O2 vs giffgaff: The UK’s second largest mobile network against flexible goodybags!

O2’s SIM Only plans are flexible, with customers able to choose from 1 month, 12 months or 18 months contracts with only a few exceptions. The mobile network’s customers also benefit from two great features; O2 Priority deals and over 16 thousand free Wi-Fi hotspots across the country.

As for giffgaff, their SIM only proposition is called a ‘goodybag’. These work on a rolling monthly basis & if you finish one up, you can purchase another without having to wait till the end of the month.

giffgaff’s goodybag deals are good value options for most standard mobile users. The prices for the network’s SIM only deals start from £6/month and customers have seven different goodybags to choose from. The Unlimited data plan is named ‘Always-On-Data’ and it’s priced at £25/month. The best value option if you wish to be on giffgaff is to buy monthly goodybags. After buying your third goodybag consecutively, the network will reward you with 1GB of extra data for every month you continue. Keep in mind though, only the £10, £12, £15 and £20/month goodybags are eligible for this reward.

giffgaff’s  ‘Always-On-Data’ plan gives you unlimited downloads with 4G speeds (the network doesn’t have 5G coverage yet), however, the data is capped at 80GB per month. You will have access to the internet even after you pass the data cap, but giffgaff will limit your download speed to 384kbps between 8 a.m. and midnight each day, till your next goodybag starts.

If you want unrestricted download speeds, giffgaff also offers a golden goodybag, which will also have 5G in the near future. The unlimited golden goodybag allows you to roam freely in the EU, and you can use up to 20GB of data per month when you’re abroad.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

giffgaff provides flexibility and cheaper prices than its parent network O2, but you should keep in mind there are no extra features or a reward programme on giffgaff. O2’s deals justify their prices with many extras, including Priority.

Pay As You Go

Currently there are two types of PAYG deals, if you want to pick O2 as your mobile network. These are called Big Bundles and UK & International Bundles. Traditional PAYG doesn’t exist for O2. Both O2 Bundles are pay monthly offers, and they come with a data rollover feature. The starter ‘Big Bundle’, which is priced at £5 doesn’t have internet access, but it’s the only exception, with all other big bundles having data. As the name suggests, the International Bundles are ideal for customers who make international calls. O2 doesn’t offer an unlimited PAYG option with its bundles.

giffgaff doesn’t have any specific PAYG bundles, but you can use the goodybags as a PAYG alternative. They are pay monthly deals and there’s no contract binding you, so you can mix and match . You can also use your credit and utilise giffgaff’s network on a pay as you go basis. Credits will stay in your account until you finish them. You can buy a goodybag with your credits and if the bag finishes early, you can continue using it like a traditional pay as you go SIM. You’ll need to top up at least once every three months to keep the free call feature and once every six months to keep your SIM open for incoming calls.

Voice Calls: 25p/minute to other networks and free to other giffgaff users.

Text Message (SMS): 10p to other networks, free to other giffgaff-to-giffgaff.

Picture Message (MMS): 30p to all networks, including giffgaff-to-giffgaff.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

giffgaff provides a traditional pay as you go basis, while O2’s PAYG deals are limited to monthly payments. This alone makes giffgaff the winner in our eyes, however it also proposes decent rates.

Pay Monthly Phones

Both O2 and giffgaff have a wide range of handsets to choose from, and they are also selling refurbished devices. Both networks offer phones from top level manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Sony. O2’s ‘Refresh’ feature gives you flexibility and some deals even come at a cheaper price, but giffgaff’s phone deals have more value in them and they’re all unlocked.

Customers get a 12 month long warranty if they buy a refurbished phone on either mobile network. While having a peace of mind for a year is cool, it just can’t compete with EE’s ‘Service Pack’, which is a lifetime warranty service for any device you get from the network’s store. This includes refurbished ones too, and you get it at no extra cost.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

While their handset options look quite similar, O2 takes the win here due to ‘O2 Refresh’ and the option to build your customised plan. We also noticed that some phone deals are cheaper with O2 compared to giffgaff.

O2 is one of the four major mobile network operators in the UK, and giffgaff is a sub-brand of O2, which means it piggybacks off the O2 network. They both offer the very same network coverage and data speeds when it comes to 2G, 3G & 4G. However, you get Wi-Fi Calling & 4G Calling with most O2 deals and giffgaff simply doesn’t support any of these features.

