Last updated: 18 September 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
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giffgaff plans in 2026: unlimited has gone from £25 to £14
The giffgaff plans on sale this month are not the ones the site had in August. Unlimited data on an 18 month contract has dropped to £14 a month from £25. The monthly rolling version has gone from £35 to £20. Both prices expire at 11.59pm on 2 October 2026. There is a quieter story underneath the headline. Two of the plans do not carry the allowance printed on the front of them.
Section 01 / What changed
What changed on the giffgaff plans, and when it stops
Two unlimited plans, two discounts, one deadline.
giffgaff put both of its unlimited giffgaff plans on offer in the same week. Its own help page does the arithmetic for you. "18 month contract: £14 a month, was £25. That's £11 off every month, and a total saving of around £198." The rolling plan takes a bigger cut in cash terms, from £35 to £20. It comes with a shorter lock, though.
That shorter lock is the bit most write-ups miss. giffgaff holds the discounted price for what it calls your full benefit period. The two plans do not get the same one. A contract holds the £14 for 18 months. Monthly rolling holds the £20 for 12, then it goes back to £35.
The deadline is firm, and giffgaff has printed it: "You can get this deal until 11.59pm on 2 October 2026." Order a physical SIM in the last few days and it may not arrive in time. An eSIM is the safer route that close to the wire.
Section 02 / The tiers
All the giffgaff plans, tab by tab
The same money buys different amounts of data depending on which tab you are looking at.
giffgaff splits its plans across three tabs, and the prices overlap in ways that are easy to misread. Two giffgaff plans cost £6, and one gives you twice the data of the other.
18 month contracts
| Plan | Price | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| 40 GB | £8 | 6 GB standard, plus a 34 GB boost |
| 80 GB | £10 | 25 GB standard, plus a 55 GB boost |
| 50 GB | £12 | 50 GB |
| Unlimited | £14, was £25 | Unlimited, until 2 October 2026 |
| 100 GB | £15 | 100 GB |
| 200 GB | £20 | 200 GB |
Monthly rolling
| Data | Price |
|---|---|
| 2 GB | £6 |
| 5 GB | £8 |
| 20 GB | £10 |
| 26 GB | £12 |
| 50 GB | £15 |
| 100 GB | £20 |
| Unlimited | £20, was £35 |
| 200 GB | £25 |
Look at those last two rows together. While the offer runs, 100 GB and unlimited both cost £20, so the capped plan buys you nothing at all.
Pay as you go
| Data | Price |
|---|---|
| 1 GB | £6 |
| 4 GB | £8 |
| 15 GB | £10 |
| 25 GB | £12 |
| 30 GB | £15 |
| 80 GB | £20 |
| 120 GB | £25 |
| 200 GB | £35 |
All the giffgaff plans on all three tabs carry unlimited UK calls and texts, and 5G at no extra cost.
Section 03 / The catch
The 40 GB and 80 GB plans are smaller than they look
Both are a promotion sitting on a much smaller allowance, and giffgaff has published what happens when it ends.
On the plan cards those two read as "40 GB" and "80 GB". A smaller line underneath says "34GB extra free" and "55GB extra free". Follow that wording into giffgaff's promotion terms and it turns out to be a Data Boost, not an allowance.
The Data Boost expiry. giffgaff's terms give a member on either plan "an increased data allowance for 18 months from when the Plan first goes live on their account". Then comes the sentence that matters. "Members who continue on their selected plan following the end of this 18 month period will receive the standard data allowance for that plan."
So the boost runs exactly as long as the contract does, and not a month longer. Stay on the £8 plan into month 19 and you are on 6 GB, still paying £8. On the £10 plan you drop from 80 GB to 25 GB.
The windows to claim them close first. giffgaff dates the £8 boost from 24 August to 4 December 2026. The £10 boost closes earlier, on 30 October 2026. Existing members have to opt in through the app rather than simply switching plans. Anyone already on a previous promotion on the same plan is excluded from this one.
Two of the six contract plans are promotions, so if you're interested sign up soon.
Section 04 / The trade-off
What you give up for the 18 month price
A price lock and no credit check, against being tied in for a year and a half.
giffgaff puts three lines on every contract plan. "Price lock - no mid-contract price rises", "Change your plan anytime" and "No credit checks". All three do real work. Mid-contract rises are the standard complaint about the big four, and giffgaff has removed them. The flexibility is real too, because moving up or down does not restart the term.
Leaving early is where it bites. giffgaff's help pages put the early termination charge at half your current plan cost, multiplied by the months remaining. Walk away from a £14 plan after six months and that is about £84. Credit checks only enter the picture if you buy a handset on a Klarna loan. A SIM and a plan need none.
Section 05 / Abroad
Roaming, and the 5 GB ceiling
Fine for a fortnight, thin for a month.
