Free AT&T WiFi now at Starbucks

It all looks legit and final. AT&T and Starbucks have finally rolled out their free WiFi plan to Starbucks Card users registered with AT&T. In exchange for letting AT&T send you up to 4 emails per year, you get a single WiFi session of up to 2-hours per day at any of Starbucks' 7,000 or so US-based stores. Now get out of here, and don't forget your MacBook for some conspicuous posing and caffeine consumption.

[Via Gear Diary]

[Dmitrij Ledkov @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:19AM]

Can I have Extra Tall Ubuntu Carafe with that in UK? ;-))))

[wasabi @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:21AM]

i have att dsl. free wifi hotspot access is part of my subscription package. guess what? it doesn't work! you guys need to edit the att logo at top and put the normal att deathstar.

[Jon @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:32AM]

I have AT&T Elite DSL and I can assess AT&T WiFi for free. I was able to login to three seperate Starbucks in Indianapolis. I had to use my AT&T email address and password to get access. Worked great. It helped me find the new Fry's Electronics in Indy.

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:43AM]

There's one problem here: You have to go to Starbucks.

[Leo M. @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:13AM]

yep...not gonna happen

[Maestro @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:28AM]

Not only do you have to go to SB, but you have to hang around like one of those douche-bags.

[roflercopterer @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:44AM]

What's the point of being a writer if you're not going to write where other people can see you?

Ooh, I'm gonna write about that.

[blank @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:18AM]

I'll watch you write it. If no one sees you writing then what's the point?

[Andy TGD @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:18AM]

I quite like Starbucks' coffee - a tad bitter, but Costa is far worse. Mind you, it'll probably kill you if you drink it too often - calories central! Dark Iced Mocha with peppermint sauce is nice. Also, worryingly happy staff - what do they feed these guys?

[OneLove @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:03AM]

just sit outside the store.

[James Rose @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:55AM]

4 emails PER YEAR?!

[SteveJ @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:22AM]

That's no more than 4 emails per year *from them*. You can do whatever you want via the wifi.

[huh @ Jun 3rd 2008 7:59AM]

funny, the independent cafes I go to have had free internet for years.

[Distortedloop @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:46AM]

The independent coffee houses aren't on every corner across the nation, and would not be the target of every WiFi leech in the country looking for a free wide like Starbucks is. I know multiple people who live within WiFi range of a Starbucks, but never buy their coffee, and would have no qualms about cancelling their ISP and leeching off Starbucks if the connection were free and 24/7.

Why do people think Starbucks is obligated to provide everyone a free net connection. They're a figgin' business in existence to make a profit for shareholders. If they think offering something for free for a couple of hours per day will bring in more PAYING customers, that's their motivation, not some charity project for WiFi leeches looking for a free ride while never buying the product.

[huh @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:57AM]

I don't quite understand why so many people feel obliged to make excuses for corporations.

Starbucks isn't obligated to provide a free net connection. But you said it yourself, if other cafes are doing, they have to as well. I fully understand the corporate motivations of Starbucks, but somewhere in there is the cafe experience of relaxing in a cafe with a net connection, a snack and a coffee. Otherwise we'd all be getting our coffee from vending machines, or making it ourselves.

I will go to Starbucks if there isn't another reliable source of coffee, but if there's any decent independant cafe around I'll go there, and it's more often than not going to have a free net connection.

[nd @ Jun 3rd 2008 2:30PM]

No one ever said that they have to provide free internet, but no one ever said I have to go there. That's the main reason I don't shop at SB, and instead buy all of my coffee from a local chain called Dunn Bros. That, and the fact that their coffee is horrid- way too bitter and fruity for me, I prefer a solid dark roast.

[Hans @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:06AM]

One more caveat: "you must use your registered Starbucks Card at least once a month to maintain service". So you do have to buy the coffee too. AT&T and Starbucks: redefining free.

[SteveJ @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:21AM]

Let's be realistic, though. Why should they provide wifi to people who never buy anything at their stores? Should you be able to take space up at their tables for 2 hours if you never buy anything? It seems pretty reasonable to me that they would require you to at least buy one drink a month in order to use the wifi. That's really not asking that much. Mind you, I don't love Starbucks at all, but around here (Maryland, near Baltimore), Starbucks is about as good as you're going to get when it comes to espresso. Sad, very sad, but true. Also, they do have genuinely pretty good black iced tea.

[kurt.tappe @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:04AM]

"so you do have to buy the coffee too"

...or chai, for those 47% of us who don't drink coffee.

