I think the key point here is that I, and I think others, are not using the sim to consume large amounts of data, calls etc - itās a way of being able to receive very periodic texts for services that require security verificationā¦at low cost. And itās not using goodybags, simply adding a small amount of credit to the sim.
Agree - looks heavy!, however this for their āgoodybagsā, i.e a monthly allowance.
For PAYG, I think they just charge the same in France - and if one only wants to receive texts (or even calls) theres no charge under PAYG tarrif.
That said, your first highlight clearly says āservicesā for periodic travel, itās just I donāt think thereās any enforcement clause for PAYG.
I had a monthly plan with lebara and they said theyād start to charge me to receive calls in France - thatās why I moved some finance accounts which use call authentication over to giffgaff - and stopped the lebara plan, saved 60 quid so far for something I didnt use anyway 
Unfortunately that savings now being used up with for a SFR non-deal which I signed up to on the phone - lesson - donāt do purchases over the phone in French! (until of course duolingo delivers the goods!) 
The point I was trying to make is all telco have these clauses hidden in the fair useage policies. People look for the roaming restrictions, not the fair use restrictions. They can amend them at will since they are not part of the t&c, and then enforce them. So donāt complain if they do. For Three, I hardly used my UK sim abroad, but since it was a dual sim they were aware the SIM was in France whenever my phone was turned on, since it registers with the cell phone towers. They knew it had not been back to the UK for 2 months, and they then informed me the sim would be deactivated until it returned to the UK, but I would be required to continue paying for the service until the end of the contract. I had been working/living abroad with a Three phone for over 4 years and then suddenly during covid/post formal brexit, the fair usage policy changed.
As for Vyke, their support service is outstanding, they answer all emails promptly and you communicate with a single person. They keep you informed of the porting process. The reviews look bad, but then for these review sites you only use them to complain. Most people get on with their lives if the service worksā¦ I have never bothered rating them, but am certainly happy to recommend them.
Prixtel is a good value French SIM. 4.99 euros for 30Gb/month and the UK is included in their roaming plan
Iām in exactly the same position, @letsmile - normally use my French mobile so the occasional use of texts costing 10p on Giffgaff is well worth it!
Thank you for the reassurance @AngelaR and @letsmile. I will be in exactly the same situation and need nothing more complex / sophisticated.
This thread has motivated me to get my arse in gear. Iāve only been using my Vodafone number to receive 2FA codes, and paying more than I need to. I think Iāve actually got a bunch of GiffGaff SIM cards lying around too (from when we suddenly needed to enable the company to work from home at short notice). Plus Iām heading back to the UK in a couple of weeks. Seems daft not to switch.
Ratsā¦ Iāve just found the leftover SIM cards but theyāre all for 3 not GiffGaff. Does anyone know if GiffGaff will send a SIM to France? I can activate it in the UK but would be handy to get it delivered here.
Yes they will but to be sure I paid a fiver to Amazon to get mine. I think @suepj may have ordered hers directly.
Why not use your 3 sims? They operate on exactly the same principle and wouldnāt cost to anything to have a goā¦ I had one in my mifi but didnāt use it for ages and it expired. I tried to order a new one but they donāt deliver to France and ordering one to arrive at my friendās uk address didnāt work either!
By the way, you can definitely activate Giffgaff cards here - Iāve done it twice recently!
Thanks, Angela. I might try and order one just in caseā¦ Iām currently paying Vodafone a fortune just to receive the occasional text message every few weeks.
If 3 is as cheap as GiffGaff then yeah I guess I could just give it a whirl.
Cheers.
My situation exactly!
Iāll let you know when it arrives.
Ordered SIM from Giffgaff on 17th. Arrived today in France 22nd.
Very easy to set up. Glad I checked here as I probably would have gone for one of their packages not realising pay as you go is an option shown at the bottom of the list. Put Ā£10 on my SIM.
The hardest part was getting the two SIM cards (Sosh and Giffgaff) to stay in the tray!
In all took me about 20 minutes to set up from opening the envelope.
As I havenāt a UK phone number to port I have taken theirs. I will now put that into my Barclaycard details and hopefully I can now order my remedies from Helios in the UK.
Thanks everyone for your contributions to this thread.
Thanks, Sue. Appreciate the update.
Glad it worked OK @SuePJ - I should have mentioned about not needing to supply an existing number and also scrolling down in order not to select a package, which would expire on you in 30 days, but clearly you managed fine!
Iāve now got the new number registered with two banks and a supplier and it all works really well.
(I now need something similar for France as I want a separate sim for my mifi but thatās another topic altogether)
Yes pleased it worked @SuePJ - itās been great for me as saved me shelling out every month for something i donāt need! And itās so easy to get set up isnāt it 
Why do you need a separate SIM for your mifi? I think you may br able to get a second SIM on the same account for that? Itās usually called by a name that doesnāt hint thatās what you may well use it for. Networks seem to vary from giving it free (eg on promo as part of the offering) or 10 euros to cut the SIM.
Youād need to make it clear the multisim or extra sim or whatever they call it is tor use in a data device - Orange calls a mifi an Airbox for instance even if itās not theirs.
Thanks Karen. Iāve already been looking at Orange, who are my providers, but they seem to have stopped multisims - or at least they have when I try and get one! Thatās why Iām looking at doing something independently. Itās only for emergencies and when travelling so I donāt need a great deal.
However, I donāt want to deviate too far from the thread so Iāll start a different one if I donāt make any headway myself!
Iād be grateful for an explanation please for a text I received earlier from Giffgaff:
It looks like you have not had any previous usage in the UK, so for now you can roam like at home but in two weeks time roaming in the EU and selected destinations will be charged from your balance.
No idea what this means. Help please.
Its no prob. You means you will be on roaming rates which = PAYG rates anyway as you donāt have a package (goodyback). I got these all the time - even when turning on the phone in the UK!
Usage is measured by doing something chargeable. So you wonāt have anything chargeable!
Welcome to the giffgaff world, as they say. A few days ago I got my giffgaff birthday e-mail - 12 years old!
Itās quite funā¦