Last updated: 31 October 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
Want the giffgaff joining credit?
Order a free SIM through our link and £5 lands on your account when you activate it. Our referral page keeps that offer and all the current giffgaff plans up to date.
See the giffgaff referral offer
giffgaff plans in 2026: unlimited is back to £25, so the value has moved
The giffgaff plans on sale this October are back at their standard prices. The £14 unlimited offer ended at 11.59pm on 2 October 2026, so unlimited data now costs £25 a month on an 18 month contract and £35 on monthly rolling. That changes which plan makes sense. On a contract, 200 GB now costs £5 less than unlimited. There is a quieter story underneath, too. Two of the cheaper plans do not carry the allowance printed on the front of them.
Section 01 / What changed
What changed on the giffgaff plans this autumn
The unlimited discount has gone, the £10 data boost ended on 30 October, and a Black Friday boost on the £12 plan starts on 2 November.
For most of September, both unlimited giffgaff plans were on offer. The contract version was £14 instead of £25, and the rolling version was £20 instead of £35. giffgaff's own help page set the cut-off plainly: "You can get this deal until 11.59pm on 2 October 2026. After that, the unlimited plans go back to their standard prices."
That has now happened. On giffgaff's plans page today, unlimited is £25 a month on an 18 month contract and £35 on monthly rolling, with no "was" price beside either. If you joined in time, nothing changes for you yet. giffgaff locks the discounted price for the full benefit period, which is 18 months on a contract and 12 months on rolling.
Meanwhile, the 80 GB deal at £10 has ended. It was a 25 GB plan carrying a Data Boost, the window closed on 30 October 2026, and the £10 plan is back to 25 GB. The 40 GB plan at £8 runs until 4 December 2026. Next, from 2 November to 7 December 2026, giffgaff's Black Friday Data Boost lifts the £12 contract plan from 50 GB to 200 GB a month. Section 03 explains why every boost deserves a careful read before you sign.
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. For example, 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 (offer ends 4 December 2026) |
| 25 GB | £10 | 25 GB (the 55 GB boost ended on 30 October 2026) |
| 50 GB | £12 | 50 GB, or 200 GB with the Black Friday Data Boost (activate 2 November to 7 December 2026) |
| 100 GB | £15 | 100 GB |
| 200 GB | £20 | 200 GB |
| Unlimited | £25 | Unlimited |
Monthly rolling
| Data | Price |
|---|---|
| 2 GB | £6 |
| 5 GB | £8 |
| 20 GB | £10 |
| 26 GB | £12 |
| 50 GB | £15 |
| 100 GB | £20 |
| 200 GB | £25 |
| Unlimited | £35 |
Look at the last two rows of each table. On monthly rolling, the step from 200 GB to unlimited costs £10 a month. On a contract, the same step costs £5. So if you need unlimited and can commit, the contract saves you £120 a year over rolling.
Students have a separate deal. giffgaff's promotion terms give eligible students 100 GB a month for 12 months on the £10 rolling plan, with an offer period running to 4 August 2027. You qualify through a student SIM pack or a university email address ending in ac.uk.
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
Boosted giffgaff plans are smaller than they look
Each boost is a promotion sitting on a smaller allowance, and giffgaff has published what happens when it ends.
On the plan cards the £8 plan reads as "40 GB", with a smaller line underneath saying "34GB extra free". Until 30 October the £10 plan read "80 GB" with "55GB extra free" in the same way. 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 a boosted plan "an increased data allowance for 18 months from when the Plan first goes live on their account". After that, members get "the standard data allowance for that plan until they change or cancel their 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, members who took the boost before 30 October 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 closed at 23:59 on 30 October 2026. The Black Friday boost on the £12 plan runs from 2 November to 7 December 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.
A boost is a promotion, not an allowance, and every one has an end date.
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. However, read the footnote: the promise covers "18 month contracts purchased before end of 2026". 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 the £25 unlimited plan after six months and that is about £150. 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. Five situations, and the giffgaff plans that match them.
| If you | Look at | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Use a lot of data and will stay put | 200 GB, 18 months, £20 | 10 GB per pound, the most of any contract tier, and £5 a month less than unlimited |
| Genuinely need no cap | Unlimited, 18 months, £25 | £10 a month less than the rolling version, with no mid-contract price rises |
| Want lots of data without a tie | 200 GB, monthly rolling, £25 | Cancel any month, and £10 less than rolling unlimited |
| 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 a big allowance for a modest price | 50 GB contract, £12 | Activate between 2 November and 7 December 2026 for the 200 GB Black Friday boost, and check when it ends |
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 is no longer the cheap option of the three. Smarty sells unlimited at £20 a month with no contract, and runs on Three rather than O2. Honest Mobile starts at £25 and falls to £17.50 as its loyalty discount builds, although its own plans page says the plan is "Limited to 3G speeds after 750GB". giffgaff's £25 contract matches Honest's starting price, and its £35 rolling plan is the dearest of the three. Where giffgaff still holds its own is on the capped contract tiers.
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 still count for something. 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
Is the £14 giffgaff unlimited deal still available?
No. It ended at 11.59pm on 2 October 2026. Unlimited is now £25 a month on an 18 month contract and £35 on monthly rolling. If you joined before the deadline, giffgaff keeps your discounted price for the full benefit period: 18 months on a contract, 12 months on rolling.
Is the giffgaff 40 GB plan really 40 GB?
For 18 months, yes. The £8 plan is a 6 GB plan carrying a 34 GB Data Boost, on offer until 4 December 2026, and giffgaff's terms return you to 6 GB after the 18 months unless you change plan. The £10 plan's 80 GB boost ended on 30 October 2026, so it is 25 GB now.
Is giffgaff unlimited worth it at £25?
Only if you would genuinely blow through 200 GB. On a contract, 200 GB costs £20, so unlimited is £5 a month extra for removing the cap. On rolling, the gap widens to £10.
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.
Does giffgaff do eSIM?
Yes, on compatible phones such as iPhone XS and newer and Google Pixel 3 and newer. Existing members switch in the app under Account, then SIM, then Replace my SIM, then Switch to a new eSIM. It also saves waiting for a SIM in the post.
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 13 October 2026. Confirm the current terms with giffgaff before you sign up.
What's trending
Recent posts
- Xerox C305ae Review: A Brilliant Office Printer With a Frustrating Setup
I spent a week with the Xerox C305ae colour laser printer. The printing and scanning are excellent; the packaging and setup app are not. - Is English Heritage Membership Worth It? The Break-Even MathsIs English Heritage membership worth it? How many paid visits cover the fee for a single adult, a couple, a family and a senior.
- Best Book Gifts UK: What to Give a ReaderLast updated: 13 October 2026 By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I… Read more: Best Book Gifts UK: What to Give a Reader
No Comments.