giffgaff to increase PAYG rates from 26th February 2020 - Alternatives available

wagstaffes

giffgaff are increasing their basic PAYG rates to 25p per minute and 10p per text, data now confirmed to be unchanged at 5p per MB.
https://community.giffgaff.com/d/33064069-we-re-adding-more-to-some-goodybags-in-february

I would just like to remind those who operate their SIM on a basic PAYG basis, and, who will be adversely affected by this increase, that there are still lower cost alternatives available.

1pMobile charge only 1p per minute, text, and, MB data, and, operate on EE's network. Minimum top up requirement is £10 every 120 days (4 months) i.e. £30 per year, otherwise you lose your number. UK based customer support, fully itemised usage, and, excellent feedback ratings. Can buy data boosts from £6. Can currently use same 1p tariff abroad in 46 EU destinations. I use 1p Mobile myself. Cashback is possible via Quidco/Topcashback, or, I can let you have a referral code for £5 free credit.
P.s. 1pMobile have now set up a dedicated page on their website with relevant information, https://www.1pmobile.com/giffgaff/

Three PAYG - EDIT From 12th March 2020 Three have changed their PAYG rates to 10p per minute, 10p per text message and 5p per MB. Existing customers retain previous 321 tariff of 3p per minute, 2p per text, and, 1p per MB data. Does not work with 2G devices. Once SIM is activated you can top up by just £5 online. Use phone, chargeable, at least once every 180 days to keep SIM active. Can currently use 321 tariff abroad in over 70 destinations, including, USA, Australia, and, New Zealand. Add-ons of mins/texts/data starting at £10 can also be purchased, should you ever need one e.g. travelling where there is no WiFi.

Asda Mobile charge 8p per minute, 4p per text and 5p per MB data. They operate on EE's network. And, taken from their FAQs, "As long as you use your phone at least once every 180 days your credit will never expire and your account will always remain open." You can also buy bundles if you need to, and, you can currently Roam in 50 EU destinations on this tariff.

Tesco Mobile Lite tariff charge 8p per minute, 4p per text and 10p per MB data. They operate on O2's network. I have confirmed with their chat service that you just buy a normal payg SIM and then switch to the Lite tariff, info here, https://www.tescomobile.com/help-and-support/pay-as-you-go/getting-started/pay-as-you-go-lite-call-charges. You need to use your phone at least once every 6 months to keep your SIM active. Can currently use in 48 European destinations at same tariff.

The Phone Co-op Mobile never heard of these before. They operate on EE's network and charge 8p per minute, 4p per text and 10p per MB data. However, charges for calls/texts to other Co-op mobile customers are half price at 4p/minute and 2p/text. Bundles are also available starting from £5. (Edit: they have no 4g coverage)

And, although O2 have withdrawn their Classic PAYG 321 tariff for new users, until stocks run out, you can still purchase SIM cards/SIM cards preloaded with credit on eBay, on this tariff. Just double check with the seller that it's definitely the Classic PAYG tariff before you purchase.

Please feel free to add more.

Thank you to andy69 who has suggested
"Another cheaper alternative is to get a Tesco calling card and use a 0800 access number."

And autobox who has suggested a Three data reward SIM which gives the 321 tariff and 200mb data every month. Minimum top up is £2. If you travel abroad you can use the normal 321 tariff in over 70 destinations, including USA, Australia, and, New Zealand. You can also buy a data add-on with this SIM. Read about it here https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/three-data-reward-sim
You can order a Three data SIM for free, here, https://www.three.co.uk/free_sim_mbb/order
NB see edit above regarding Three PAYG price change from 12th March. This apparently may not affect the data reward SIM, although I can't confirm

P.S.
There is some useful information on comparison of rates, keeping your SIM active, and top up methods, available on this website,
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/compare-pay-as-you-go-networks
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/payg-inactivity-account-termination-and-credit-expiry
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/payg-top-ups

ma2013

wagstaffes
Thanks for the info, my parents use PAYG.... I think we're going to have to switch networks for them. 😔

bullphit

wagstaffes some good options available

bmw4175isback

wagstaffes
Thanks for a great and very well informed post mate! I had never even heard of the 1p network but I'd say that's unbeatable for low users or device's such as gps trackers and such but I did notice you said they run on ee so do you know if it would work in these device's due to them using 2g as I know I can't use them with 3uk as they have no 2g option?
Any advice I'd be very grateful! 🤔

jaymailsays

wagstaffes Thank you to @andy69 who has suggested
"Another cheaper alternative is to get a Tesco calling card and use a 0800 access number."

