Giffgaff Disconnect Some Prepaid Mobile Users for Extended Roaming Outside UK

Some pre-paid customers of mobile operator giffgaff, which is controlled by Telefónica UK (part of the VMO2 Group) and uses O2’s virtual network platform, have complained to ISPreview after the provider suddenly informed them that their service was to be disconnected over “extended or permanent use outside the UK“. The provider also declined to refund unused credit.

The message (see below), which came suddenly and without any prior warnings of abuse or concern being raised by giffgaff to the customers concerned, seemed to serve as a first and final notice of service termination that leaves customers with no clear alternative – ending with a flat note to say “this is our final position on this matter“.

However, judging by a lot of the feedback we’ve seen, most of the impacted customers appear to have been roaming outside the EU area (e.g. primarily China and possibly some other non-EU countries) and quite a few had only recently topped up their pre-paid credit a few days prior to the notice (many hadn’t used any of that credit after topping up or only used a little before receiving the notice).

So far as we can tell, the situation appears to be largely focused on giffgaff users who had perhaps been treating the service as a zero-monthly-cost-number retention SIM (i.e. a way of keeping your mobile contact number alive for others to reach you or to help with banking and 2FA security etc.), such as while on an extended holiday trip, working abroad or foreign students in UK education that have temporarily returned home for the summer holiday etc. But it may also be catching some other user types too.

Copy of Giffgaff’s Email to Pre-Paid Mobile Users

Hi ———–,

We need to make you aware that, following a review of your account usage, we have made the decision to disconnect your service (mobile number ending —-). In line with our terms and conditions, our services are intended primarily for use within the UK, with roaming provided for short-term travel only. As your usage pattern suggests extended or permanent use outside the UK, your account no longer meets the eligibility requirements for the service. As a result, your service will be disconnected shortly, and any associated access will cease.

Please note this is our final position on this matter.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your previous custom.

The giffgaff team

As Ana, one of several customers to report the issue to ISPreview over the past few days, said: “I activated a giffgaff eSIM on 3rd June 2026 and added £10 of pay-as-you-go airtime credit. By 29 July—only 56 days after activation—giffgaff had confirmed the closure of my account and refused to return the remaining £9.70 balance.”

Ana said she understood that giffgaff may restrict or terminate roaming in accordance with their Fair Usage Policy (FUP), but she was still shocked they didn’t refund the credit and mystified as to how giffgaff had characterised a period of less than 8 weeks as extended overseas use “far exceeding reasonable limits”. Giffgaff did not identify any specific time threshold, usage limit or account evidence to support their decision.

Sample Customer Complain 1

“My account was disconnected shortly after activation. I activated my SIM on 17 July 2026 and purchased a £10 plan. I have not been able to use the service. I would like to request a refund for the unused plan amount.”

Sample Customer Complain 2

“I believe the disconnection is based on a misreading of my usage. I am currently overseas for an extended work assignment, which is temporary in nature — I remain a UK-based customer and intend to return to the UK. My time abroad is for business travel rather than permanent relocation, and I was not aware that my roaming pattern had triggered a review.”

Sample Customer Complain 3

“It’s entirely possible to ban users who violate the rules, but a thorough investigation is necessary, rather than unilaterally refusing service. I can provide a complete record of my usage; I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Some customers who claimed to have chased the operator up on this were later told that the measures were supported by clauses 5.3 and 3.5(k) of giffgaff’s Terms and Conditions (T&Cs). This states that they have no obligation to refund credit once applied to an account and then points back to their FUP.

The Relevant Giffgaff Terms

5.3. Once credit is applied to your Account, we have no obligation to refund it to you in the absence of any legal or regulatory entitlement.