The parent network has over 99% population coverage, but in terms of landmass coverage it lags behind the other three major operators (EE, Vodafone and Three). Looking at Open Signal’s April 2020 report, we see that O2’s average 4G download speed is measured at 16.6Mbps and the upload speed is at 5.8Mbps. This means O2 tracks being its competitors when it comes to download speeds.

Before you order a SIM or a mobile phone from O2 or giffgaff, we recommend you check out the networks’ coverage in your frequent areas.

Read our 4G Networks in the UK – 2020 guide to learn more about how other mobile networks perform and what benefits you get, if you choose them.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

giffgaff is powered by the O2 Network, this means they have the same network coverage when it comes to 2G, 3G and 4G. Given this information we have no winners here.

5G Coverage

At the time of writing this article, O2 offers 5G coverage in 193 cities and towns. EE’s 5G network is active in 160 cities & towns, while Vodafone provides 5G services in 100 locations in the UK and also in 194 locations in the EU. Three’s 5G network is quite large in the UK too with 154 cities and towns already included. O2 is only behind Three in this regard.

While giffgaff is powered by the O2 Network, its 5G is only available in golden goodybag SIM deals. giffgaff actually launched 5G on October 20th, but they ended up pulling the service back for the time being, due to technical difficulties. However, the service is completely live now.

O2 ranked second fastest 5G mobile network in the UK at OOKLA’s (speedtest.net) October 2020 tests. The network’s average 5G download speed is at 177Mbps.

To have access to O2’s 5G network you’ll need a handset which supports 5G and a 5G SIM card. You’ll also have to be in O2’s 5G coverage zones.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

It’s a win for O2, but only because most O2 plans come with 5G at no extra cost, meanwhile on giffgaff only selected plans get you 5G

Voice Call Quality

Checking out the voice call tests done by umlaut (a reliable independent testing body), we see that O2 is ranked third out of the four major operators. The network scored ‘satisfactory’ in these tests. This means the carrier improved quite well, given how it was in fourth place the year before. umlaut says the call setup times of O2 were considerably longer than of EE and Vodafone, but there’s also a noticeable improvement.

Open Signal also puts O2 in front of the Three Network in terms of voice call quality, but just slightly. Running on the very same network, giffgaff would score the same, but MVNOs are rarely tested, if ever.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

Running on the same infrastructure, both O2 and giffgaff offer the same voice call quality.

Wi-Fi Calling & 4G Calling

With Wi-Fi Calling you can make calls even if you don’t have any signal. Rather than using your mobile network’s connection, your phone can make a call via a Wi-Fi network.

And when 4G Calling is enabled on your mobile device, your calls can be carried over 4G. This means you won’t drop down to 3G or 2G during calls.

SIM Only customers of O2 can use both these two features without any extra payment. Remember to check if your phone supports Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling (VoLTE). Some android handsets might run into problems if they are not directly purchased from an O2 Store.

Sadly, giffgaff customers miss out on both these perks. giffgaff’s COTO Steve McDonald said the network is looking into Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling possibilities for giffgaff but there has been no indication as to when/if these features will become available.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

With giffgaff not supporting either feature, O2 wins this section without a doubt. We’ll update this if giffgaff ever supports Wi-Fi Calling and/or 4G Calling.

Wi-Fi Hotspots

With over 16,000 Wi-Fi Hotspots across the UK, O2 allows its customers to get online at no extra cost. All you have to do is to register at one of the O2’s hotspots first, and from that point on you’ll automatically connect to the network’s hotspots when in reach. You can turn this off if you wish. Though these hotspots are actually free for anyone to use, they are still provided by the O2 network.

The actual benefit for O2 users is the ‘O2 Wi-Fi Extra’ feature. It automatically connects your mobile device to O2’s Wi-Fi, when the service is stronger than the mobile network signal you recieve. This means more network coverage and even better voice call quality.

This is yet another perk giffgaff can’t offer. To remain a low-cost mobile network carrier and offer competitive prices, giffgaff has to drop some extra perks.

If you are looking for an even better deal for Wi-Fi Hotspots, then we’d recommend checking out BT Mobile. To learn more about networks which provide hotspots in the UK, you can read Half Cooked’s Free Wi-Fi Hotspots guide.