Interestingly Tesco card has a £3 topup facility in store. Calls to all UK landlines using free 0800 access from your giffgaff mobile, is 1p/min plus a one off connection charge of 4p. A ten minute call would be a total 14p.

On giffgaff's new tariff it would cost £2.50 on paygo or £1.50 for ten minutes until the 26th.

pastsellby I'm one of the very low users looking for the best alternative

Go to any tesco store, get a free tesco international calling card and add £3.
From your giffgaff sim dial the free 0800 number and enter the card pin once. Tesco will remember you from then on. You can now call any UK number, from memory mobiles are 2p/min plus connection of 4p. Ten minutes is around 24p.

Although the £3 is meant to expire in 6 months, if you add another £3 before the 183rd day it keeps your existing tesco balance alive. So for £6 per year, you have access to cheap calls via giffgaff or any mobile network.

chand311

wagstaffes still their data boost very expensive.

nfh

wagstaffes And, although O2 have withdrawn their Classic PAYG 321 tariff for new users, you can still purchase SIM cards/SIM cards preloaded with credit on eBay, on this tariff. Just double check with the seller that it's definitely the Classic PAYG tariff before you purchase.

Yesterday I saw prepaid SIM cards on sale next to sushi in a Co-op supermarket. The O2 SIM cards are branded "Your Classic Pay As You Go sim" and state "3p a minute", "2p a text" and "1p a MB" on the packaging. These SIM cards have expiry dates printed on the packaging, in this case 12/09/2020. The only rationale that I can think of for having an expiry date on unactivated SIM cards is to impose a shelf life on the tariff advertised on the packaging in case the network later chooses to discontinue the tariff.

So I bought one for 90p and activated it. It is indeed on Classic PAYG. So if anyone wants this discontinued tariff, go to a Co-op and buy a SIM card for 90p.

rayloughton

wagstaffes
Great stuff, thanks for that, I will defo be checking these out to see if one of them will suit me better, as I keep being fobbed off by giffgaff with 'a mast near you isn't working' to cover for their poor data network in my home location!
It could be bye-bye giffgaf soon - they seem to want to rid themselves of customers anyway !

churchpaddock

wagstaffes Very useful information:-If you just do phone calls,you will do better on 1p mobile if you use less than 600 minutes (10 hours) per month than on giffgaffs cheapest (£6) goodybag.

rickvigorous

Too bad

team_leader

Any idea what the charge per MB data will be after 26th Feb @wagstaffes as can't see it mentioned.

wagstaffes

team_leader it hasn't been specified as a change so I assume it will remain at 5p per MB.

Edit - now confirmed to be unchanged at 5p/MB

team_leader

After seeing the PAYG price increases it seems odd that the MB price hasn't doubled to 10p @wagstaffes

wagstaffes

team_leader maybe they have avoided doing this because it would also would affect a lot of goodybag customers who go over their data allowance? 5p per MB is already expensive at £50 per GB, raising it to 10p/MB I.e. £100 per GB would be shocking.

kath72

Moved my son to three payg after the last payg price hike. Great service And as a bonus when he was in usa I added a £10 package and he could ‘roam like home’

no one should stay on giffgaff for payg. I suspect those who do are sending 2 texts a year and earning payback to fund a service elsewhere or mostly using the sim for free giffgaff calls.

wagstaffes

kath72 if they are just sending a couple of texts a year I can't really see them bothering to complain about it on here.
But, there are still plenty of PAYG customers who are genuinely low users, particularly the elderly, who might also be nervous about switching to another provider too.
It seems clear that giffgaff, for whatever reason, want everyone on goodybags, and, I can see free giffgaff to giffgaff calls/ texts being ditched next, now that all the goodybags have unlimited minutes/texts.
Everyone should look at their own circumstances, and, not be afraid to switch, it really easy nowadays.

kath72

wagstaffes pw6049
the ones sending 2 texts a year to qualify for payback aren’t the ones complaining 😉

it’s the genuine low users who will need to do as giffgaff clearly want them to and leave and, as you say wagstaffes many of them are the elderly, poor or vulnerable.

