What date to switch

matofender

Hi all - my 24month contract with O2 is coming to an end (contract renewal date is 15th December) and I want to switch to GiffGaff. I have already received a GiffGaff SIM.

Presumably I want to do the following things, though I'm not sure on what dates I need to do them for best efficieny:
1. Notify O2 I won't be renewing my contract
2. Ask for a code to transfer my number
3. Activate my GiffGaff sim/give GiffGaff the transfer code
4. Add a goodybag to the GiffGaff sim.

I'm not sure in which order and on what dates I need to do these things. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

daleski75

matofender wrote: »

Hi all - my 24month contract with O2 is coming to an end (contract renewal date is 15th December) and I want to switch to GiffGaff. I have already received a GiffGaff SIM.

Presumably I want to do the following things, though I'm not sure on what dates I need to do them for best efficieny:
1. Notify O2 I won't be renewing my contract
2. Ask for a code to transfer my number
3. Activate my GiffGaff sim/give GiffGaff the transfer code
4. Add a goodybag to the GiffGaff sim.

I'm not sure in which order and on what dates I need to do these things. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

I think you are pretty much spot on with the order to do things with and you can top up the goody bag before you give giffgaff your pac code and you just have a temporary number until it goes across.

One thing to bear in mind is I also went to gift gaff for a short period of time and found one very big limitation if you have any issues you cannot phone or speak to any customer services and have to rely on other users in the forum *helpful bunch* or wait until a forum admin can take a look for you which is upwards of 3 to 4 days.

This is from experience after I transferred my number from O2 to giffgaff and hit issues which they could not resolve after 2 weeks of lots of posts.

Not wanting to scare you as their tariff's are excellent value for money just want to make you aware if you hit any issues don't expect a quick fix.

Neil49

I switched from giffgaff to O2 and also had problems with transferring my number.

I think it may be because giffgaff use the O2 network and you are basically transferring your number within the same network.

Don't let this put you off switching as giffgaff are ok. Yes, as daleski75says, they have their limitations, but you end up with a competitive price for what you get and no contract issues. I only switched for specific reasons but would still recommend them.

daleski75

I'd recommend them as well and if you do hit any snags it's just as easy to get a pac code and move elsewhere as you have no 12 month commitments etc.

matofender

Do I have to give O2 notice that I'm not carrying on my contract? Should I do the PAC transfer say the day before my contract ends?

grumbler

Yes, give them a notice today or tomorrow. You can ask for PAC later and they have up to 2 hours to issue it.

matofender

How long does a PAC code last?

It worries me just a little bit that two of the people who've replied to this thread have given a heads-up about the service. I don't really want to be left without a phone for several days if something goes wrong!

Have other people run into problems porting their number from O2, or run into any data coverage/uptime issues with GiffGaff?

The thing is Tesco Mobile's new iPhones SIM-only deals are competitively priced and it's making me indecisive!

gjchester

grumbler wrote: »

Yes, give them a notice today or tomorrow. You can ask for PAC later and they have up to 2 hours to issue it.

remember that requesting the PAC de-=activates the notice to cancel.

If you don't use it in time the "old" contract reverts to it's old rolling 30 day contract.

stugib

gjchester wrote: »

remember that requesting the PAC de-=activates the notice to cancel.

Also remember even if you use the PAC early you'll still pay O2 for the remainder of the 30 days, so the most cost-effective way is to request your PAC then use it ~25 days later to transfer to GiffGaff then add a goodybag.

I've just ported to them from Orange, went very smoothly. Impressed with coverage and data speed so far - you're just using the O2 network anyway and I don't see any signs of Giffgaff getting a worse service (or if they do it's still a hell of a lot better than Orange).

matofender

So wait sorry I'm still a bit confused - I gave the 30 days notice to cancel and they've told me that when my contract ends (15th Dec) that it won't be renewed and I won't be moved to a rolling contract.

So when should I request the PAC?

grumbler

As above (or in bold below). If you request the PAC it lasts for 30 days, then expires.

If you port the number before the 15th you pay until the 15th regardless.
If you don't port before the 15th the contract continues as as 1 month rolling contract (regardless of the notice).
If you port the number after the 15th, but before the PAC expires, this terminates the contract you pay extra pro-rate.