Recent UK then EU Roaming experience with GiffGaff.

[albatross710]

Yep GiffGaff , that's the name of the Sim I selected at the random supermarket I visited a day after arriving in the UK. I think it was a £2 purchase for the SIM. I signed up online for a £10 one month package which included 15Gb total data with 5GB of EU roaming data within the total data.

They do have higher UK data packages but the EU roaming allowance maxes at 5GB, so I opted for what looked like a good balance for my conservative use mixed in with free wifi. This gave me roaming everywhere I needed it Netherlands, Portugal, Spain & Malta AND avoided me having to source a SIM in different counties.

Full list of GiffGaff roaming countries:





This is a screenshot of the GiffGaff app which clearly displays where I am up to for the various account limits. In the end I hit the 30 day limit which expired everything but by then I was in the USA. No connection of the GiffGaff sim to any US network. I wasn't expecting any.

 

[VPS]

5gb isn’t a lot for a month in Europe if you are using it a lot

 

[albatross710]

5gb isn’t a lot for a month in Europe if you are using it a lot

it's always a guess as to non-standard usage. It worked out fine for me as in Tourist mode..

 

[SYD]

5gb isn’t a lot for a month in Europe if you are using it a lot

I survive on 4GB pm included with Optus (augmented with wifi). But that’s all about to go….

 

[exceladdict]

Yep GiffGaff , that's the name of the Sim I selected at the random supermarket I visited a day after arriving in the UK. I think it was a £2 purchase for the SIM. I signed up online for a £10 one month package which included 15Gb total data with 5GB of EU roaming data within the total data.

They do have higher UK data packages but the EU roaming allowance maxes at 5GB, so I opted for what looked like a good balance for my conservative use mixed in with free wifi. This gave me roaming everywhere I needed it Netherlands, Portugal, Spain & Malta AND avoided me having to source a SIM in different counties.

Full list of GiffGaff roaming countries:
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This is a screenshot of the GiffGaff app which clearly displays where I am up to for the various account limits. In the end I hit the 30 day limit which expired everything but by then I was in the USA. No connection of the GiffGaff sim to any US network. I wasn't expecting any.

I also had a positive experience in May and so started this referral thread. However I just got a notice to say that because I haven't used the sim in the UK in a while, free EU roaming will be disabled unless I use the sim in the UK again first. So it might mean a new sim if/when I head back to the EU again if the UK isn't the first stop.

 

[VPS]

I also had a positive experience in May and so started this referral thread. However I just got a notice to say that because I haven't used the sim in the UK in a while, free EU roaming will be disabled unless I use the sim in the UK again first. So it might mean a new sim if/when I head back to the EU again if the UK isn't the first stop.

How long since you were in the UK - I thought Giffgaff had 12 months expiry.

 

[exceladdict]

How long since you were in the UK - I thought Giffgaff had 12 months expiry.

Under two months; it seems to me they're trying to clamp down on people using it for a predominately-not-UK service.

 

[VPS]

Under two months; it seems to me they're trying to clamp down on people using it for a predominately-not-UK service.

that's annoying because I was going to change from 3 to giffgaff because I thought they had 12 months and 3 only has 6 months.

 

[exceladdict]

that's annoying because I was going to change from 3 to giffgaff because I thought they had 12 months and 3 only has 6 months.

yeah, I could only see month long plans available for purchase but that's all I was looking for, my trip was only a few weeks.

 

[SYD]

How long since you were in the UK - I thought Giffgaff had 12 months expiry.

I’ve had a GG SIM since 2018. Pretty easy to keep it alive (even in Oz). The reduced roaming period seems to be new - although, I have a vague recollection of getting a similar message the first year I had it it and I turned the SIM on in Oz sometime later.

I just mentioned in the other thread (and previously) that if you already have a GG sim, you need to be in the UK and use it there before going to Europe.

 

[albatross710]

Seems they are clarifying it is mainly UK with some EU as a perk. I received this email just this week.

We haven't seen you around recently. We wanted to let you know that in just under 2 weeks’ time, any usage in the EU and selected destinations will be charged from your balance, even if you have a plan.

Inclusive roaming with a plan is created for giffgaff members who are typically based in the UK. It’s ideal for short trips to other places in the EU.

To remain eligible for inclusive roaming you need to use your phone again in the UK. You can check your status below in case you think you’ve done this already.

 

[MattA]

Seems they are clarifying it is mainly UK with some EU as a perk. I received this email just this week.

It’s another consequence of Brexit. A few years ago all the UK providers had free roaming across the EU (they were required to, under the EU’s “roam like at home” legislation), but they’ve been been pulling back on that post Brexit. So yes, you’ll need to use the SIM in the UK again before you can use a plan in Europe. (Or just pick up a new SIM in whatever EU country you arrive in first instead, if you don’t care about the number or any remaining credit).

The other thing to be aware of is that all UK providers will cancel your account and recycle your number eventually if you don’t use it every once in a while. The time period varies, but Giffgaff’s is 6 months: https://www.giffgaff.com/help/articles/why-is-my-phone-number-deactivated

I’ve been keeping a Giffgaff SIM for many years (to keep my old UK mobile number) and it’s pretty easy to do from Oz: I just send myself a text every couple of months.