Giffgaff’s Golden Goodybags give you more data and access to 5G. Plans include 20GB data for £10/month & unlimited data for £35/month.
In the UK, giffgaff now offers a range of golden goodybags from £10/month. Compared to regular goodybags, they’ll give you a larger data allowance. For instance, the £10 golden goodybag gives you 20GB of data. This compares to the 15GB data included on the regular £10 goodybag.
To buy a golden goodybag, you’ll need to order a free SIM card from giffgaff’s website. You’ll then need to make sure the “recurring goodybag” setting is switched on inside your giffgaff account. You’ll still be able to cancel or change your plan at any time and there are no credit checks required to buy a golden goodybag plan.
Order free giffgaff SIM card →
In this article, we’ll review giffgaff’s golden goodybags with 5G. We’ll start by looking at the plans available and we’ll compare them to giffgaff’s regular goodybags. We’ll also look at giffgaff’s 5G coverage.
| Prices From: | £10 per month |
|---|---|
| Contract Length: | No contract & no credit check |
| SIM Only Plans: |
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| Coverage: |
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Contents
What are Golden Goodybags?
In the UK, giffgaff now offers two different types of goodybag:
- If you choose a golden goodybag, you’ll get more data included on your plan. You’ll need to enable the “recurring goodybag” setting which means the plan will automatically renew every month until you switch it off.
- If you choose a regular goodybag, you’ll get less data on your plan. However, you can buy them manually (e.g. from a top-up voucher or from your Pay As You Go credit).
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of giffgaff’s golden goodybags and regular goodybags:
| Golden Goodybags | Regular Goodybags | |
|---|---|---|
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| Prices From: | £6 per month | £6 per month |
| Contract Length: | No contract – cancel anytime | No contract – cancel anytime |
| Data Allowances | ||
| £6 per month: | 2GB data | 1GB data |
| £8 per month: | 5GB data | 4GB data |
| £10 per month: | 20GB data | 15GB data |
| £12 per month: | 26GB data | 25GB data |
| £15 per month: | 35GB data | 30GB data |
| £20 per month: | 100GB data | 80GB data |
| £25 per month: | 100GB + Always On data | 80GB + Always On data |
| £35 per month: | Unlimited data | 150GB data |
| Goodybag Features | ||
| 5G Coverage: | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2G, 3G & 4G Coverage: | ✔ 99% coverage | ✔ 99% coverage |
| Purchase Method: |
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All of giffgaff’s goodybag bundles include unlimited minutes and texts. On the goodybags costing £10, £12, £15 and £20 per month, you’ll also get 1GB of extra data from your third goodybag purchase onwards.
On both types of goodybag, you’re not tied in to a contracts. That’s because you’ll only pay for one month at a time and you can simply stop your bundle from being renewed at the end of month. You also have the flexibility to change between bundles to get more data or less data on your plan.
Golden Goodybag Bundles
At present, you can choose from the following four golden goodybags on giffgaff:
| Tariff | Minutes | Texts | Data | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 2GB | £6.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5GB | £8.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 20GB | £10.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 26GB | £12.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 35GB | £15.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100GB | £20.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100GB + Always On | £25.00 |
 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | £35.00 |
Get a Golden Goodybag SIM Card →
All of the golden goodybag bundles include access to 5G if you have a 5G-ready phone and are in a 5G coverage area.
The £25 golden goodybag comes with 100GB of full-speed data, followed by Always-On data for the rest of the month (this has a maximum download speed of 384kbps between 8am and midnight each day).
If you choose the £35 golden goodybag with unlimited data, you’ll get uncapped 5G download speeds on the giffgaff network (typically around 150Mbps). You will, however, be subject to giffgaff’s fair usage policy. This says you shouldn’t use more than 650GB of data in one month. In addition, you also shouldn’t tether your phone to more than 12 devices.
Coverage
2G, 3G & 4G Coverage From O2
On giffgaff, you’ll have access to 99% population coverage on O2’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks in the UK. As giffgaff uses O2 as its network coverage provider, you’ll get access to the same coverage as customers on O2.
Before you order a SIM card from giffgaff, we’d recommend double-checking the coverage in your area. You can do this by entering your postcode on giffgaff’s online coverage map:
Check giffgaff Coverage (giffgaff.com) →
For more information, see our guide to O2’s network and coverage.
