Any dongles where your credit doesn't expire?

[Iggi999]

I'd planned to get DH a dongle so he could use laptop on holiday, for his birthday next week. So, very occassional use only.
BUT I now see that the pay-as-you-go type dongles remove your credit after 30 days.
Been googling but cannot find what I need, can anyone help?
Thank you!

Three do a couple of offers where you get either 3 GB or 90 days usage, or at a higher level, 12 GB or 365 days, so everything stops at the end of the appropriate period.

On Ebay I have seen (and bought) some SIMs which have the 3 GB data 'pre-loaded' (someone splitting the SIM pack from the Dongle to sell them separately for a few extra quid I assume), and often priced at under a tenner (I think I was in luck and paid 7.99)... where normally a top-up of 10.00 only gets 1 GB.

I will double check but think either Vodafone or T-Mobile have offered SIMs where the data doesn't expire (at least, not within a year of when first used) but my dongle is tied to Three and I now have a working landline (was having problems, so contract was providing 15 GB of data a month).

Incidentally, I know people think some of these dongles are slow but I used over 9 GB during a 30-ish hour period (downloading mostly, and no, nothing illegal, just Linux CD images). Since Openreach fixed my phone line and installed a new master socket, a couple of weeks ago, I have hardly needed to use the dongle, but felt I should at least use a reasonable chunk of the 15 GB that has been paid for (ended up I used about 12.5 GB instead of nearly the whole 15) - maybe time for me to cancel the contract, get a 3 GB SIM "just in case" and know I have a reserve method of getting online (as I sometimes have to remote-control client PCs - helped 2 with problems on Friday, one on Merseyside, the other in South Wales, so having some connection is quite important for me).

vodafone when I last looked (about a year ago)
but no reception where we are!
The rest are a con!

Just a further thought - with the link up / merger between Orange and T-Mobile, things might be "up in the air" about which direction they go on billing and all sorts of things.

I don't remember which one will have the controlling interest, but it may mean some of the T-Mobile deals (like not expiring the data after 30 days) end in the next few months while staff get trained to the "Orange" way of doing things (including Orange products and marketing).

Oh thank you both. (Feeling proud at actually understanding what Network guy said!)
I'm a bit more knowledgeable prior to throwing self on mercy of the shops tomorrow.
will maybe just get him socks

Worth checking coverage - the networks should have a check where you enter post codes of places he might need to use dongle.

Good luck -with- -the- -choice- -of- -socks- :)

rats forgot to double the hyphens

Sounds like Voda is worth a try...

If possible, see if you can get the dongle for under 25 quid. I know some charge 50+ but you might be able to find a deal in somewhere like Asda Living (they had dongles for as low as 20 quid the other week when I was in town)...

Check for SIMs on Ebay as well as what the Vodafone shop or Carphone/etc offer.

"Three" I think offer what you want.

But the coverage is spotty.

Even the initial quantity of data seems limited to 90 or 365 days, and top-ups to a month, as far as I have seen, for Three, BICBW.

As stated, have had 3 GB/ 90 days SIMs off Ebay...

You need to get hold of the older vodaphone one which are white, they were selling them off earlier in the year. You can still get hold of the sims for them on ebay with £15 pre loaded credit on them which carries over to the next month for about £9 when I last bought one.

Thank you all. I wonder why they all went over to expiring ones, you'd think there'd be a demand for the other tyoe. (Though I guess we are over a barrel so they can sell what they like!)
Haven't made my purchase yet, but I think I know what to ask for, thanks to sage advice.

Thank you all. I wonder why they all went over to expiring ones, you'd think there'd be a demand for the other tyoe. (Though I guess we are over a barrel so they can sell what they like!)
Haven't made my purchase yet, but I think I know what to ask for, thanks to sage advice.

Hello, just to finish my tale of dongles, bought a 3 one over a vodafone in the end as the vodafone tops up were £15 min (I was told) which seemed very steep for what I'm needing. Its only 1gb though, so won't be able to commandeer the laptop for mumsnetting on while on holiday next week! (Next thread will need to be one about why my blackberry always double posts...)
Thanks for all the responses.

Hello, just to finish my tale of dongles, bought a 3 one over a vodafone in the end as the vodafone tops up were £15 min (I was told) which seemed very steep for what I'm needing. Its only 1gb though, so won't be able to commandeer the laptop for mumsnetting on while on holiday next week! (Next thread will need to be one about why my blackberry always double posts...)
Thanks for all the responses.