Cheap UK mobile broadband deal
Written by Karen Bryan
Update 1 January 2012 – I’ve received four out of the five cashbacks with no problems, just one more to go at the end of the month.
Update 24 August 2010 – I’ve updated the free gifts which have changed since my purchase last month.
I just signed up for an 18 month mobile broadband deal with O2. The USB modem (dongle) is free, the monthly cost of the contract is £15 which includes a 3GB allowance and unlimited wifi at hotspots such as the Cloud. The current mobiles.co.uk promotion offers 3 months free plus one of these free gifts:
1 An £30 automatic cashback
2 8 months free line rental by redemption made through 5 separate claims in months 6,9, 12, 15 and 18 of your contract
My netbook with USB modem (dongle) in left USB port
I selected the 13 months free line rental, which I know from experience is a bit of a fiddle. You have to make sure you follow the instructions very carefully to get all your cashbacks. I’ve used mobiles.co.uk previously, they are part of CarphoneWarehouse and received cashbacks from them with no problems. However I have read about customers not receiving redemption cashbacks from other retailers, so you might prefer to play it safe and go for the £60 automatic cashback.
As a travel blog editor I need to stay online when I’m travelling around the UK. With many hotels charging up to £15 for 24 hours internet access and/or the signal not being decent, I find it’s always wise to have a mobile internet option. When I bought my netbook in February 2009, I spent a lot of time researching the best UK mobile broadband package for my usage. I’ve been using O2 mobile broadband on the Pay As You Go basis since September 2009. Overall I’m happy with the signal.
However I was prompted into looking at alternative mobile broadband arrangements when 02 recently changed the Pay As You Go mobile broadband options from 1 day, 7 days or 30 days to only 1 day and 30 days, while also reducing the data allowance from 3GB to 2GB on the 30 day package. I had a good look around for the best current UK mobile broadband deals and this 18 month mobile broadband deal with O2 through mobiles.co.uk was the best I could find.
Disclosure
I’ll receive a commission if you sign up to this 02 mobile broadband contract
Please read the terms and conditions of the contract very carefully, as this post is based on my personal research for my own mobile broadband usage requirements and my understanding of the current mobiles.co.uk deal.
The alternative is that if you have a smartphone which you can “tether” such as an Android powered HTC Desire. You simply connect the smartphone to the laptop by way of USB cable and off you go.
I use this whenever I need mobile broadband on the go… I signed up to Virgin Mobile (uses T-Mobile network) on the rolling one-month contract for £15 a month. This includes “unlimited” internet usage – think thats 6GB a month.
Caveat – Virgin Mobile will not let you use the phone abroad for the first three months.
Kyle – thanks for your tips. I like O2 mobile broadband as it includes the wifi hotspots in addition the 3G, which is enough for my needs. With the cashbacks and free 3 months I should only pay £30 for the 18 month contract.
Hello…have you researched mobile broadband deals for the European continent? Last time I was there I took my iPod Touch and tried to use free wifi, but this did not work very well. It was hard to find free wifi spots so I gave up and used internet cafes. I would like to see an option that is useable all over the continent for next time I’m there. Any ideas?
Rhonda – I have only looked briefly at mobile broadband for mainland Europe and the prices were so high that I, like you, decided to rely on free hotel wifi or cafes/bars offering free wifi.
In theory the FON network should be available globally but I’ve never had much luck finding hotspots:
http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2009/04/13/fon-offers-free-worldwide-wifi-too-good-to-be-true/
Maybe the FON coverage has improved since I last tried, I’ll give it a go when I’m in Malaga in September.