I would like a dongle !

[#1]

I wonder if there's any possibility of still finding the old-style deal around - unlikely but might be worth a try. Mister W, I have a monthly £10 contract with Virgin as I don't use my mobile a lot. It costs £30 per day to access the internet on it but I've never tried using it to get my laptop online as I don't know how.

[#2]

at £30 per day, I wouldn`t bother trying !  
However, you could try asking some "pertinent" questions to the seller on here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Vodafone-PAYG-Mobile-Broadband-USB-Modem-Dongle_W0QQitemZ230382345246QQcmd...
to see what the T&C`s are .... he may still be selling the "old" product ! ! !  (with luck>....)  
Here`s another company, that may be selling "old stock"..... read the customer reviews, then send an email, asking questions.....
http://www.play.com/Mobiles/Mobile/4-/8561745/-/Product.html?page=title&dpr=0

[#3]

Er, spot the deliberate mistake - I meant 30p a day! Thanks for the links, I'll follow them up and report back.

[#4]

Even if it's 'old stock', the deal is tied to when you activate the SIM.
The 'included 3GB of data' is simply referring to what Voda will give you when you activate the SIM - it's not something the seller is offering, its simply part of the deal. (Rather like buying a car and being told that you have a brand new V5 included in the price!)

[#5]

3 is currently offering 12GB valid for 12 months for £79.99 - that's £6.50 per month.  or on contract 1GB per month for £7.50.  For very occasional use I have been using their Skypephone 3 payg as a modem with a £10 giving 150MB with a 3 month expiry.  Just a thought.

[#6]

Here http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=46118&st=0 is a link to a thread on the Vodafone Eforum which gives the ( possibly ) definitive answers on the availability of the PAYG price plans. It seems to be tied to the actual dongle(or Sim).

Quote

The new PAYS Modems have an "R" on their sticker, so you can tell the difference, and give you £15 for 3GB, but credit expires after 30 days. These are now the only Top Up and Go Modems available direct from Vodafone as of the 26th of December 2009.

[#7]

Thanks MisterW, I had found that forum but not that specific thread which does spell the situation out in detail which is lucky because when I had phoned Vodafone earlier to ask about this they couldn't give me a straight answer. I have found the correct dongle for only £24.99 at
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vodafone-K3565-Prepay-Mobile-Broadband/dp/B001P6KNQE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=el...
This will be a great deal for me as, although you get 3Gb with the new dongle, I need the non-expiry aspect of the old one more. Thanks again for your help.