Are Free Laptop with mobile broadband deals not as good as they seem?

We’ve all seen the various advertisements for free Laptops in stores. They started being promoted a couple of years ago for customers signing up to ADSL contracts, but the market has really jumped forward now that mobile broadband has taken off. All of the major providers are offering laptops for free providing you sign up for a contract with them to provide you with the broadband connection, but is getting a free laptop really worth the cost?

The key is to do your sums carefully. Forget all the marketing about getting something free – you’re not, you’re just paying for your laptop and broadband monthly rather than in a lump sum. The company will regain the money for the system no matter what. However, that doesn’t mean that ‘free’ laptops don’t ever make good deals. Sometimes combining the hardware with a broadband package can save you anywhere between £30 and £100 – providing you do find the right deal and do your maths.

The best place to do the shopping for these sorts of deals is usually online, where you have the time to do your research and think properly about your purchase. The last thing you want when you’re trying to work out the best way to buy a new laptop is a salesman trying to push the latest technology on you. In just a few minutes online you can quickly figure out if your deal is worth it or not.

First, find the deal you are looking for and check the contract for any hidden costs or charges. Find out the length of the contract and the price per month as well any additional information such as warranty and delivery charges and add them all up – that’s the total your new laptop should really cost. Now, find a similar broadband package online using a comparison site and find your laptop available without a bundle – Google shopping is good for this task. Add up the price of a similar contract and the laptop along with the all the additional costs and you’ll have those two important figures.

If you’re using a decent retailer what you’ll usually find is the bundle deal is usually slightly cheaper, although not by much. Sometimes you can find special deals on mobile broadband that’ll give you reduced rates, faster speeds or free months that can quickly make a bundled deal seem obsolete, so the important thing is to shop around and look for special offers and anything that could reduce the price of your purchase. Resist impulse buying as you’ll often regret it a year later when you’re still on a far more expensive package than everyone else.

Of course, some people prefer paying monthly and if you do these deals are often a very good way of doing so that doesn’t involve any interest. However, it’s vital you check the terms of the contract and are as certain as possible that you’ll be able to pay every month as there can hefty charges involved in missing a payment. Much like any form of credit; this can quickly spiral into bad debt.

Both laptops and mobile broadband are advancing quickly in terms of hardware and value, so keep in mind that you’ll be stuck with your current options, often for two years, with no way out if better deals come along.

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