UK 4G is becoming more affordable, GiffGaff introduces £12 per month plan

UK 4G speeds may be suffering as carriers struggle to keep up with consumer demand, but at least the data service doesn’t cost an arm and a leg these days. GiffGaff has just introduced its own 30 day rolling contract 4G data plan at a very competitive price of £12 per month, albeit substantially later than its competitors began offering 4G.

£12 will grant you 500 minutes of calls, unlimited text messages and 1GB of 4G data. The £15 package bumps this up to 3G of data and the more expensive £18 per month deal includes 1,000 minutes to UK numbers and 5GB of internet usage. All bundles also include free calls to other GiffGaff customers. GiffGaff’s “goodybag” deals work as 30-day rolling contracts and can be swapped out for another bundle or cancelled at any time.

GiffGaff’s £12 package is one of the cheapest 4G SIM-only deals available in the UK right now. Vodafone’s equivalent 4G offer will set you back £16.50 a month on a 12 month contract, whilst O2’s 30-day 1GB 4G package carries a £21 p/m price tag. EE’s cheapest equivalent package costs £12.99 but only allows for a measly 250MB of data usage per month. The closest match to GiffGaff’s bargain comes from Three, which nets you 1GB of 4G data and 600 minutes for £13 every month.

If you are thinking about making the switch to a SIM-only 4G deal like this, you should always check that your handset is compatible with the network’s 4G bands. GiffGaff utilizes O2’s network, meaning that your handset will need to support the 800MHz band if you want 4G speeds.

As an added bonus, existing GiffGaff customers can upgrade to even lower cost 4G goodybags. Although the offer will return to the prices listed above come January 2015.