Giffgaff Roaming: Rates, countries & alternatives

Looking for an innovative service that you can use on your cellphone? Well, here we are to present to you Giffgaff, one of the side-companies from Telefónica UK. They work completely digital, and to be more specific about what we will talk about, we are about to talk of the Giffgaff roaming service.

Therefore, if you are needing to know something about a service like this one, you came to the right place. We will give you all the information that you need to know, as well as other alternatives that you can find on the market.

How does Giffgaff roaming work?

The roaming service works pretty similar in most cases, yet, some companies have their own policies. That is the case of Giffgaff because they provide users the chance to use their domestic plan while traveling to selected destinations, and this is the main difference to other similar cellular providers from the UK.

Giffgaff customers will need to keep in mind, in every single moment, that they will have access to the cellular data, text messages, and phone calls that are included on their plan. They won’t be able to pay to get any service extension.

But, this is only in selected destinations. To travel to other countries, people will have to add credit or top up their account and will have to pay the standard price of their services if they go to the selected destinations of Giffgaff.

For these countries, people will have to buy Goodybag’s that are offered by the company. Sounds like a bad deal, but it is actually a pretty nice way to stay connected while traveling.

But, here’s a small reminder. The Giffgaff roaming service only works for a small amount of time, as stated on their website, so keep that in mind.

Giffgaff roaming rates

Talking about the rates in Giffgaff is somehow complicated. As we mentioned before, the company works in a pretty particular way with their services. People can use their domestic plan while traveling, or they can pay for Goodybag’s in case they travel to countries that are not on the list.

For example, if you travel inside the European Zone, you will have the chance to use your domestic plan at no extra cost. So, if you pay £10 for your plan, that’s precisely what you have to pay to keep your plan activated. 

Now, if you go to other countries, there are Goodybag’s offered by the company that varies from £25 to £35 and offer different benefits on each plan. But let’s take a look at other important rates.

Giffgaff mobile data rates

As we mentioned before, there are two different rates that people have to take into consideration when using the Giffgaff service. 

Also, take into consideration that if you pay £10 for your regular plan, that’s what you have to pay to keep your cellular data on while traveling to selected destinations. If not, then you will have to pay from £25 to £35 to use Goodybag’s and keep the cellular data activated.

Giffgaff local and international phone calls rates

When talking about phone calls, we need to take into consideration what we said before. There are no significant changes here, the rates basically remain the same for this service too.

So remember, if you pay £10 for your local, you will have access to the phone calls included in your plan that you usually have, but only on determined destinations. But, if you go to other countries, then you have to go for the Goodybag’s.

Giffgaff text messages rates

Finally, we have to talk about the text messages rates. This might not be the most popular service for people who are roaming through the world, but it can be somehow useful for plenty of people.

Once again, we have to mention the same stuff that we were talking about previously. People will be able to continue using the text messages included on their plan, or they can use a Goodybag to properly enjoy the service, but it all will depend on where the people travel to.

Countries in which people can use the Giffgaff roaming

Surprisingly, the list of countries that people go to and enjoy their travel with their domestic plan is pretty low. That’s a big downside when choosing this service because there are other services that offer better deals than Giffgaff, like Vodafone or Google.

Here’s the small list of countries where people will have the chance to use their local allowance when traveling: 

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.

But, the list is a bit longer when talking about the other countries that people can travel to using the Goodybag’s. Basically, the list is bigger than expected as people can basically use that service in plenty of different countries, but they are not listed on the company’s website.

Alternatives for the Giffgaff roaming service

So far, we have discussed the rates that Giffgaff offers to travelers and customers. But, for some users, the service might not be enough for them. That’s why we have other services that we can use while traveling through the world, and they can be even better than the Giffgaff service.

What are the services, you might be asking? Well, some of them are SIM cards, eSIMs, and other services that we will talk about right now.

International SIM Card

We all have used SIM cards in the past, and that’s basically what we will be using right now. It might be surprising, but yes, SIM cards can be used for traveling purposes.

People can buy these SIM cards wherever they go to, and they can buy before they reach the country, or they can buy them while already being at their destination. Either way, one of the companies that we recommend using is Holafly.

Internatinal eSIM Card

If you are familiar with SIM cards, we have great news for you because there’s a new alternative that people can use, and we are talking about the eSIMs cards.

These “SIM cards” are completely digital, and they might be the future for cellular communications, and even for roaming services. And, in case you need a recommendation on which one to choose, we recommend using the Holafly eSIM card.

Free WiFi

We all know that WiFi can be pretty helpful for people depending on where they are at. Whether they are at a hotel, a restaurant, or even while walking through a city, you might find a free WiFi hotspot that you can connect to.

And, this can be useful for some people, but remember that once you are no longer inside the hotspot area, you’ll lose your internet connection.

Pocket WiFi

If you have been traveling through the world for quite some time now, chances are that you have heard about the Pocket WiFi devices in the past. 

These small devices work by giving people a WiFi hotspot that they can connect to for as long as they rent the device, and the service tends to be completely unlimited, which is why it used to be very popular some time ago.

How to activate the Giffgaff roaming?

The activation process with Giffgaff is quite simple. Users can do it through the company’s website in a matter of seconds, and that’s basically the only process that they need to follow.

In case you need to buy a Goodybag, you can also do it through the Giffgaff website as well.

Opinions about the Giffgaff Roaming

1. “I have been a customer of Giffgaff for more than 10 years and I have never considered going elsewhere. Admittedly, I invested in a great device that I have looked after leaving me only to pay for my monthly Goodybag. “
2. “Giffgaff, a great company, and great prices! Always kept up to date with usage and prices. Would highly recommend it.”
3. “Well pleased with GiffGaff service. Website is easy to navigate and very transparent for the customer. Good offers all year round and easy to switch packages at the flick of a button to recommend GiffGaff to anyone who wants a no-nonsense simple to use provider.
4. “Twice bought a refurbished phone described as ‘as new’. Had to send both back. Scratches on front and back and poor battery health. My sister-in-law (who I recommended giffgaff to) received one with very large cracks on the back. Disappointing. Rated and recommended giffgaff but no more :(“
5. “A lot things to improve: 1) Connection to London Underground network is not available or not working 2) price for oversea data is way to expensive, having a good pack is useless 3) No 5G available for UK”
6. “I bought new Giffgaff SIM card tried to activate the SIM card to just use a pay as you go voucher as I don’t do contract. Giffgaff wanted my bank card details to activate this SIM card. This just doesn’t make sense to me”

Julio Osuna

ES: Mi nombre es Julio Osuna, Venezolano amante de los videojuegos, la montaña y principiante en el mundo de la fotografía. He estado trabajando como escritor desde 2019, escribiendo contenido de viajes, tecnología, criptomonedas, entre muchas otras cosas. Hoy en día, mi experiencia se centra principalmente en viajes, especialmente en consejos para viajar conectado con las mejores opciones. ¡Que mi contenido te ayude a conseguir tu lugar ideal para viajar! | EN: My name is Julio Osuna, Venezuelan lover of video games, the mountains and beginner in the world of photography. I have been working as a writer since 2019, writing content on travel, technology, cryptocurrencies, among many other things. Nowadays, my experience focuses mainly on travel, especially tips for traveling connected with the best options. May my content help you find your ideal place to travel!