I too would speculate that the free calls will go in the not too distant future ... that’ll get rid of the rest of the low payers who put on £40 a year to keep their free calls.

melswift44p

wagstaffes

pw6049

Those that use credit and come on forum can't see them being bothered about a 10p increase

peterhall0012

kath72 my mother is 78 she wouldn't be bothered about paying 25p pm

pw6049

kath72 the one's who send 2 texts per year to get payback where have you got this from

kath72

peterhall0012 I’m genuinely curious as to why she’s happy paying 25p per minute when she could be paying 3p or 8p on another network.

The only reason I could see is that she’s either using the phone mostly for free calls to other giffgaff users or she’s earning enough payback to cover usage ... or someone else pays the bill ?

haridus

peterhall0012 my mother is 78 she wouldn't be bothered about paying 25p pm

peterhall0012 just asked my mother if she would like to move to another network.she said only if you give her£15 for the unlock code.as here Doro phones locked to O2

Here you go no need to unlock the phone and only 3p per min

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Sealed-O2-Sim-Card-Only-20p-Classic-O2-Pay-As-You-Go-02-3p-2p-1p/323873641211?epid=9031178764&hash=item4b685f92fb:g:0yUAAOSwqcNdb32t

😉

andrewmf

peterhall0012 My mother is 79 (although I'm not sure that's relevant), and she's VERY bothered that a company she's only recently joined is increasing their rates by a HUUUUUUUUUUGGGE 67% (call rates) and by an even bigger 100% (texts).

It's a big "F.U." from giffgaff to their customers.

peterhall0012

kath72 just asked my mother if she would like to move to another network.she said only if you give her£15 for the unlock code.as here Doro phones locked to O2

uvbmike

Another backward step from giffgaff. Driving away light users who will now be better off with just about any other low cost provider.

The crazy thing is that giffgaff aren't even that competitive with GoodyBags any more.

anmerkungen

uvbmike I think that is the plan - get rid of PAYG customers. Doubling the rates shows contempt for PAYG.

kath72

peterhall0012
its free to unlock an 02 phone
https://www.o2.co.uk/help/phones-sims-and-devices/unlocking-an-o2-mobile-to-use-on-a-different-network

however she sounds like my mother who continues to get gas and electric from different providers and pay by cheque quarterly even though we have shown her she could save £20 per month by switching
some people irrationally seem to like spending more than they have to 🙄

egontoast

peterhall0012 . She could move to Tesco, also runs on O2.

andy69

Another cheaper alternative is to get a Tesco calling card and use a 0800 access number.

bigjack57

andy69 Hi there, yes, or "18185" which has freefone access and very competitive call rates (eg 1.7/min to UK landlines and 10p/min to UK mobiles plus very reasonable international rates)

peterhall0012

haridus my mother has said she is happy with giffgaff and doesn't want to move and can't understand all the fuss over 10p more per minute

uphios

peterhall0012 Get your mum to get in touch with me please! I can supply her with anything she wants at only 4 or 5 times the price she can get it elsewhere.

peterhall0012

kath72 my mother bought the phone from Argos a lot of years ago and it's to old to get unlocked.the £15 unlock code I mentioned to you before mother never told me that was years ago.

m0dcm

peterhall0012 My late Mom was the same, but used a Goodybag as it actually worked out cheaper, and add for the well, elderly and vulnerable that @kath72 keeps mentioning, just the fact I know 11 over 65 that use £10 or more Goodybags and are still happy to carry on using them... Stereotyping isn't my thing, it seems some on here like to do it.
My Dad and 3 others that I've spoken to are all happy with the Unlimited minutes and 2 use the £20 Goodybag as they use video calling rather than phone to chat, it's a little more personal 😉

Anyway, I'm crawling back under my tin roof ready for the flak... Ration card and book are all stamped to 😂

Dave

kath72

solvbb

Putting things another way, if a low user is going to go over 24 minutes per month on calls a goodybag is now cheaper.

PAYG is only cheaper if you use it less than 24 minutes / month

exactly ... use it for 25 minutes and pay £6 at giffgaff or move to Three and pay 75p .... or Tesco mobile and pay £2 or 1p mobile and pay 25p hmmm choices choices 😂😂😂