Cut down on Christmas shopping with a festive freebie

With people keeping a tighter hold on their purse strings this Christmas, moneysupermarket.com looks at what freebies are available for the savvy shopper.

Mobile and broadband markets are now so competitive that more and more providers and retailers are offering gifts and incentives to attract business.

AOL and Carphone Warehouse offer free laptops with some broadband and dongle packages and most mobile retailers offer games consoles or iPods on 18 month contracts. With Christmas shopping in full swing, people who need a new mobile or broadband deal can save a fortune on presents and still end up with a great gift.

Although freebies can be a big incentive, the deals they come with may not suit everyone. Customers choosing T-Mobile - Mobile broadband, are tied to a £30 per month contract for two years and are restricted to a 3.6GB download cap; highly restrictive for medium or heavy internet users.

James Parker, manager of mobiles and broadband at price comparison site moneysupermarket.com said: "On face value, the offer of a free laptop seems to be unbeatable. However, once you break it down and compare it to other deals available, the free gift isn't always worth it. By simply comparing deals, you could save hundreds of pounds over the term of the contract, enough to buy a higher-spec laptop elsewhere.

"The offer of a Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii with your mobile contract also seems like a great deal, but stop and think about your actual usage before getting carried away by a free console. Some of the tariffs offering consoles will tie you in to an 18 month contract at upwards of £30 per month, but if you don't use the inclusive minutes and texts then you're better off with a cheaper, more suitable contract and buying the console yourself.

"Of course freebies will be great for some people. With the likes of Carphone Warehouse, The Link and affordablemobile.co.uk offering a wide range of gifts including laptops, iPods, LCD TV's and Tomtom sat-nav's, even the biggest penny pinchers can look like Father Christmas."