Free laptop broadband packages proving popular

The bonanza of a 'free' laptop when you signup for a broadband contract is again proving popular. These deals have been available for quite some time, with AOL and the Carphone Warehouse both having started these offers over twelve months ago.

When they were initially launched they proved a real hit, forcing retail outlets to ran out of stock within days of the announcement. But, sales began to stagnate once the buzz and uniqueness of the idea wore off with consumers.

Now that the credit crunch has hit shoppers ahead of Christmas, 'free' deals are proving popular, and a resurgence of interest in 'free' laptop broadband packages is occurring. Since the beginning of August these deals have accounted for a massive twenty eight percent of total broadband sales (from four percent).

The Phones 4 U retail chain are predicting their laptop/broadband package will be their top selling product for the Christmas of 2008.

Whilst on the face of it these packages may seem attractive, there are a few snags to consider. For example, the AOL deal is only tied to wireless plus broadband access, and at £19.99 is more than some stand alone access packages.

So not only can you pay more per month (five pounds at least), but you are restricted to downloading forty gigabytes of data per month. Which is fine for low usage users, but, for high end users, the stand alone AOL package at £14.99 offers unlimited downloading per month.

The contracts can also be for prolonged periods of time, sometimes as much as twenty four months.

Therefore, these deals, the AOL one at least, are not to be recommended for everyone. If you have money in the bank, you will probably save yourself money by buying a new laptop and a cheaper stand alone broadband package.

For those with immediate cash flow problems, these deals will no doubt prove tempting, and provide an ideal Christmas gift. But, do not kid yourself, these laptops are not 'free', you will be paying for it in the long run, with an increased monthly fee and in some cases an inferior ISP access package.

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