O2 Mobile broadband monthly as opposed to a contract? [ Edited ]

[Anonymous]

On the O2 mobile broadband section there appears to be two options,either to sign up for a 18 month contract or to pay monthly. Since the price is the same for either option, I assume most people would opt for the monthly option so they aren't tied in to a contract?

What is the incentive to sign up for an 18 month contract when you can seemingly get the same deal as a monthly PAYG for the same price?

Can someone tell me if the monthly option is a rolling contract that can be cancelled at anytime, or is there a catch?

Is payment for the monthly option automatically done via direct debit, or do you pay for a month as as when you want a month?

http://shop.o2.co.uk/promo/o2mobilebroa ... ab/1_month

[perksie Level 69: Guiding Light]

On pay monthly you are tied in for the length of the contract.

On PAYG you can just buy a day, week or month as and when you need it.

You must top up once every 6 months to keep the sim active.

I only use this when away from home, so a contract is not worth it for me.

I believe you can also use this to get a Home Broadband discount of £5 a month, if you top up by £10 every 3 months.

[Anonymous]

So is a month £10 for 1GB + Unlimited Wi-Fi, as it seems to suggest in the link above? It has two tabs, one saying 18 months and one saying 1 month. They're both the same price.

It seems strange to me that they would charge the same on PAYG as they would for a contract. Why would anyone sign up to a contract in that case?

I tried signing up for the one month option and the application asked me to set up a DD. This would suggest to me that even though it's advertised as one month, it's actually not? Why would they ask me to set up a DD if I were only looking to purchase mobile broadband for one month?

[perksie Level 69: Guiding Light]

The 1 month option is a monthly rolling contract, so you need to give a months notice to cancel.

With the PAYG option you just buy what and when you need it ie a day, a week or a month.

You will need to pass a credit check for the pay monthly option, which is why they want evidence of a credit card.

The PAYG option can only be topped up by credit/debit card online at the O2 top up page.

[Anonymous]

Ahh ok,no doubt the PAYG is more expensive than the one month rolling contract?

[perksie Level 69: Guiding Light]

I don't think it's bad:

http://shop.o2.co.uk/promo/o2mobilebroa ... Pay_and_Go

You also get free wi-fi at BT Openzone and The Cloud hotspots.

That's while you're in credit on PAYG.

[Anonymous]

It's not too bad if you go for the monthly option at £15 a month. But like yourself, I'd only need it intermittently and £7.50 for a weeks internet is a bit much when you compare it to some other networks.