AT&T and Starbucks Finally Launch Free WiFi; Not Really Free
It’s here, it’s gone, it’s here, it’s gone, it’s here. It took a fair number of misfires and tweaks but AT&T and Starbucks have finally launched the free WiFi service we’ve been waiting for, well, for a long time. The catch? There are actually several. Truth be told, this free WiFi deal isn’t free at all. The two biggies:
- Only available to paying customers: In order to access free WiFi, you’ll need to purchase and use a Starbucks card. Also, free WiFi access is only available to those who have used their Starbucks cards in the past 30 days.
- Only available in 2-hour clips: Customers can only use WiFi for two consecutive hours each day. Want more? Get a paid AT&T plan.
So in its final released version, complimentary AT&T WiFi access is not being billed as “free”. Starbucks is calling it “a way to thank our loyal customers”. AT&T Laptop Connect customers with an applicable plan still have their own deal for free WiFi and we should be seeing something similar launch for smartphones this year as well. In the meantime you’ll need to keep sucking down that liquid crack to play without paying.
[Via Gear Diary]
With MY 3g iPhone coming who need coffee to go online?
Screw Starbucks, especially since their coffee sucks (imho).
Panera has free wi-fi, and same or better coffee and more food options.
So do lots of other coffee shops.
2 hour blocks and buy a card? Way to over think something simple.
that sucks, bring back tmobile
T-Mobile has a roaming agreement, so if you have T-Mobile Hotspots, it will still work at Starbucks for at least another 5 years. So that’s pretty good.
So many stipulations, I don’t want to have to try to remember if I forked out for a $5 coffee in the last 30 days to get my wi-fi. I’ll just do all of my work at home thank you. (And make my own espresso)
I was just in Puerto Vallarta and for a 4.00 Mocha Frap was able to get on their decently set up WIFI while I waited for my sad flight back to SFO. BTW, I own SBUX at 16.00 on the recent slide!
its a good thing i can always just tether with my n95 and have 3g speeds whenever and wherever i want. all for only 15 bucks a month data plan
I had a T-Mobile hotspot account, which I did not use for 30 days, so T-Mobile closed and cancelled my account. Therefore, the AT&T + Starbucks + registered Starbucks card will work fine for me.
I think that these rules are for anyone who walks into a Starbuck’s and wants to use the wifi regardless of provider. It was my impression that AT&T customers would be allowed access for free.
Bring back TMO!!!
I liked Tmobile better, just get a plan, or pay for the day…. att always has to mess up the simple stuff. Im glad my tmobile one still works there, i dont have to mess with all that crap.
Well, there’s even more you might not like about SB’s daily “free” 2 hours of wifi: AT&Ts terms of service says it’s use is only for email, “basic web browser” and FTP downloads. That excludes like… using it for skype, stream video, internet radio, file-sharing, instant messages, etc. Is this their way of “motivating” you to buy a paid AT&T or T-mobile wifi subscription? It won’t work for me. Dunno how they’ll enforce this limitation on freebie wifi time, but it’s there in AT&Ts T.O.S. should they ever need an excuse to cut folks off:
“You agree that all connections to the Internet via ATTIS’s connectivity shall be for the limited purposes of accessing electronic mail, operating a basic web browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, or downloading files via the ‘ftp’ protocol typically implemented in web browser programs.”
my verizon wireless air card says the same thing in T.O.S. but that doesn’t stop me from gaming online with my 360 with it…. or streaming video… or any of that. It just depends if they want to enforce it or not.
I don’t ever remember them saying it was going to be free for anyone and everyone without any catches. Just free for certain AT&T customers with iPhone, certain DSL plans, etc.
Are you people for real? Of COURSE you have to buy a coffee to get free access. You have to be joking if you expected you could just plop your cheap butt down in a ‘bucks and expect free internet. In fact, most places require that, and more than one have sued people over wifi theft.
You’re actually complaining that you can get two hours of free internet via AT&T over paying $9.99 for a “day” of access that most people use less than an hour of.
Did I just land on another planet?
How is this any different than the two drink minimum at the local strip club. You want to browse? you got to have a drink.
- Porsche
Wheres the free wifi for ipod touch users we were promised by el jobso.