giffgaff FAQ

Rates in China

	Cost
Monthly fee	Free
Receiving a text	Free
Sending a text	£0.30 each
Receiving a call	£1/minute
Making a call	£1/minute
Data	£0.20/MB
Data packs	£15 for 1GB, £30 for 5GB, £45 for 10GB

Rates in other countries and regions: click here

Keeping the number

Any change in balance (spending or topping up) within 180 days extends the number by another 180 days. Do any one of the following:

• Send a text
• Use mobile data once
• Make a call (calls to emergency services and the official support line do not count)
• Top up once

Contacting mainland Chinese numbers is not recommended, because:

1. Chinese operators usually block calls and texts from abroad by default;
2. It can trigger anti-fraud controls and get the Chinese number shut down.

Finding your own number

Text number to 2020. A reply usually arrives within 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Number format for texts and calls

Say your friend's UK number is 88xxxxxx88

• To text them: put 00 + country code before the number, for example 004488xxxxxx88
• To call them: put + + country code before the number, for example +4488xxxxxx88 (press and hold 0 on the dial pad to get +)

Not receiving texts

Make sure there is a signal. If you receive official texts (for example the code when logging in to the website), the number is working normally.

If a platform's sign-up text does not arrive, the cause is usually the proxy IP or VPN; switch to a cleaner IP.

Note: for common Telegram problems and fixes, click here.

Changing the number

If you are not happy with the number assigned to you (or it has been used before), you can change it. The new one is assigned at random too.

1. Open https://www.giffgaff.com/profile/details/getnumber and click Get a new giffgaff number;
2. Enter your password, then click Change my number;
3. You are taken to the profile and settings page; wait for the new number to appear.

Notes:

1. The number cannot be changed between 5:30 am and 1:00 pm China time;
2. The new number and balance can take up to 4 hours to show in the account;
3. Stay on Wi-Fi throughout;
4. Each account can change its number twice; the second change has to wait 24 hours.

Calls fail with "restrictions are set"

In the phone's settings, turn off automatic operator selection and choose China Mobile by hand.

Checking the balance

• On the website: https://www.giffgaff.com/dashboard
• In the giffgaff app

Topping up

1. Log in at https://www.giffgaff.com/ and click Add credit
2. Choose the amount and payment method, click Continue and follow the prompts

Note: top up with a credit card bearing the VISA or MasterCard logo, or contact us to top up for you.