Pay as you go broadband – or PAYG Broadband - can be a useful alternative to having to enter a broadband contract for up to 2 years. It’s very useful for people who rent their homes and don’t always plan on staying in one place for a long period of time. It’s also very handy for students who might not want to buy a whole year of internet access for a house they only live in for 8 months. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about pay as you go broadband.

Can I get PAYG broadband through my phone line? Yes, several companies offer some form of reduced contract service, although your choice is very limited. Be Broadband run a package designed for students where the contract period is only 3 months long and can be renewed as much as you want, while Plusnet offer a completely contract free package with the only stipulation being that you must contact the company 10 days in advance if you want to leave. Always check comparison and broadband news sites to make sure no companies have produced any new PAYG or reduced contract offers, but these kind of deals are usually pretty rare as it is hard for companies to make back the money spent on connecting you in such a short period of time.

Is PAYG mobile broadband a good deal? Whether or not you choose mobile broadband is really down to how much you are likely to use the internet. Mobile broadband comes with many advantages – you can use it whenever and wherever you want, you can top it up so only pay for exactly what you use and it’s relatively simple and easy to use across multiple different locations and computers making it perfect people who travel. However, the service has some fairly major downsides as well. It’s much more expensive than an equivalent landline package in terms of the features, signal can vary especially in rural areas and some places might not see your mobile broadband speeds rising above even a very slow 1 Mbps. The biggest downside to PAYG mobile broadband is that you have a very strict limit on what you can download, which makes any heavy internet use like gaming, downloading or streaming impossible on the service.

What other costs are involved in PAYG broadband? When adding up the costs of a PAYG broadband service, remember that’s it’s likely that you’ll have to pay for the hardware you need to connect online, or at least pay an installation fee. Normally a contract deal will come with free hardware in order to encourage people to choose that provider. PAYG broadband is different because unless you stay with a provider for long enough, they don’t make back the costs of giving you the free hardware in the first place. Landline broadband will require you to buy a router which can cost £30 to £80 depending on the price, although these will work across any other provider you choose to use in the future. PAYG dongles typically cost £20 to £30 but will only work with the broadband of whatever company you choose to buy them from.