giffgaff cut some overseas roamers, then called it a mistake and added £10

What happened

giffgaff tightened rules around long overseas roaming and turned some prepaid accounts off. ISPreview wrote this up in early August. Those first letters said the number was used long-term or permanently outside the UK, and leftover credit would not be refunded.

A second official email is now showing up for some users. It says service was disconnected in error. The company apologizes and says it is restoring accounts over the next few days. If the line is still dead after 48 hours, restart the phone. It also adds £10 credit and calls that a goodwill payment.

The second half of the letter restates the rules. The account needs regular, ongoing use in the UK to stay active under the terms. Overseas roaming is for short trips. The SIM is aimed at UK residents for UK use or temporary travel, not extended or permanent use abroad. If that does not fit, it says you can port out.

This letter is only in some inboxes. People who already ported away or whose numbers were cleared may not get the old SIM back. Check your own email and account page.

The August cuts were abrupt. ISPreview said there was no abuse warning first, and the letter called itself a final position. Complaints often named roaming outside the EU. China came up most. Some people had topped up only days earlier. A user named Ana said she activated an eSIM on 3 June, lost the line 56 days later, and was not refunded the remaining £9.70 at the time.

giffgaff told ISPreview it had identified prepaid SIMs tied to long or permanent overseas use, treated that as a terms breach, and disconnected those SIMs. Clause 5.3 also says that once credit is on the account, the company has no duty to refund it unless law or a regulator forces it.

The fair-use policy still has a four-month / 63-day ruler for the EU and selected destinations. That path is supposed to move you onto standard roaming rates with at least 14 days’ notice. The August cases did not use that path. They went straight to a cut. The restore letter now labels some of those cuts a mistake.

Ofcom still wants you to complain to the operator first. If it is not fixed in six weeks, you can file free with the Communications Ombudsman. You can do that from outside the UK.

ISPreview report giffgaff terms giffgaff roaming

Carddoger take

Keep two facts apart. Some accounts were cut for long overseas roaming. Some users then got mail saying that cut was wrong, the line should return in a few days, and £10 should land if they qualify.

If you got the restore letter, check email and the account, then try SMS. After 48 hours, restart the phone as the letter says. £10 is goodwill in that mail. The same letter still wants regular UK use.

If you did not get the letter, do not assume you are on the restore list. If you already ported out, trust the account page.

If you live overseas and only keep this SIM alive, the risk is still there. The letter is plain. The service is for UK residents. Overseas use is short travel. Regular UK use is required. Another risk review can still happen.

Official email, the account page, the terms, and the fair-use policy win. This is public reporting plus user copies of official mail. It is not advice to keep or port a number.