Giffgaff vs ee

I need a new phone and have decided on what phone to get, Nexus 5x, but not the network.

Giffgaff are a bit cheaper but get slightly iffy reviews when it comes to signal, especially data. I have an EE work phone and I live and work in areas that don’t have the best mobile signal so I could do without struggling for a signal strong enough for calls.

Are giffgaff a bit on the crappy side when it comes to signal or are these complaints outdated?

I have never use giffgaff but am very glad I ditched EE for Three. Reception needs to be checked in your area, with Three 4G is free – I pay £18pm unlimited data etc and its all included in Europe too. Three has an app now so you can call via wifi

In my experience, Giffgaff is pretty good coverage for voice or text. But using GPRS is very slow. My phone says there is a decent signal, but any web page takes several minutes to load, or just doesn’t work at all. Its fine if I am within 3G coverage, but that is rather lacking around here.

Whereas EE has a bit less coverage around here. But if voice/text works, then GPRS data will also be fine. Maybe a bit slow, but quite usable.

I have EE for work and Giffgaff for home and it’s swings and roundabouts. At home Giffgaff is better, EE drops calls all the time. Data is about the same, but faster on EE sometimes when not on 4g.

Been with gg about 3 years now and happy.

Giffgaff sim will only cost a tenner to try, find out how it works, use a referral link and you’ll get £5 credit. If it doesn’t work, you can move on. It’s very easy to port your own number in too.

https://www.giffgaff.com

Thanks Gravity Slave but I’ll be getting the phone through giffgaff so it wouldn’t work.

I guess the bonus to going down the giffgaff route is that if the signal is crap I’ll be able to put a different sim in. The other bonus is there will be no bloatware like we always gives you.

I think my biggest reservation about giffgaff is the possible roaming charges, with EE they let you use your call and text allowance when abroad, not sure how it works with giffgaff.

Doesn’t giffgaff piggy back O2? If you look in the settings of your phone they’ll be carriers and if you turn off auto it will roam about and show you what signals are available. Not how strong but at least you know they are there!

That’s a good call. I not have my work phone (iphone 5c) at the moment so checking on that. It’s registering all 4 carriers and a maximum of one bar of signal, none on O2.

I was with ee/Orange for years and years. Now with Giffgaff. Can’t say I’ve noticed any difference.

It’s easy to try it and bin it if doesn’t work. There’s quite a few alternatives out there. I’ve been with giffgaff for a while but considering a change. Looking at id partly because of roaming http://www.idmobile.co.uk/shop/plans/sim-only

Nexus 5x a lot cheaper on Amazon than anywhere else if that helps, I have this in my basket (but just bought Pikes instead, so sticking with my bartered 5 for now)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B016B7INC2

Giffgaff are a decent provided but I can’t see the benefit of buying the phone from them at full price. Nexus 5x is pure Android wherever sourced from so no bloat installed.

I didn’t really want to go for buying the phone separately but you can’t really argue when it’s £100 cheaper when bought outright. I do quite like the direction giffgaff have gone with when supplying phones, they give you a price per month for the phone which you finance over whatever time period you choose then the cost of the bundle is separate. The only contract you are tied into is paying for the handset.

Have just switched from 2 years with Giff Gaff to EE/BT (same thing in network terms, my connection on the phone even says EE).

For customer service, ease of use etc. Giff Gaff wins hands down, for coverage and speed EE is noticeability better. Giff Gaff does share the O2 network but isn’t equal to O2 in quality, coverage in rural areas was particularly bad, which was something of a deal breaker for contact while in the hills, in speed terms EE 4g network is at least 3x faster than I was getting on Giff Gaff in central Edinburgh. This will vary around the country, my experience is around much of Scotland, city and rural.

If Giff Gaff network quality improves I’d go back in a heartbeat but until then I’ll stick with BT, if you shop around the deals on sim only are pretty similar too, Giff Gaff is not as cheap as it used to be v competition.

Oh and +1 for buying a phone outright, not only cheaper but much easier to switch networks. If you need to, shop around for a good 0% credit card deal for the handset purchase.

