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Topic: Mobility

Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

Summary: As announced a few weeks ago, Starbucks is now providing free Wi-Fi at all company-owned locations in the United States and Canada.

Rachel King

By for The ToyBox |

As announced a few weeks ago, Starbucks is now providing free Wi-Fi at all company-owned locations in the United States and Canada.

Customers with laptops, netbooks, tablets and/or smartphones will only need to accept the typical Terms of Service agreement and then click to connect. Thankfully, there's no need to create yet another account with a username and password. (At least not yet...)

This starts today (it's already July 1!), and mid-summer is probably perfect timing for those trying to find a place to do work and beat the heat as many Starbucks locations have air-conditioning. (Just don't forget to buy something before you sit down and log on.) Previously, if I needed to find a quick spot with free Wi-Fi, I turned to McDonald's. But I'd much rather sit in a Starbucks and smell like coffee rather than french fries.

McDonald's still has the edge on this complimentary perk, however, as the burger chain provides this service worldwide. Hopefully Starbucks will catch up fast.

Topics: Mobility, Networking, Wi-Fi

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Talkback

13 comments
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  • Cue the WiFi Campers!!!

    This ought to be interesting...going into Starbucks to get a coffee and relax and finding every seat taken by people who have spent the last 6 hours nursing the same latte writing their novel.
    cyberslammer
    Reply Vote

    • i agree!

      @cyberslammer this will become a customer service nightmare. Get ready for the signs to start being posted all over the store, the hurry up & finish vibe from employees....
      tgschmidt
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

        Well I guess they're gonna have to build bigger stores, now aren't they...
        ahh so
        Reply Vote

  • Qwest has been offering this for free for the past year,

    My local telco (QWest) has been offering free WiFi at McDonalds and Starbucks to its DSL customers for the past year, Starbucks is simply catching up with what is already free for some of its customers.
    jaybyrd
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

    I am a DD coffee drinker but McDonalds coffee is better then Star Bucks, it doesn't leave such an after taste. While traveling I have used Mickey D wifi's mainly because they started it before it even became the thing. Not too long ago the area we visited in TN didn't even have dsl/cable available yet so I used McDonald's in the nearby town for work I had to get done. To be truthful tho I have really never noticed anyone in any of the McD's that I went to that were using it unless they were like me using it from the car?
    Northlite
    Reply Vote

  • Slow on the uptake?

    In China, we've had free wi-fi at Starbucks, KFC and MacDonald in first-tier cities for years now.

    Arthur Borges in Zhengzhou
    arthurborges@...
    Reply Vote

    • Yes, but....

      @arthurborges@... you've also had 13 year olds sewing jeans for a dollar a week, and an exceptionally oppressive government, so...you know.
      trickytom3
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

    The truth is, it has been free to people who have a Starbucks Rewards card (or whatever they cal it) for some time now.

    It used to be you had to make a purchase with the card, but they dropped even that requirement months ago.
    mejohnsn
    Reply Vote

  • 'Bout frakkin time!

    I have NEVER heard of paying to use Wi-Fi. I was surprised to see Starbucks trying to charge me to use it.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • They like you, Nicholas...

      They saw that big tent windoze t-shirt you wear and figured you had deep pockets.<br><br>lol... <img border="0" src="http://www.cnet.com/i/mb/emoticons/grin.gif" alt="grin">
      ahh so
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

    About time. I was most annoyed a few years ago when I hauled my laptop into town to use the wifi as my server at home was down and I was asked for my credit card number. I walked out not to return and that was three years ago. Glad that they finally saw the light.
    nfiertel
    Reply Vote

    • You showed them.

      @nfiertel I'll bet that's why they started offering free WIFI; someboday at a board-meething stood up and said "hey, last week some old cheapskate walked out of our Albany store 'cause we didn't have WIFI."
      trickytom3
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Starbucks now offering free Wi-Fi at locations in U.S. and Canada

    For what they charge for coffee, you'd think free wi-fi is the least they could offer.
    branchman67
    Reply Vote
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