All giffgaff plans include EU roaming: "Call and text just like at home in 37 EU Zone destinations. All at no extra cost", with up to 5 GB of your allowance usable while you are there. For most trips that is plenty. It is a ceiling rather than a share of your plan, though. Unlimited data at home is still 5 GB in Lisbon, and Honest Mobile gives more on its top tier.
Outside the EU you are into add-ons. Our eSIM guide for UK travellers covers what usually works out cheaper. Do not count on rollover either, because giffgaff does not do it. Its help centre warns that buying a plan early "erases your current plan and you will lose all remaining allowances".
Section 06 / Payback
What you can earn back as a member
Real money, but it arrives twice a year and it arrives as points.
Payback is giffgaff's reward scheme, and the headline is simple. "Get £5 Payback every time you bring a mate on board, and earn more when you help in our Community." Answering questions on the forum earns points too.
The mechanics are the part to understand before you count the money. One point is worth 1p. Twice a year, in June and December, you convert points to cash through PayPal, to giffgaff credit, or to a charity donation that giffgaff matches. Cash needs a minimum of 1,000 points. Points also lapse if the phone has gone unused for three months. So refer four friends in January and the £20 shows up in June, not that week.
Section 07 / Who it suits
Which of the giffgaff plans suits you
Not a ranking. Four situations, and the giffgaff plans that match them.
| If you | Look at | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Use a lot of data and will stay put | Unlimited, 18 months, £14 | The cheapest unlimited plan of the three networks we track, locked for the full term |
| Want unlimited without a tie | Unlimited, monthly rolling, £20 | Same allowance, cancel any month, but the price only holds for 12 |
| Barely use data and hate commitment | 2 GB monthly rolling, £6 | Twice the data of the £6 pay as you go plan, and you can change it monthly |
| Want the most gigabytes per pound | 80 GB contract, £10 | Cheapest big allowance on the site, as long as you know it becomes 25 GB in month 19 |
Anyone who travels outside the EU often should weigh the 5 GB roaming ceiling first. That is the constraint that bites, not the price.
Section 08 / Against the field
How giffgaff plans compare to Smarty and Honest Mobile
Short version, because the full comparison lives elsewhere.
On unlimited data, giffgaff at £14 on contract is currently the cheapest of the three. Smarty matches its rolling price at £20 and runs on Three rather than O2. Honest Mobile starts at £25 and falls to £17.50 as its loyalty discount builds. So it wins the long game and loses day one. Honest also throttles to 3G after 750 GB, which giffgaff does not.
That is deliberately the short version. The full three-network comparison is the job of our best SIM only deals UK 2026 roundup. This page covers giffgaff's own plan structure. That one covers how the three networks stack up.
The independent numbers back it up. giffgaff scored 94% overall satisfaction in Ofcom's most recent Comparing customer service report, against an 88% industry average. O2 took Best Mobile Network Coverage at the Uswitch Mobiles Awards 2026, judged on Opensignal data.
All the giffgaff plans, kept current
Frequently asked questions
When does the £14 giffgaff unlimited price end?
At 11.59pm on 2 October 2026, in giffgaff's own words. Join before then and the price is locked for your full benefit period. That is 18 months on a contract, 12 months on monthly rolling.
Are the giffgaff plans really 40 GB and 80 GB?
For 18 months, yes. The £10 one is a 25 GB plan carrying a 55 GB Data Boost. giffgaff's terms return you to the standard 25 GB after that, unless you change plan.
Can I change my giffgaff plan mid-contract?
Yes, up or down, without restarting the 18 month term. Leaving giffgaff altogether before the term ends is what triggers the early termination charge.
Does giffgaff run a credit check?
Not for a SIM or a plan. Its help pages say "in most cases, we won't be doing any credit checks". The exception is a handset bought on a Klarna loan.
How much data can I use in Europe?
Up to 5 GB of your allowance, across 37 EU Zone destinations. Calls and texts work as they do at home. Past 5 GB you pay for data.
Does giffgaff roll over unused data?
No. Plans last a calendar month and anything left over goes. Starting a new plan early wipes the remainder of the old one as well.
How do I keep my number?
Text PAC to 65075 from your current SIM and the code arrives in about 60 seconds. Give it to giffgaff when you activate and the transfer runs itself.
More from CoolCuration
- Honest Mobile vs Smarty: the two Three-based challengers head to head, with the loyalty maths worked out.
- Smarty mobile guide: the full price ladder and how the group plan discount actually works.
- 1Blocker: cut the trackers and adverts eating your data before you pay for more of it.
- Gifts for travel lovers: what to pack alongside the roaming allowance.
- Nothing Headphone (1): good-looking over-ears for everything that unlimited data is for.
Prices, allowances and offer dates move, and a limited-time price moves first. Every figure here was checked against giffgaff.com, its promotion terms and its help centre on 5 September 2026, then re-checked before publication. Confirm the current terms with giffgaff before you sign up.
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