Sunday, June 08, 2008

It's About Time : Free Wi-Fi at Starbucks

But there's a catch!

You have to buy, maintain, use / reload (when it runs low) and continue to use one of those Starbucks cards in order to get the free wi-fi. And it's for 2 hours a day, so you can't be using it all day long.

But still, for most people, this should be more than enough time. And it'll give customers more incentive to go to Starbucks now, instead of the competitors likes Tullys and other mom and pop coffee shops that already offer free wi-fi.

I would say, however, that the only deterrent I see is that it takes a couple steps just to set up (I have to go buy a gift card, register it online, create a username and password, and then I have to use the card at least once a month and remember to carry that card around)... but once the initial setup is done, I'm sure all I'll have to do is remember the username and password for that account, since I already go to Starbucks about once a week anyway.

And you get other benefits too, like free soy and other beverage customizations, refills on certain drinks, and even free drinks on occasion.

Alright, so for more information, visit the Starbucks website.