5G Coverage
You can access 5G coverage on a golden goodybag plan, as long as you have a 5G-ready phone and a 5G SIM card.
giffgaff’s 5G service allows you to access download speeds that are around five to ten times faster than 4G. You can expect an average download speed of about 150Mbps, along with more network capacity and lower amounts of latency.
giffgaff currently offers 5G coverage in the following UK towns and cities:
| Now Live | 193 towns and cities are live on giffgaff 5G (May 2023) Aberdeen, Allesley, Altrincham, Ambleside, Ashford, Aughton, Aylesbury, Banbury, Banstead, Basildon, Basingstoke, Beaconsfield, Bedford, Belfast, Bilston, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Birstall, Blackburn, Blackpool, Blaydon, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bradford, Bradley Stoke, Bridge of Don, Brighton, Bristol, Brombourgh, Burton upon Trent, Bury St Edmunds, Byfleet, Calverley, Cambridge, Cardiff, Chadwell St Mary, Chatham, Cheadle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chertsey, Chesterfield, Chilworth, Chipstead, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Coventry, Danderhall, Darlington, Dartford, Derby, Dewsbury, Dinas Powys, Doncaster, Dudley, Dundee, Dunstable, Durham, Dyce, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Egham, Epsom, Esher, Eton, Falmer, Gateshead, Gatton Bottom, Gillingham, Glasgow, Gloucester, Gravesend, Grays, Great Yarmouth, Grimsby, Guildford, Halifax, Harlington London, Harlow, Hastings, Hebburn, Hemel Hempstead, Hextable, High Wycombe, Horwich, Hove, How Wood, Huddersfield, Hull, Inverness, Ipswich, Iver, Jarrow, Joyden’s Wood, Kemprow, Kettering, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Lisburn, Liverpool, Llandudno, London, Longford, Loughborough, Lowestoft, Luton, Maidenhead, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Molesey, Monifieth, Morley, Musselburgh, New Denham, Newbury, Newcastle, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newtownabbey, North Shields, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Oldham, Orpington, Oxford, Penarth, Peterborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Portsmouth, Potters Bar, Rainham, Reading, Redhill, Richings Park, Rochdale, Rotherham, Royal Leamington Spa, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Rugby, Salford, Sheffield, Shelf, Shepperton Green, Shinfield, Shirehampton, Slough, Solihull, South Shields, Southampton, Southend-On-Sea, St Albans, Staines-upon-Thames, Stapleford, Stevenage, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Stranraer, Sunbury, Sunderland, Swansea, Swindon, Tatling End, Thornaby-on-Tees, Thorpe, Thundersley, Trumps Green, Tynemouth, Virginia Water, Wakefield, Wallasey, Waltham Abbey, Warrington, Washington, Watford, Wavertree, West Bromwich, Weybridge, Whickham, Whitley Bay, Wickersley, Windsor, Wolverhampton, Worthing, Wythenshawe, York |
As with their 2G, 3G and 4G service, giffgaff is also using O2’s network for 5G. As such, their 5G mobile service is available in the same places as 5G on O2.
For more information, see our guide to 5G coverage in the UK.
Tethering & Personal Hotspot
Tethering or personal hotspot refers to the process of sharing your smartphone’s internet connection with another device (e.g. with your laptop or tablet). It’s often used as a convenient way of getting access to mobile broadband without the need to have a separate device or plan.
You can use tethering and personal hotspot on all of giffgaff’s current goodybag plans. However, it’s limited to a maximum of 12 devices if you’re using giffgaff’s £35 golden goodybag.
International Coverage
If you’re travelling abroad you can continue using your giffgaff SIM card through international roaming.
If you’re travelling to one of 37 European destinations, you’ll be able to use up to 5GB data abroad at no cost each month. Further usage beyond the 5GB per month threshold will be surcharged at 10p/MB.
If you’re travelling to any other country, you’ll need to pay giffgaff’s international roaming rates as detailed on this page.
Keeping Your Phone Number
If you’re switching from another mobile network to take advantage of giffgaff’s golden goodybags, you can bring your current phone number with you.
Start by ordering your new SIM card on the giffgaff website. Once you’ve done that, ask your current mobile network to give you a PAC Code. You can get a PAC through your mobile network’s website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075.
After receiving your giffgaff SIM card and activating your golden goodybag plan, you can submit your PAC Code online through a form on giffgaff’s website. This will schedule the transfer of your phone number, normally for the next working day if you submit it before 3pm.
