mobile broadband as backup

terra_ferma

I bought this in a hurry because the internet was down, but didn't need to use it:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5491119.htm
which is the same as this
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-broadband/daily-mobilebroadband-plus/usb-stick-e3131-payg/
It has a £10 top up voucher, I believe with an expiry date of 30 days.

what I can't work you is how much time I have to activate the dongle, I know if it's not used for 180 days after you have activated they will cancel the plan and you lose your credit as well. If I keep it for emergencies only, and I don't need for let's say in 1 or 2 years, will it still be working and allow me to purchase credit?

However I also found this information in a different forum :

Once you've used up all your data, we'll automatically re-direct you to My3 where you can buy another top-up if you need it.

True.

But, depending on your bank, you might need another Internet connection to allow the connection to your bank's security system.

I can not re-ativate my 3 dongle without using another Internet connection. (although dial-up will do)

Is it right that banks won't let you connect using a usb dongle?
Which makes it useless as a backup because you are supposed to use it when you can't access your regular broadband.

I'm confused. I hope someone who has got one, or knows more about it, can shed some light

Paul_01

There is no problem using internet banking through a dongle.

NiftyDigits

terra_ferma wrote: »

I bought this in a hurry because the internet was down, but didn't need to use it:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5491119.htm
which is the same as this
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-broadband/daily-mobilebroadband-plus/usb-stick-e3131-payg/
It has a £10 top up voucher, I believe with an expiry date of 30 days.

what I can't work you is how much time I have to activate the dongle, I know if it's not used for 180 days after you have activated they will cancel the plan and you lose your credit as well. If I keep it for emergencies only, and I don't need for let's say in 1 or 2 years, will it still be working and allow me to purchase credit?

However I also found this information in a different forum :
Is it right that banks won't let you connect using a usb dongle?
Which makes it useless as a backup because you are supposed to use it when you can't access your regular broadband.

I'm confused. I hope someone who has got one, or knows more about it, can shed some light

If you don't use it for a year, the SIM inside will be useless. But you can order another SIM for a £1 or £2.

terra_ferma

Paul_01 wrote: »

There is no problem using internet banking through a dongle.

Glad to hear that, perhaps they meant they can't go through the payment processing bit, for example the verified by visa bit when you enter your password.
But I hope the information I have is wrong.

terra_ferma

NiftyDigits wrote: »

If you don't use it for a year, the SIM inside will be useless. But you can order another SIM for a £1 or £2.

I hadn't thought of that.
The information about the dongle only said it would be deactivated after 180 days, but didn't say anything about how long a sim would remain usable for. The problem is, my internet is very reliable, it's never really properly been down since I've had it, like 6-7 years, and power cuts only happen once a year or less.
I don't really need to access the internet with a dongle, I use my mobile phone, so it's a redundant bit of equipment that I would need in case of an emergency. I could diarise dates when I need to top up, order a new sim etc, but I need to be certain how this would work.

NiftyDigits

terra_ferma wrote: »

I hadn't thought of that.
The information about the dongle only said it would be deactivated after 180 days, but didn't say anything about how long a sim would remain usable for. The problem is, my internet is very reliable, it's never really properly been down since I've had it, like 6-7 years, and power cuts only happen once a year or less.
I don't really need to access the internet with a dongle, I use my mobile phone, so it's a redundant bit of equipment that I would need in case of an emergency. I could diarise dates when I need to top up, order a new sim etc, but I need to be certain how this would work.

They meant the SIM within. The dongle will remain unaffected.

Blue_Max

NiftyDigits wrote: »

If you don't use it for a year, the SIM inside will be useless. But you can order another SIM for a £1 or £2.

I bought a PAYG Mobile Broadband SIM with 1 GB from 3.
The 1 GB data expire after a month. But is it a month after the SIM is activated or one month after purchase?
Could not find anything in their T&C about this.
If I have one year to activate the SIM, that would be great!
Any advice?

Jackie

Usage starts from when you activate the sim.

NiftyDigits

Blue_Max wrote: »

I bought a PAYG Mobile Broadband SIM with 1 GB from 3.
The 1 GB data expire after a month. But is it a month after the SIM is activated or one month after purchase?
Could not find anything in their T&C about this.
If I have one year to activate the SIM, that would be great!
Any advice?

Again, you can buy a separate SIM when yours has been used.

Blue_Max

Blue_Max wrote: »

I bought a PAYG Mobile Broadband SIM with 1 GB from 3.
The 1 GB data expire after a month. But is it a month after the SIM is activated or one month after purchase?
Could not find anything in their T&C about this.
If I have one year to activate the SIM, that would be great!
Any advice?

Thanks Jackie and Nifty for the answers but it looks like my question was not clear.

I don't want to use the SIM as I have no need for it right now. But would like to keep the 1GB data as a backup.
Am I correct in assuming that the one month to use up the data start from the day it is activated?
How long do I have to activate the SIM?

NiftyDigits

Blue_Max wrote: »

Thanks Jackie and Nifty for the answers but it looks like my question was not clear.

I don't want to use the SIM as I have no need for it right now. But would like to keep the 1GB data as a backup.
Am I correct in assuming that the one month to use up the data start from the day it is activated?
How long do I have to activate the SIM?

We understood the question. The only question unanswered was the expiry date of the SIM if unused, which may or may not be on the packaging. With Three, it is often not.