and the app, giffgaff voicemail, mobile charges, roaming and so much more.

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Is giffgaff any good?

We take a look at customer benefits and reviews to find out. We'll also provide you with a giffgaff login tutorial for web browsers and the app, and discuss voicemail, mobile tariffs and roaming.

Giffgaff or giff gaff?Just to clarify, the provider's name is often misspelled as 'giff gaff". The official company name is written all in one word - giffgaff.

Customer benefits

The UK Telecoms market is a competitive one, and every mobile provider needs its USP (unique selling point) in order to set itself apart from its competitors. giffgaff claims to ‘do mobile differently’, but what does the provider offer in order to set itself apart? How do these features measure up? We list the four main perks and selling points of giffgaff so that you can decide for yourself:

1. Pre-owned phones.

   Save money and go for an environmentally responsible purchase with pre-loved phones from giffgaff. Opting for a second hand phone allows you to get more for what you pay. These phones are completely unlocked, tested, returnable and come with a 12 month warranty.

2. No contract needed.

   giffgaff offers SIM only deals that don’t lock you into a contract. Its prices are competitive and you’re free to walk away at any time.

3. Earn payback points.

   Refer your friends and family to giffgaff or help out other customers on the giffgaff community forum. Every time you scratch giffgaff’s back, it’ll scratch yours. You’ll earn Payback points that you can cash in twice per year (during June and December). One Payback point equals £0.01. So 500 points will earn you £5, and so on. You have three ways you can cash in your points. The first is to donate it to charity (we love that they offer this feature). The second is to have credit added to your giffgaff account and the third is to receive the payment via paypal.

4. Get a free SIM card sent anywhere in the world.

   If you order your free giffgaff sim card online you can have it sent to any address anywhere in the world. This is a great option for those moving to the UK and looking to have some things sorted before you even arrive.

Ofcom and Trustpilot Customer Reviews

giffgaff is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and so it piggybacks off the O2 network for coverage. This means that its customers receive signal from the O2 network. Of the consumers surveyed by Ofcom in 2018, a whopping 91% of giffgaff customers were satisfied with their reception and signal strength - that’s the second highest rate among all of the mobile carriers.

When it comes to the overall quality of the giffgaff mobile network, 96% of consumers reported to Ofcom that they were satisfied with the provider. Giffgaff score the highest level of overall customer satisfaction, coming in at 3% higher than the industry average. Giffgaff also scores really well in the customer service and complaints handling department, with 60% of customers surveyed satisfied with its complaints handling.

As with feedback on most providers, giffgaff customer reviews are a mixed bag. On the independent review site Trustpilot it receives 2 out of 5 stars from customers. If this score seems low to you, you’ll be interested to know that it’s actually higher than the customer star rating of most providers. O2 received 1 out of 5 stars overall as did Vodafone and Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile also scored 2 out of 5 stars.

Network CoverageIf you would like to know more about how mobile network coverage functions and what could interrupt your service quality, check out our network coverage guide.

My giffgaff and giffgaff login

Member's portals can be a great way to manage your mobile phone account and usage. Giffgaff’s members portal is called My giffgaff. To login you’ll need your mobile number or member name and your password. If you’ve forgotten your username or password, don’t worry, just click on ‘forgot your username or password’ and follow the prompts.

If you would like to know more about My giffgaff or the giffgaff login process you should definitely take a look at our dedicated giffgaff login article for more information.

giffgaff mobile app

If you’d rather manage your account from anywhere at the click of a button then the giffgaff app is the best option for you. You can download the app from the App Store for Apple products or from Google Play for Android handsets.

On the app you can take care of the following:

• Check your account billing and usage.
• Buy a goodybag.
• Top up your balance if you’re a prepaid customer.
• Link up with friends who are also on giffgaff to text and call each other for free.
• Join the giffgaff community for problem solving and support.

giffgaff voicemail number

It’s always a good idea to periodically check your voicemail. You don’t want to miss any important messages. When you join the giffgaff network, your voicemail is automatically activated and you can access your messages right away. To check your voicemail you’ll need to dial 443 and from there you’ll need to set a pin code to access your voicemail in future.

To change your voicemail pin you can text RESET to 802443 and you’ll be sent a temporary pin via text. Once you’ve done that you can call 443 from your giffgaff phone, enter your temporary pin and then enter your new pin.

If you would like to switch off your voicemail service you’ll need to diall 1626. If you switch off your voicemail service but then change your mind, you can reset your voicemail box by dialling 1616.

giffgaff SIM charges

If you get a SIM only deal from giffgaff, you’ll need to choose what is referred to as a ‘goodybag’. Giffgaff goodybags range between £6 and £25. All goodybags of £10 or more contain unlimited calls and unlimited texts so you don’t have to worry about burning through your allowance too quickly.

If you’re a data lover, you’ll be pleased to know that a £25 goodybag includes something called ‘Always On’ data, meaning that your data is technically unlimited. It’s important to note, however, that with Always On, once you exceed 40GB of data, speed restrictions of 384kbps will apply from 8am to Midnight (provided that you have 4G coverage). 40GB of data is quite a lot of high speed data to play with though, so if you top up with this particular goodybag the reduced speed may not affect you.

The Always On approach to a mobile data allowance is quite unique to giffgaff and although most providers now offer unlimited calls and text messages, it’s rare to see a provider offer unlimited data. If you spend a lot of time using your mobile internet, especially if you stream content on the likes of Youtube or Netflix, it’s worth considering.

Each goodybag includes the following data, calls and texts:

International roaming

Your giffgaff mobile phone can be used for no extra cost in the EU as well as in selected destinations. If you access international roaming, your payments or plans will function in the same way as they do at home. Goodbags of £20 and £25 do have a roaming cap however, which is applied only after you’ve used the first 20GB of data.

If you’re opting for a Pay As You Go deal and use credit instead, you will only be able to use your phone at the same cost within the EU and not in other destinations. If you’re outside of the EU (and additional selected destinations for non Pay As You Go customers) then you will be charged additional roaming charges.

giffgaff phones

If you’re thinking about purchasing a handset from giffgaff, you can select either a new or second hand phone. You can opt to pay for your chosen handset outright upon purchase with a credit or debit card, or spread out payments on the device through installments over periods from 6 months to 2 years.

Contact giffgaff

If you need to get in touch with the provider it encourages online customer service over traditional phone contact methods, although there is a complaint line on 0330 440 1614. You may find it easier to reach a solution online and giffgaff do have a range of high quality services available. Here are all the different ways you can problem solve with giffgaff:

1. Access giffgaff’s knowledge base and help space:

   This online resource has a wealth of information on all things giffgaff mobile including tech support information.

2. Get in touch with an agent:

   If the other options haven’t worked for you you can always get in touch with one of giffgaff’s agents. Keep in mind that it may take up to 24 hours for an agent to get back to you.

3. If you need to make a complaint:

   If you’ve already contacted an agent and you’re not happy with the response you’ve received from giffgaff then you may want to raise a complaint. If you’re lodging a formal complaint you’ll need to include your full name, your mobile number, your member name, a description of the issue at hand and how you’d like them to resolve the issue. You can send an email to [email protected], post a letter to ‘Complaints, giffgaff Ltd, Belmont House, Belmont Road, Uxbridge UB8 1HE’ or call 0330 041 4802 and leave a voice message.

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