If youre using an O2 mobile broadband dongle, dont exceed your limit, or it could cost you dear. Thats the conclusion of research conducted by moneysupermarket.com.
According to the comparison website, someone exceeding their 3GB monthly allowance on an O2 dongle could be charged 200 per GB, while 3 charges 100 per GB. That said, both 02 and 3 send a text to the user when they reach their limit, and 3 diconnects the service when additional charges reach 50.
The full list of charges is as follows:
- O2: 200.70 per GB
- 3: 100.40 per GB
- Vodafone: 15 per GB
- Virgin: 14.95
- Orange: 14.64
- T-Mobile: No charge. T-Mobile will recommend a more suitable plan.
The survey found that found 24% of people dont know if they have a download limit on their mobile broadband, rising to 32% of women. Of those that relaise they have a download limit, 54% dont know what the limit is.
Dongle users are most at risk of incurring charges from exceeding download allowances, as limits on dongles tend to be much lower than fixed line packages, says moneysupermarket.com Manager of Mobiles and Broadband, James Parker. Whilst the portability is great, users need to be aware that a dongles are most suitable for light users, fixed line is a better value option for heavy users.
However, limited packages can be the right option for some people, If you are never going to exceed the limit on a dongle they could be the ideal choice. Light internet users looking for a fixed line deal may find a limited package can be better value than an unlimited one and better suit their needs. 
