Blackberry details released
on: 07/11/2011 | 16:37 - edited: 22/11/2011 | 12:43
Hi all,
As you know, giffgaff will soon be offering Blackberry services, which have not been possible on giffgaff previously. These include Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry (push) e-mails and Blackberry Internet. Pretty exciting changes for all of us and something we’ve all been looking forward to for a very long time.
So you will soon all be able to purchase a Blackberry Add on (the final name is yet to be decided, so if you have any suggestions, please let us know here), with any of our goodybags.
There is one potential little technical hiccup in the Blackberry release, which is that the Blackberry add on might not be able to be purchased on the Hokey Cokey goodybag from launch. If this is the case , that functionality will follow very shortly after general release.
As always with giffgaff we try to make our products very competitive and this one is no different with the Blackberry add only costing £3 (in addition to the cost of the goodybag).
In the same way as our current goodybags, the Blackberry add on will last for a month. As the goodybag and Blackberry add will have to be bought at the same time, they will expire on the same date as well.
You will be able to select the Blackberry Add on the same page and in the same way you would a goodybag. Like our goodybags you can purchase them from credit or with a debit/credit card.
Please be aware you will have to pay for the BB add on and the goodybag at the same time and with the same payment method (e.g. you cannot buy one from balance and the other from credit card).
This does mean that if you have an active goodybag now and want to have the BB add on, I’m afraid you will need to wait for it to expire before you can add Blackberry to your account.
You will not be able to purchase the Blackberry add on if you do not have a goodybag (e.g. you are on 10p/6p or if you have purchased a gigabag.
It will not be possible to add a Blackberry add on, onto a gigabag, as those products are aimed at members who are using a Dongle, i-pad or similar data device.
If you buy the Blackberry Add on with Hokey Cokey or the £5 Unlimited Text goodybag you will still be charged our PAYG rate of 20p a MB for internet usage, but Blackberry Messenger and Blackberry Push Email will be free.
In the same way, as you can with goodybags, it is possible to queue a BB add on with your goodybag. And just like our goodbags, you will be able to look in your ‘My giffgaff’ to see when your Blackberry add on and goodybag expire.
Roaming on Blackberry will be restricted to 10MB per day, which you get for free, when you’re in a different country. This is because our systems can’t actually charge for data usage on Blackberry while you’re roaming, which means we can’t provide it as a service. So although weirdly we still get charged for it, we did not want to cut everyone off completely by not having it as an option, but opted in to swallow the 10MB per day ourselves.
I hope this has given everyone a clearer picture of what the Blackberry add on will be looking like in practice and any name suggestions for this product will be appreciated 
Cheers,
Vincent
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**Update**
Due to recent website capacity issues, we've decided to delay the launch of Blackberry for a short time from the originally planned. This means we’ll have more time to concentrate on making improvements to the site and improving availability additionally as Payback is essential to our members and our business we didn’t want to put the delivery date of this at risk– the “pre selection” window will open as planned on the 24th November.
For further information, please take a look at the gaffer's "News about our launch of Blackberry" blog, and feel free to ask if you have any questions.
--craig
on: 07/11/2011 | 16:40
With 02 you have to top up a minimum £15 before you get Blackberry services
on: 07/11/2011 | 16:40
Thanx vincent for the communication, you could call it the bbbag or bbb for short 
on: 07/11/2011 | 16:42
Great news
Although I have a question:
My mum has a BlackBerry 8900 but doesn't use BBM. She has no intention to either.
Can she now send/recieve MMS messages? Or does she need the Add-on for that?
Thanks
on: 07/11/2011 | 16:45
Will be sure to tell any new Blackberry users not to buy a goodybag until the BB plan is released