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Free laptop deals for students
Dear Michael, I’m a student in desperate need of a new laptop. I’ve been thinking about signing up to one of the mobile broadband free laptop offers around at the moment - are they good value or would I be better off buying a new computer outright?
Bobbie, via email on 6 April 2009
Our Broadband Expert says...
Hi Bobbie, there are loads of free laptop deals around at the moment which are great for cash-strapped students. However, there are a few things that you need to take into account before signing up:
‘Free laptop’ vs buying outright
You would almost certainly be able to save money in the long run by paying for your laptop outright.
Even if you want to go for mobile broadband anyway, you would still be better off in the long run by buying your laptop outright and opting for a standalone mobile broadband plan with a shorter contract length, allowing you to take advantage of new offers as they arise.
However, if you don’t have £300 plus to spare, paying for your laptop over the course of 24 months can be a useful way of spreading the cost of a new PC. Although you might pay more for your computer, you would have access to the internet via mobile broadband and would be able to spread the cost of your laptop into easier, more manageable payments.
Mobile broadband coverage
With mobile broadband you can’t simply sign up to the cheapest offer you find. Coverage can vary from one place to the next, with patchy signals in some urban areas so it’s vital that you compare coverage before signing up to any mobile broadband contract. Check our mobile broadband coverage guide to check coverage for your postcode.
You should also look at any recent mobile broadband awards. Consumer watchdog Which? recently named Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) and T-Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk) as the top providers. However, Virgin Media doesn’t offer a free laptop with its mobile broadband.
| Supplier | Usage limit | Contract length | Monthly charge | Dongle/Laptop costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile broadband 1GB (18 months) | 1GB | 18 months | £10.00 | £4.99 | |
| Mobile broadband 1GB (2 months) | 1GB | 2 months | £10.00 | £29.98 | |
| Mobile broadband 3GB (18 months) | 3GB | 18 months | £15.00 | £4.99 |
Contract length
Mobile broadband free laptop deals all carry 24 month contracts so you will be tying yourself in for a full two years of monthly payments to get your “free laptop”.
Over the course of the 24 month contract you will no doubt miss out on better deals with cheaper monthly payments and more generous monthly download allowances.
Download allowances
Another factor that has to be taken into account when choosing a mobile broadband free laptop deal is your monthly download allowance.
Mobile broadband download allowances are far lower than most fixed-line broadband packages - and out of bundle costs are expensive.
The highest allowance currently offered with a free laptop deal is 10GB from O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk). It offers three different spec laptops which cost £39.15 a month with the 10GB plan or £29.38 a month with a 3GB allowance.
3 Broadband (www.Three.co.uk) offers 5GB a month with a HP 550 laptop for £30, while T-Mobile also offers 5GB deals on its HP 6735s 1G laptop offer for £30 a month or its higher spec HP 6735s 3G laptop for £35 a month.
| 15GB (18 months) | 10GB (18 months) | 10GB + Asus 1005H Laptop | |||
| Monthly charge | £30.00 | £25.00 | £35.00 | ||
| Dongle/Laptop costs | Free | £3.99 | Free | ||
| Usage limit | 15GB | 10GB | 10GB | ||
| Speed (up to) | 7.2Mb | 7.2Mb | 7.2Mb | ||
| Minimum contract | 18 months | 18 months | 24 months | ||
Call Orange on 0800 072 4137 |
Most other deals offer just 1GB or 3GB a month and it’s vital that you don’t exceed this limit.
Use our free Broadband Download Monitor to track downloads and ensure that you never exceed your limit.
Netbooks with mobile broadband
Many mobile broadband free laptops offers - such as those from Orange Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk) and Vodafone Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk) - include only netbooks - some of which use Linux instead of Windows. Make sure you look at the specs of your laptop or netbook before signing up as you will want to make sure that it is compatible with all the programs you will need for your course and will be appropriate for a student researching and writing a dissertation, for example.
| 10GB + Asus 1005H Laptop | 5GB + Compaq CQ61 Laptop | Mobile broadband 3GB + Samsung NC10 Netbook | |||
| Monthly charge | £35.00 | £30.00 | £30.00 | ||
| Dongle/Laptop costs | Free | Free | Free | ||
| Usage limit | 10GB | 5GB | 3GB | ||
| Speed (up to) | 7.2Mb | 7.2Mb | 7.2Mb | ||
| Minimum contract | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months | ||
| Laptop summary |
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Compare deals
Think about whether you could pay for your laptop outright and save money in the long run. Then, if you decide that you do want to go for one of the free laptop deals, make sure that you take the time to compare offers - and mobile broadband coverage - before signing a contract.
Before you sign up to a new package make sure that you compare broadband to get the best deals.
NB Best buy tables (orange background) are always current.
Examples in the text of the article (white background) are correct at time of publication.
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