For a step-by-step guide on transferring your phone number to giffgaff, please select your current mobile network from the drop-down menu below:
Frequently Asked Questions
| What do I get on giffgaff’s golden goodybags? | giffgaff currently offers a choice of eight golden goodybags:
All of the golden goodybags will give you access to 5G in a total of 193 UK towns & cities. |
|---|---|
| Does giffgaff offer 5G coverage? | Yes. You can access 5G coverage in 193 UK towns and cities as long as you have one of giffgaff’s golden goodybag bundles. You’ll also need to have a 5G phone and a 5G SIM card. |
| How does the £10 golden goodybag differ from the regular goodybag? | The main difference is you’ll get more data on the £10 golden goodybag (there’s 20GB data per month, compared to the 15GB per month on giffgaff’s regular £10 goodybag).
To qualify for access to the golden goodybag, you’ll need to set up your goodybag bundle to automatically recur. You’ll also need to save some payment details in your giffgaff account. It isn’t possible to buy a golden goodybag from a top-up voucher or from your Pay As You Go credit. |
| Will I still get 1GB of extra data each month? | Yes. You’ll still get 1GB of extra data each month from your third goodybag purchase onwards. This means, for instance, you’ll get 21GB data per month, rather than 20GB on the £10 golden goodybag. |
| What coverage is available on giffgaff? | You can access the following types of coverage on a golden goodybag from giffgaff:
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| Can I keep my current phone number? | Yes. Start by ordering your giffgaff SIM card online. Once you’ve done that, you can get a PAC Code from your current mobile network, either through their website or app, or by texting PAC to 65075. The PAC Code can be submitted through your giffgaff account area once you’ve activated your SIM card. |
More Information
For more information, you can also read our full giffgaff review. If you don’t currently have a SIM card from giffgaff, you can order a free one from giffgaff’s website.
Joan said:
New Golden Goodybags are coming in!!! Could you add the images?
https://community.giffgaff.com/d/33219888-changes-and-new-goodybags-for-2021
Ken replied:
Hi Joan,
Thanks for your comment, and great news for giffgaff customers! I’ll get this blog post updated today with the latest goodybags from giffgaff.
Thanks again,
Ken
Joan replied:
I’m Joan again! Just one question because I am interested to know if you don’t mind to let me know it. How do you know all the currently cities where giffgaff offer 5G?
Ken replied:
Hi Joan,
Thanks for your comment. giffgaff uses the O2 network for 5G so you can get a 5G signal from giffgaff in the same places you can get 5G from O2. The list of locations is based on information that O2 has published for their customers.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Hayley said:
Are you able to get the golden goody bag to work straight away after purchasing it
Ken replied:
Hi Hayley,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, as long as you have a giffgaff SIM card, the golden goodybag will work as soon as you buy it. If you don’t currently have a giffgaff SIM card, you’ll need to order one and will need to wait for it to arrive first.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Yoshi Whang said:
Hello, I am glad that giffgaff has Unlimited data for £35 now. I am not sure on what network has best signal and speed out of Vodafone or O2 (giffgaff) . I see that the two networks run on similar masts and signal frequencies. I have used the signal checker for Vodafone and O2, and they both show good signal. I know that Vodafone Pay as you go offer Unlimited data as well for a £50 , but I do not mind paying an extra £15 a month for a more reliable and fast and less lag and more pleasant network and better efficiency network, because I don’t have WIFI at home so I need reliable 4G and 3G signal from Vodafone or O2. Please do you have any experience on whether Vodafone or O2 (giffgaff) is better for speeds, ping, signal strength, network reliability and more efficient network and more pleasant network experience also which network is more capable of faster speeds? and in general what of the two networks has better network? Please share some of your personal experience from Vodafone UK or O2 UK. Have you used Vodafone UK and O2 UK for any long period of time and have experience from the two networks you can tell me and recommend and advise for me?
I understand that Three and EE offer much better value for Unlimited data, EE currently does not offer Unlimited data with Pay as you go. But I understand that Three and EE offers much better value for Unlimited data, but their signals are quite weak in my area.
Please advise if Vodafone or O2 (giffgaff) is better and please share your personal experience to show what network out of the two you used mostly and what one you liked most and used for the most time? Thank you soo much.
Ken replied:
Hi Yoshi,
Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately, this will depend very much on your exact location so anything I can share for where I live wouldn’t be applicable to you! If you like, you could always order a free SIM card from the two networks you’d like to try out (e.g. both giffgaff and Vodafone/VOXI). You could then test them for a few days, before deciding which one you’d like to use, based on the coverage you get.
Ken