Big Issue vendors set to earn close to half a million additional earnings by 2027 via giffgaff partnership

• giffgaff will offer all Big Issue vendors across the UK with a refurbished phone through which they can take contactless payments
• giffgaff will also provide 400 jobseekers who face barriers to work with devices to support their job search with Big Issue Recruit

Today (Thursday 21 November) Big Issue Group and giffgaff have launched an ambitious, multi-year partnership which will see devices offered to every Big Issue vendor across the UK, allowing them to increase earnings through contactless payments on their mobile phones.

The new partnership builds on a trial year which saw 250 Big Issue vendors use giffgaff devices to increase their magazine sales by an average of 30% – which could mean up to an extra £520 per year for each vendor. giffgaff will now be equipping all vendors across the UK with refurbished devices, which could mean the same uplift in sales, equating to an additional £468,000 in their combined earnings by 2027 ^[1].

A new strand to Big Issue and giffgaff’s partnership will also see them support Big Issue Recruit, which was set up by Big Issue Group two years ago to help people facing barriers to work find sustainable, long-term work.

In its first year of operation alone, Big Issue Recruit registered and supported 109 candidates, delivering more than £755,000 in social value^[2]. With job applications, interviews, and training programs increasingly exclusively online, giffgaff will help expand this model by providing a further 400 Big Issue Recruit jobseekers with phones to support their job search and help them progress into roles they love.

Digital exclusion is a significant barrier for people in poverty wanting to work and earn. The Good Things Foundation reports that, as of 2024, 7.5 million working-age adults in the UK lack the basic skills they need for work, including lack of access to reliable internet, adequate devices, or digital skills. This lack of connectivity restricts access to essential services like job applications and benefit claims^[3]. With the partnership focusing on tackling digital exclusion, Big Issue and giffgaff are on a mission together to use the power of connectivity to improve livelihoods and change lives, connecting more people to their potential.    

Ash Schofield, giffgaff chief executive, said: “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Big Issue Group, providing more refurbished devices so that every vendor across the UK can take cashless payments and connect to essential services and support.

“And we’re going even further, by extending our support to Big Issue Recruit. Connectivity plays a key role in unlocking access to opportunity, so we will provide smartphones and funding to boost digital skills and confidence to play our part in helping people break the cycle of poverty, empowering them to achieve their potential.”

In addition to the devices and Big Issue Recruit, giffgaff will provide funding to support vendors and other marginalised groups improve their digital skills and confidence.

Russell Blackman, Big Issue Managing Director, said: “At the Big Issue, our mission is creating income generating opportunities for marginalised people. This groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with giffgaff helps us crack one of the most significant barriers for people experiencing poverty – digital exclusion – and means we’ll improve the lives of many more vendors and Big Issue Recruit candidates.

“Thanks to these devices and wider support from giffgaff, we’ll strengthen our means of communication between vendors and our support teams, allowing our vendors to access our services much easier. We’re very grateful for giffgaff’s continued support and excited for this new chapter in our partnership.”

With the partnership rolling out prior to Christmas, when Big Issue vendors typically see an increase in sales, this fresh commitment and support from giffgaff will help to unlock crucial earning potential for sellers.

Dorina, who sells the Big Issue in London, and previously received a giffgaff device has called it a “big help”, explaining: “Being cashless is good. I used to have a card reader, but it broke in the rain. Now I can just use my phone, my customers touch [their cards] on my phone and that’s it. It’s Christmas coming up. Not many people carry cash.”

You can support a vendor this festive season by buying a magazine from a vendor in the street, subscribing online, making a financial contribution or buying a Big Issue Vendor Support Kit for £35 at bigissue.com/christmas.

[1] giffgaff will now be equipping all vendors across the UK with refurbished devices, which could mean the same uplift in sales, equating to an additional £468,000 in their combined earnings by 2027: Calculated based on a previous sample of vendors that looked at their average sales volume, pre and post, becoming cashless.  Once a vendor has been enabled to take cashless payments, on average they can earn an additional £10 (5 magazines) per week.  This figure has then been multiplied by the volume of handsets giffgaff will be providing and again by the length of the partnership in order to achieve the potential combined figure of £468k in additional earnings.

[2] In its first year of operation alone, Big Issue Recruit registered and supported 109 candidates, delivering more than £755,000 in social value: With a total cost base of £278,000 this means BIR’s social cost/benefit ratio was £1 : £2.72 or, for every £1 spent on operational costs £2.72 of social value was delivered.

[3] As found in Our Digital Nation, Good Things Foundation, published 25/04/2024: https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/policy-and-research/research-and-evidence/research-2024/digital-nation.html