Tesco is on O2. Would the coverage be the same as o2? O2 is the only network that gets reception by the yoghurt in waitrose and at our lock up.Both very important if I’m needed at the shop.
I’d get more data on tesco for the same money though.

I’ve used giffgaff for the last 2 years. I moved from 02 to gg. It’s the same network but 02 get 1st priority. Tesco is on the same network too.

Phone and calls has been brilliant for coverage but Internet doesn’t seem as good as friends networks but they pay twice as much.

Calls between gg numbers are free.

It’s a 1 month contract so if you don’t like it just move on, you are not tied in like other networks.

You manage your account online. It sends you a message when you reach 80% of your limits.

Also if people use your link to order sims cards you get £5 when they activate the sim.

If you order your free giffgaff SIM card through this page, you’ll get £5 extra credit when you activate your SIM

Note: You’ll need to top up by a minimum of £10 to activate your SIM card and we’ll then add the extra £5 for free.

It’s a 1 month contract so if you don’t like it just move on, you are not tied in like other networks.

Yeah, that’s a good point. Just get a sim and try it for your

just to confuse you further its free on this £15 per month contract with talkmobile (vodafone)

LG Nexus 5X 16GB Black
1000 UK Minutes
5000 UK Texts
2 GB UK Data
24 Month Contrac

http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/shopping-basket?source=theme2&utm_source=Direct&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=JanSale

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So that I don’t have to remove any more,

Site Terms & Conditions

No posting of referral links and codes where the poster will benefit financially or otherwise

Ta.

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GIff gaff is pretty poor IME – I still keep them though as its is bloody cheap.
Patchy reception anywhere rural ish and its clear it piggy backs on someone else and does not have priority.
For example at a festival – young kids- I could get data before 8 but once folk woke up it would never ever connect to data.
I have EE and a 4 G dongle and a phone [ work] for my laptop It far exceeds anything signal wise that Giff Gaff does and is way more reliable If i went rural I take my works phone.

I think I can get you a SIM and they give me £5 for this – which i can send to you- technically you could try it for free/bloody cheap – e-mail me if interested – TBH i am not certain this is the actual case but i can see if you like

IF i lived somewhere with patchy reception and i really needed my phone then no way would I use it Its cheap for a reason basically

PLEASE, do not use

talkmobile (vodafone)

They are utterly, utterly shit

TD has it for me. We had GG for four phones (me, the missus, two teenage kids) so free calls between us and free texts. The on-line support community works well and it’s very good value. But the rural coverage on O2 here (herefordshire) is terrible and not getting any better. Voice is patchy, data is non existent. Even in Hereford I wasn’t getting 3G!

After checking OFCOM maps, I tried both EE and 3 PAYG Sims. Both gave me 3G (and lots of 4G in local towns, my word that’s fast!). Ended up with 3 as had a better package for what I wanted.

The other problem with GG is the lack of roaming options. Last year I was away riding in France, but knew I had to submit some work. Ended up costing me about 30 quid in data. With 3 it’d have been part of the package.

Oh and the 3G I get at home is faster than my broadband….

I can’t work out if the Nexus 5X on EE is pure android or if they are putting their usual crap on it.

Ditched Vodafone after far too many years – family now all on GG. Sometimes, its rubbish. In town we can now see 4G (or 3G, or E / GPRS). But its ‘ok’ and cheap..

EE have the contract for emergency services comms, replacing the existing airwave. With this they are obliged to provide as widespread 4g coverage as possible, so are contracted to improve their range of masts, apparently. They may become the default supplier for many in out of town areas, especially if people want 4g.

If you look in the settings of your phone they’ll be carriers and if you turn off auto it will roam about and show you what signals are available. Not how strong but at least you know they are there!

I tried his by the yoghurt and it said 4 networks including 3 mobile were available. I know for certain 3 doesn’t work beyond the tills in Waitrose…what goes on?

Giffgaff phones are unlocked for any network. I have an iPhone 6s I bought from them , with my Three SIM card in it as I found the Giffgaff signal a bit crap