Half Cooked’s Verdict:

O2 has over 16,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and 7,000 of those support the Wi-Fi Extra perk. Meanwhile, giffgaff doesn’t have any. You can still connect to O2’s hotspots, but they are free for everyone anyway.

Tethering

Tethering involves turning your handset into a personal hotspot, so other compatible devices can share your mobile data. Tethering used to be limited harshly, but nowadays the mobile network operators in the UK have much better infrastructures and therefore they’ve pretty much lifted all limitations. O2 allows its customers to tether on all plans, including PAYG deals. There are, however, a couple things to watch out for if you are planning to tether regularly and use up a lot of data. You can tether up to 12 other compatible devices per month. Also, if you’re on one of O2’s unlimited data plans, you should be aware that there’s a monthly fair usage limit of 650GB. There’s also a 20GB international roaming data cap within Europe. If you exceed this limit, O2 will charge you at 0.4p/MB.

giffgaff allows tethering on all ‘goodybags’ and pay as you go options. If you are on the network’s Always-On plan, we must remind you that data speeds are throttled between 8am and midnight, if you end up using more than 80GB in a month. When it comes to international roaming on the £25 Always-On goodybag, once you use 80GB of data giffgaff will start charging you 0.36p/MB while roaming in the EU. As for the £20 goodybag, you are only allowed to tether 20GB of your data.

At the moment, we believe the best tethering deals are offered by the Three Network. There are no restrictions to how many devices you can tether to, no speed caps or fair usage limits. On top of that, all Three customers get 71 inclusive roaming destinations.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

O2’s tethering comes with a 650GB fair usage limit, meanwhile if you’re on giffgaff’s Always-On goodybag speed restrictions apply once you use 80GB of data in a month. If it wasn’t for the massive speed downgrade, giffgaff would be our winner, but given the circumstances it’s a win for O2.

International Roaming

Due to changes in EU Roaming regulations, UK customers are no longer charged extra to make calls, send texts or use data within the EU.

Both O2 and giffgaff provide inclusive roaming in 48 destinations in the EU. However, this is as far as giffgaff goes.

If you are travelling outside of O2’s Europe Zone, there’s a chance you may still have inclusive roaming. Some of the more expensive O2 tariffs have the ‘O2 Travel Inclusive Zone’, which increases the number of destinations to a total of 75 by adding USA, Australia, New Zealand and 24 others.You get a daily allowance of 120 minutes, 120 texts and unlimited data, but speed capped data. If your plan isn’t eligible for the ‘Inclusive Zone’ perk, there’s an add-on called ‘O2 Travel’ priced at £4.99 a day. This add on resets on a daily basis at midnight, meaning your unused minutes & texts won’t rollover to the next day.

In the case of giffgaff, as stated above there are no perks or add ons for international roaming. However, the network manages to keep charges fairly reasonable outside the EU and offers cheaper rates compared to O2.

To learn more about international roaming deals, we have a detailed roaming abroad guide.

Half Cooked’s Verdict

O2’s premium deals have 75 inclusive roaming destinations across the world compared to giffgaff’s 48 within the EU. You’re also given a daily add-on option on O2. giffgaff offers better roaming rates, but that’s all.

Priority is a free service, exclusive to O2 mobile customers. It contains a mixture of daily and weekly exclusive offers, and also some other offers which are “Open2All”. These exclusive offers include discounts with high street brands, tickets to gigs and events, and restaurant vouchers.

O2 Refresh

Refresh splits your O2 pay monthly bill in two parts. The device plan includes the cost of your phone or tablet and the airtime plan is the cost of your minutes, texts and data. Thanks to O2 Refresh, you can complete your device’s payment plan anytime you want and upgrade to a new device if you wish. However, you can’t do the same for your airtime plan.

O2 Bolt Ons

O2’s Bolt Ons are add-ons you can add to your account and pay for them monthly at the same time. They are quite useful when you’re running low on data, minutes or texts. You can also get Bolt Ons for calling abroad or to benefit from some international roaming perks.

Unlimited Data Plans

O2 offers two different unlimited data plans and they are both for SIM only customers. These plans are  essentially the same, the only difference is the length of contract. The longer contract is priced at £33/month, locking you in with O2 for 18 months. The shorter deal is for 12 months, priced at £35/month. Both tariffs come with the ‘O2 Travel Inclusive Zone’ perk and 6 months Disney+ membership.

