I know I’ve reviewed giffgaff before, but this time I’d like to talk specifically about the comparison of giffgaff to other mobile contracts.
Bear in mind that giffgaff is pay as you go only, but I happen to think the goodybags are tough competition to mobile contracts.
For just a tenner a month (no contract), you get 100 minutes to any network, totally unlimited texts and totally unlimited data. Up it to £15, and you get the same but 300 minutes. Up again to £35, and the same but totally unlimited minutes.
You have to bear in mind that all of those plans include free gg calls, texts and video calls (so it’s free to contact anyone on the giffgaff network, basically).
In addition, you can also get the £5 goodybag which is plain and simple unlimited texts with no FUP – this will be great for teenagers (like myself).
I happen to think that those prices are comparable to other network’s contracts – and there’s no obligation or contract whatsoever. Seems like a handy idea if you are short on cash!
Giffgaff – the new “people powered” mobile network – has today announced it’s brand new bundles that will come into play very shortly (tomorrow – I believe?). The new plans make calling and texting much more economical.
The new plans (or goodybags, as they are being called) are explained as follows (all last for one month):
For the texter, £5 will give you unlimited texts.
£10 will give you 100 off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering)
£15 will give you 300 off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering)
£35 will give you unlimited off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering).
Here’s a couple of things you may want to know that aren’t in the original forum post:
Voicemail is included in your minutes. On that basis, you won’t be charged 8p per call but presumably you’ll be charged 1 minute out of your allowance.
There is no fair use policy on the unlimited internet – you can use as much as you like. However, tethering is not permitted. Tethering means connecting your phone to your computer to provide a connection to the internet.
Calls and texts to other giffgaff members are still free – they will not come out of your allowance providing you stick to the 60 minute per call limit (hang up and redial).
If you use one part of your allowance (ie you use all your calls), you will need to use all other parts of your allowance before another goodybag can be started. So if you still have unlimited internet for the rest of the month, you’ll be charged 8p per minute on calls until next month, if you have another goodybag queued.
The initial feedback on the forum seems good. A few people are concerned that there is too longer line between the £15 goodybag and the £35 goodybag. I would probably agree, but the £15 goodybag is plenty for me.
Overall, I’m really impressed. I think it will prove popular in time, but we’ll have to see what comes of all this. Bring on my PAC transfer :).
I was wondering around my local Maplin store and stumbled across a new gadget taking advantage of the sun.
Now if you read my blog frequently, you may be aware that I’m a big fan of solar gadgets. I love the fact that I can get free electricity for my gadgets with help from cheap(ish) solar technology.
This gadget is called the Freeloader Pico. It’s very clever because it’s no bigger than a standard mobile phone (if not a tiny bit thicker) yet it holds an 800mA battery and a 75mA solar panel. You can charge the battery via the solar panel or from a mini USB input. It can take as little as 10 hours to charge from the sun and 4 hours to charge over USB.
Once charged, it will charge a gadget for between 30 minutes and an hour. What makes it stand out for me is that it delivers it’s output via a standard USB port, meaning you can charge almost any device that supports USB charging.
It also comes with four output plugs and you can buy more online.
I think it’s great. I can carry it around in my pocket and get it out when I need juice. It charges fairly quickly from the sun and provides quick, efficient power. It’s ideal for walking trips or long trips without access to the plug.
I recently stumbled across this new UK mobile network, and I have to say – it’s a dream come true for me.
They are a very interesting phone network because they are unique in many ways. When you’ve got your SIM card running and you’re using the network, it all seems very standard and basic – but take a look under the hood and you’ll notice a very clever concept.
The basic idea behind giffgaff is very simple. They cut all the expensive marketing and support services and replace them with much cheaper and efficient solutions. By doing this, they can provide a mobile phone service that is considerably cheaper than competitors whilst having happy customers.
For example, they don’t do telephone customer service. Instead, they provide an online community forum that people can submit problems to and members of the network respond with possible solutions. There are also moderators and managers who can help with the slightly more technical problems. And for peace of mind, they also provide an “Ask an Agent” service for the people who need administrative help such as call bars and setup help.
They don’t own any masts – these are provided by O2 and work pretty well. 3G coverage is not brilliant (O2 have always had a bad reputation for 3G coverage) but 2G is coverage is very good for calls and texts. You’ll get 3G in large towns and cities but don’t expect to get it in your rural countryside home.
That brings me nicely onto the subject of costs. They are trying to keep things simple by simply providing one pay as you go tariff. The basic cost of this tariff is as follows:
FREE calls (anytime) to other giffgaff members (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months)
FREE texts (anytime) to other giffgaff members (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months)
8p per minute calls (flat rate, anytime) to any other UK landline or mobile phone
4p per text to any UK phone.
8p per call to voicemail
FREE (100MB per day FUP) internet usage until 25th May 2010 (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months), internet price after that date to be confirmed
FREE calls to any 0800 number (I believe you have to remove the 0 at the beginning – ie 800 not 0800 – no longer true, just dial the number as normal and it’s free), and many other freephone numbers including 0500 and 0808 numbers.
So as you can you see, it’s pretty good value. They haven’t sorted bundles (eg for texts or calls) yet, but as far as I am aware, they are working on that.
If you’d like to give it a try, head over to giffgaff.com and request your free SIM. You’ll have to pay £10 when you get it to activate it (this will give you £10 credit) and you’ll be away within a few minutes of activation.
I really love it and I’m pretty sure 3 will be losing my custom as I’m not impressed by their upcoming price increase. I suggest you give it a try. You’ll need an unlocked phone – that’s it.
If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ll know that I recently ordered the 3 Mi-Fi Pay as you Go. Well, today it has arrived! And here’s my review…
First of all, it’s very light. No heavier than my mobile phone (Nokia 3120 Classic). It’s a tiny bit longer than a credit card but not as wide. Very small.
On the device, there are 3 switches. The first one powers the device, the second turns wi-fi on/off and the third turns data on/off. I’m not going to go into tonnes of detail – if you aren’t sure how to use on call 3 or browse the web – there are tonnes of guides. GEEK! tells you the thing you won’t see on other sites.
Here are some important things you may want to know:
The SIM on the £49.99 single PAYG Mi-Fi comes with £1 credit on it. This isn’t much, but it gives you enough to kick you off. I’m not sure how much data that actually is but I’ve browsed quite a few sites on it without topping it up and I still have £1 on it.
How it charges is a little odd. When you’ve got it plugged into a PC, you can turn it on and it will still charge – even put wi-fi on, but as soon as you switch data on it will stop charging. It continues to power itself by USB but will not charge when data is active.
You have to use My3 to check your balance online. According to 3, I can still do this from my Mi-Fi connection even when my credit is out but haven’t tested it as yet. I will confirm when I can.
The microSD slot on the device only shows up on USB. It is not shared over wi-fi.
Those are some facts you may want to know. If there’s anything else you’d live to know, email me.
Overall, I’m really happy. It works very well and is so convenient. It might be quite expensive in terms of bandwidth, but prices will decrease with time.
If you need mobile interet on your devices easily, this is what you need.