—

3.5. Your use of the Services must be for your private, Personal Use and non-commercial purposes. You may only use a device with an IMEI number associated with it on the Network, you must not change or attempt to change the IMEI number, and you will not use or permit anyone else to use your SIM Card:

a) For any form of automated usage of mobile services;
b) In such a way that adversely impacts the service to other giffgaff Members;
c) Fraudulently, illegally or in breach of any law or statutory duty;
d) To make a call or send a message, to take a picture or video or send, upload, download, use or re-use any material which is offensive, abusive, indecent, defamatory, obscene or menacing, a nuisance (including to our staff) or a hoax, in breach of any Rights or privacy or otherwise unlawful;
e) To cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety as set out in the Communications Act 2003;
f) Other than in accordance with acceptable use policies of any connected Networks and any relevant Internet standards;
g) To generate AIT;
h) via a GSM Gateway or SIM box so that the Service is provided via the GSM Gateway to third parties; or
i) To persistently send unsolicited communications,

and you shall, at all times:

j) Ensure the information you have provided to us in Participation or otherwise is accurate and up-to-date; and
k) Comply with these Terms and Conditions, our Privacy Policy, Fair Usage Policy, community guidelines and any other supplemental terms and conditions which may be set out in marketing material or on giffgaff.com from time to time;
l) Ensure any Participation you undertake is done in a manner compliant with all law and regulation, does not generate any serious complaint about you (whether or not it is ultimately proven) and in such a way as to not bring giffgaff into any disrepute;
m) Not do anything or permit anyone else to do anything which we reasonably think adversely impacts the Service to other giffgaff Members or may adversely affect the Network; and
n) Not be abusive, make threats, repeatedly cause a nuisance or annoyance or otherwise act illegally towards the giffgaff community, our employees, agents or property.

If giffgaff reasonably suspects you are not acting in accordance with the conditions of this clause, and in particular if you are not using the Service for your own Personal Use, giffgaff reserves its right to impose standard Charges and/or Network protection controls (which may reduce your speed of transmission); remove a Plan and/or Payback Points from your account or block access to the Internet at any time; prevent you from purchasing further Plans; remove any free minutes allocated to you; stop your entitlement to Payback Points; and/or bar or suspend your SIM Card from the Service.

At this point it’s worth noting that the operator’s FUP states that its service is only intended for “periodic travel, like holidays or short breaks” and warns against “prolonged periods which don’t follow reasonable consumer holiday and travel patterns and behaviour“. One key paragraph is this: “If you use our services outside the UK in the EU and our other selected destinations for 63 or more days in any four-month period and you cannot demonstrate prevailing use or presence in the UK this is likely to be deemed to be an unfair use of our services.”

However, giffgaff then states that, in such cases, “standard Pay As You Go (PAYG) roaming charges will apply unless you have an active EU Zone Travel data add-on, in which case the 63-day usage limit will not apply for the duration of the add-on’s validity. We will contact you at least 14 days before any such charges apply.” In the above examples giffgaff instead proceeded straight to disconnection.

Toward the end of the operator’s FUP it then states: “If we reasonably suspect you’re not acting in accordance with this policy, we reserve the right to impose further charges or disconnect your SIM card or your plan at any time, having attempted to contact you first.”

The situation seems very unusual for an operator like giffgaff, which is normally quite highly rated by consumers and generally wouldn’t do something like this – without giving fair warning first and a chance to change – unless it felt there was a real problem or abuse that needed to be tackled.

One suggestion is that giffgaff’s new SIMs might have been activated outside the UK (in China) and then only used while overseas, which the system might flag as potentially breaking their rules (even though those rules could perhaps be clearer), although some of those complaining say their SIMs were activated in the UK. The operator also has many automated anti-fraud checks that could have been triggered, depending on the payment methods used and other factors of service use.

ISPreview chased the operator up for some clarification and comment, which largely echoed their original customer notice.

A spokesperson for giffgaff told ISPreview:

“We have identified a proportion of PAYG SIMs associated with extended or permanent use outside the UK. This is in breach of our T&Cs and a misuse of our service which is intended for primary use within the UK, with roaming provided for short-term travel only. As such the related SIMs have been disconnected.”

Separately Ofcom told ISPreview that, while it cannot resolve individual complaints, it still expects all communication providers to treat customers fairly, and if someone has a complaint, they should raise it with their provider in the first instance.

Complaints that aren’t resolved within 6 weeks (or if the deadlock stage has been reached sooner) can then be escalated to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme (giffgaff uses the Communications Ombudsman). You don’t need to be a UK resident to raise a complaint via the ADR process, which is free for consumers to use.

In the meantime, UK customers planning long trips abroad would probably appreciate some greater clarification from giffgaff, so that they don’t suffer the same sudden disconnection.