GiffGaff - Best off-contract UK mobile sim!

My iPhone 3GS 2 year contract was over mid-2011 and after much thought, I decided to wait for the next generation iPhone (i.e. not buy the iPhone 4). In the mean time, I wanted to stop paying £35 per month and find a more cost effective plan. After much research (e.g. google, moneysavingexpert), I contacted my provider at the time (O2) and asked them what the best sim only plan they could offer me was. I don't remember what they offered, but I countered their offer by stating I found a pre-paid plan with 250min, unlim text, unlim data for £10 a month, to which they replied "sorry we can't match that". I requested and received my PAC code (to port my number) within 2 minutes after this conversation.

Conclusion: GiffGaff is a UK no-brainer competition killer for mobile phone plans (for those off-contract)


I have now been with GiffGaff for over 9 months now and have recommended this to multiple friends who are also pleased with the service:

• Excellent value for money - using pre-paid credit when abroad. 
• £10 goodybag when in UK: 250mins, unlimited texts and unlimited data --- more plans available
• No phone helpdesk but extensive online community support. 
• Uses O2 network, so coverage is great. 

Troubleshooting and tips

• One thing I have done twice now is forget to purchase my goodybag when it expires at the end of the month. This has not been a huge problem for me as rates are still so good, so after a couple of days of realising my goodybag expired, I'd jump onto my iPhone app and order it using my credit-card or current balance available. I have use recurrent monthly "reminders" set up on the iPhone.
• Don't forget to re-input the data giffgaff settings if you have played around with your network settings or swapped sims; my iPhone automatically downloads O2 settings in these scenarios: LINK. I made the process of updaing the network settings relatively painless by using the "shortcut" feature of iOS5: creating a shortcut so that when I type "gg", "giffgaff.com" is replaced.
• iPhone iOS5 iMessage or 3G problems for some users on giffgaff: 
• Symptoms: not receiving iMessages or problematic connections to 3G
• Solution: remove giffgaff profile from settings (Link to my giffgaff community post)
• Need a micro-sim for your iPhone 4? I've successfully cut about a dozen microsims using scissors, a file and using the giffgaff template on the help section of the website. There are also more guides on YouTube. 
• Don't forget to download the free iPhone apps:

If you would like to join giffgaff after reading my blog, please order a free sim using the following link so I am able to get a referral bonus of £5:

https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/pango 

Website link for more information: http://giffgaff.com/