Vodafone TopUp & Go Mobile Broadband

[parklifeclothes]

Following on from the free 3 dongle thread, I wanted something that had a longer life on the credit and have just found/brought a Vodafone TopUp & Go Mobile Broadband that comes complete with £15 worth of credit that only has to be used once in a 6 month period and the credit will last for a max of 270 days. It can only be topped up in £15 chunks from either the desktop app or top up shops and needs no converting unlike the 3 version. Costs £39 (inc £15 credit) but Vodafone shops seem to have an offer on so got mine yesterday for £34 for 1GB. Probably not enough for all but overall for the back up it gives will be good value.

[pinbrook]

Yep i agree vodafone is good. i use it when i'm in Spain with a PAYG valid for 90days (much better than 3's 30 days). I've also got an old datacard that needs the old data slot but not all laptops have this slot anymore.

I got the free 3 offer becuase it was free - I might look into getting it unlocked though

[Duncan Rounding]

Sounds like a good deal. The big advantage I think of Vodafone over 3 for me would be coverage not cost.

[Fairyglass]

I've had a 3 dongle for about 8 months, and coverage is patchy. We trade at many festivals, so I am often working in a field somewhere- strangely in remote Welsh valleys 3 is pretty good, while at my mother's house in Somerset where it's flat there's absolutely no reception at all.
I've found it difficult to top up online- when you're out of credit you don't get much of a warning and logging in to add funds can be a problem. The Vodafone one sounds good if, like me, you are likely to use this more often than as a backup- as Duncan says the coverage alone is likely to be better.

[Froogle]

I've had a 3 dongle for about 8 months, and coverage is patchy. We trade at many festivals, so I am often working in a field somewhere- strangely in remote Welsh valleys 3 is pretty good, while at my mother's house in Somerset where it's flat there's absolutely no reception at all.
I've found it difficult to top up online- when you're out of credit you don't get much of a warning and logging in to add funds can be a problem. The Vodafone one sounds good if, like me, you are likely to use this more often than as a backup- as Duncan says the coverage alone is likely to be better.

three have changed their terms and conditions so if you're in contract you can get out of it. They've taken off the free roaming

[Duncan Rounding]

...They've taken off the free roaming

IIRC they only offered free roaming in Hong Kong or somewhere and some other distant land anyway.

I now have both 3 and a Vodafone PAYT dongles and have found the coverage so much better with vodafone albeit at 1.5 times the price for data - not that that worries me as 1Gb will last me more than a month or so anyway.