On O2’s unlimited plans, you are allowed to use a maximum of 650GB/month and the network limits your tethering to a maximum of 12 devices. If this is a deal-breaker, you might want to check out our unlimited data plans guide. We can recommend SMARTY and Superdrug Mobile‘s unlimited data plans specifically, if you’re okay with giving up on great extra features O2 offers. They’re both powered by Three’s network, offering similar unlimited data deals. You can read our SMARTY Review and Superdrug Mobile Review to discover what makes them super wallet-friendly.

Custom Plans

Being in control and designing a suitable plan for what you specifically need is a great option offered by O2. You can customise your upfront payment and data allowance. You are also allowed to spread the balance starting from as little as 3 months, up to 36 months. O2 lets customers change their tariffs on a monthly basis, so you can have exactly what you need.

Data Rollover

If you’re an O2 pay as you go customer (Big Bundles and UK & International Bundles), your unused data will roll over to the next month. This feature only works when you stay on the same bundle though, if you move to a different bundle your data rollover will reset. Bundles must be renewed on the same day they expire, or else rolled over data will be deleted from your account.

Family Accounts

O2’s Family Plan will let you add up to 20 more tariffs under one main account. A customer can get up to a 40% discount when they buy additional plans. These have to be pay monthly deals though. O2 also offers £25 Amazon vouchers for bringing in family members. They have to join the network via your referral link, then both you and the family member can get rewards.

You might want to check out our Family Mobile Plans in 2020 guide, before you make your final decision.

giffgaff’s Features

The goodybags are probably the most unique offer in the UK’s mobile market. On giffgaff one can use multiple plans in a single month, for example utilise multiple goodybags and then use any leftover credit balance on a per min,SMS or MB basis, like a traditional pay as you go SIM. Your giffgaff SIM will stay active for 6 months, even if you don’t use it at all and it won’t cost you a thing. You can start your next goodybag whenever you wish during this time period. The network will also send you a detailed usage summary and recommend you a goodybag after analysing your behaviour.

1GB Extra Data Boost

To activate the 1GB extra data boost, a customer must be on giffgaff for at least three months. After their third purchase, giffgaff users get 1GB of extra data added to their bags. This perk is only available on the £10, £12, £15 and £20 goodybags.

Always-On-Data

This is giffgaff’s take on unlimited data plans, however it comes with certain restrictions. Priced at £25/month, this is the most expensive goodybag offering customers unlimited data usage. However, there’s a fair usage limit at 80GB every month. Your download speed will be restricted to 384kbps between 8am and midnight, if you use more than the fair usage cap in a month.

If you’re looking for a low-cost unlimited data plan with no restrictions, we’d recommend checking out SMARTY’s deals. There are no speed restrictions on the network; plus you can still be flexible and jump between different plans every month. You may also want to read our SMARTY vs giffgaff review, if you can’t decide between the two providers.

Payback Time

The network has a programme called ‘Payback Time’ and this has been the backbone of its unique online community over the years. giffgaff will reward you with ‘Payback Points’ when you bring friends and family on board, give helpful advice on the network’s official forums or suggest ideas to make it even better. You can convert these points to cash, phone credit or a donation to charity twice a year. Payouts are in every June and December.

No Credit Check

It doesn’t matter if you’re under 18, have poor credit or perhaps you have recently moved into the UK, you can easily get yourself a giffgaff SIM. There are no credit checks on giffgaff for purchasing a SIM, simple as that. Buying a handset from giffgaff is a different story though. For that you’d have to undergo a credit check.

Online Community Support

While the network’s very own customer support is limited, the online community of giffgaff is quite active and strong. The members are nice and helpful, the forums are well moderated and questions get answered fairly fast. On top of that, being active on the forum and helping others earn you ‘Payback Points’!

Half Cooked’s Verdict:

We can’t deny that giffgaff offers a couple useful unique features and an awesome community, but O2’s extras are just much better. Priority alone makes a huge difference between the two networks.

At the end of the day giffgaff is powered and owned by O2 and the parent network makes sure there are a few key differences between itself & giffgaff. The major difference is; all pay monthly O2 plans have 5G coverage, but giffgaff’s 5G is limited to selected deals.

Also, if you value 4G Calling, Wi-Fi Calling, extras that come with Priority etc. you’ll need to pay more and join O2. If a lower cost option is all you need then giffgaff will suit you better.