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Free laptop deals - How 'free' are they?

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If you’re in the market for a new laptop, you might be considering one of the many “free laptop” deals that are now available with some home and mobile broadband offers. But is this the best way to get yourself a new PC?

Free laptop deals compared

All UK mobile phone providers now provide a broad range of mobile broadband laptops to choose from. This includes O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.co.uk), 3 Mobile (www.Three.co.uk), Orange Mobile Broadband (www.Orange.co.uk), T-Mobile Broadband (www.T-Mobile.co.uk), Virgin Media Mobile Broadband (www.Virginmedia.com) and Vodafone Broadband (www.Vodafone.co.uk).

The price you pay on these packages will not only determine the download allowance you get, but can also often affect the specification of the laptop that you get.

Are they really free?

Of course nothing is really free, and that includes laptops. To get one of these offers you’ll generally be expected to sign a 24-month contract and pay a premium on your monthly bills.

While many of these offers might charge £30 a month for a mobile broadband package with a free laptop, for example, without the laptop you might only pay £15 a month. And over a two year contract that would cost you £360 - more than the cost of many of the netbooks that come “free” with these deals.

What these offers do more than anything, is help you to spread the cost of a new laptop - rather than give you one for free. But this means that you may end up paying out more than the laptop is actually worth.

Are 'free laptop' deals worth it?

What you need to do when considering one of these plans is find out how much the laptop is worth and compare it to the additional cost you’ll be paying each month over two years. In some cases this might only be £5 or £10 a month more, which would only be a total of £120 or £240 - and could well be worth going for.

Who benefits from these offers?

Free laptop offers appeal to anyone who can’t afford to buy a new computer outright, so a free laptop for students or those on lower incomes could actually be very useful. However, if you can afford to buy your computer separately from your broadband, that’s always advisable.

Think about the broadband too

Make sure you don’t forget about the broadband plan you’re signing up to in your excitement over your free laptop. Because the contracts are so long - 24 months in most cases - and the monthly payments higher than most standalone packages, you need to make absolutely certain that the package you’re signing up to is right for your needs.

Take into account your monthly download allowance - especially if you’re signing up for mobile broadband with a free laptop as some of the download allowances are as low as 1GB a month. You don’t want to end up with an even higher bill at the end of the month because you’ve exceeded your limit.

If you’re taking a mobile broadband free laptop make sure you have checked the mobile broadband coverage in your area before signing up, otherwise you could end up paying for a service you can barely use for two years.

Buy a laptop outright if you can

Although all free laptop and broadband deals cost more than the same package without a laptop, you won’t always end up paying significantly more than the laptop costs in shops - some deals might even save you £30 or £40. This means that if you shop around and compare broadband prices, these offers can work as a good budgeting tool for spread the cost of a new PC.

However, it is always best to try to buy your laptop outright if you can afford to do so. This will allow you to take a shorter contract on your home or mobile broadband so you won’t stay tied into an expensive, outdated package long after everyone else has moved onto faster, cheaper broadband packages with higher download allowances.

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