[Giles @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:24AM]

About time it became free again. Although, I just bought one of those wireless USB cards from Verizon a few months ago...Oh well, that's one less port to use when I'm at Starbucks (which, unfortunately for my wallet, is quite frequently)!

[que @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:25AM]

not ideal, but still reasonable. i just don't like that its a "single session up to 2 hours long".

[acabtp @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:13AM]

Yeah, well, the staff should kick you douchebags who sit at Starbucks for more than two hours out anyway for loitering so the rest of us can find a seat and enjoy our coffee and snack. Better yet, Starbucks should really get some "30-minute time limit while consuming food" signs. I'm an AT&T customer with a data plan, so I'd get in on this free wifi, but honestly, I'd prefer if they hadn't rolled it out, as it is only going to make their primary business, selling coffee, a more annoying experience for their customers.

Dunkin Donuts, anyone? They even put your milk and sugar in for you.

[que @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:30AM]

@acabtp:
its not the 2 hours that i have the problem with, its the SINGLE SESSION. i.e. if you log on for 1 minute in the morning, then want to hop on for a few minutes while out an about in the evening, you're out of luck.

[Wiigee @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:10AM]

@acabtp: I'm not sure you understand the whole idea behind a coffeehouse, the idea of one is to go in relax for as long as you want, get some work done, just chill. Its not to go in as quick as possible get you coffee and get out. Coffee is meant to be enjoyed.

[luzzio @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:49AM]

In my country, we don't have to pay for the wifi at Starbucks.

So this comes as a surprise to me.

Wouldn't mind if At&t came with the iPhone here though :(

[AJ in the East Bay @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:17AM]

How about telling us the name of your country and not leave us hangin'?

[bdawg @ Jun 3rd 2008 8:20PM]

In my country, Starbucks' wifi pays for you.

[luzzio @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:43AM]

Malaysia.

[DB @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:38PM]

there is wifi in Malaysia?

[luzzio @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:41PM]

Aside from living in treetop homes and practicing cannibalism... yes, we have WiFi.

[Shahryar @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:16AM]

I'm a T-mobile customer who pays $19.99 a month for Internet, I believe I also have access to the T-mobile wifi hotspots. Starbucks will still have the T-mobile hotspots for at least sometime right?

[7on @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:14AM]

5 years

[Casper42 @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:45PM]

I was just going to say, the Starbucks next to my office has a big TMobile sticker in the window. Are all Starbucks changing?

[Tor Slettnes @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:28PM]

They are all switching from T-Mobile to AT&T.

Anyway, simply get a real phone (read: not iPhone) with 3G and bluetooth tethering abilities, a bluetooth-enabled laptop (or UMPC, etc..), and an unlimited data plan (e.g. MEdiaNet Unlimited for $15/month from AT&T), and you really don't have to resort to Starbucks to feed your net addiction.

'Course, you should refrain from reading their ToS in order to qualify for a plausible deniability type posture.. Or else cough up dough for a smartphone plan with tethering service spelled into the contract.

[Distortedloop @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:20AM]

@huh -- I think you missed my point altogether.

I am not defending a corporation, just pointing out that it has a fiduciary obligation to generate the greatest profits for its shareholders. The size of Starbucks makes it unique when compared to the independent coffee houses others in this thread are praising for free WiFi. The small coffee places don't have the scope and presence of Starbucks, or the potential for huge bandwidth issues for paying customers that free leeches might cause.

Picture a Starbucks in San Francisco or Manhattan or any other crowded city where there are Starbucks literally across the street from each other. They're on the first floor of apartment buildings and offices and other establishments. Potentially hundreds of people within WiFi range, sucking up the bandwidth for free, with no coffee purchase and making the experience less for the actual paying customers.

I won't defend corporate greed at the expense of abusing customers, but I won't attack a company for taking steps to ensure its free services are only provided to paying customers.

What I don't understand is those who will attack a corporation just because it is a corporation, and even more, I don't understand or condone the sense of ENTITLEMENT so many seem to have these days, expecting everything for free just because it's a big corporation.

Let me ask you this. If you actually owned one of these great little coffee shops with free WiFi, how would you feel if non-paying customers sat around outside the place using your connection without buying coffee? There was one store in the news last year that called the cops and had a guy prosecuted for sitting in his car each day using the WiFi without every buying the coffee, so all these great little shops don't share your "free WiFi for everyone" sense of entitlement.

If you like Starbucks coffee, and buy a cup a month, this is a better deal from them than they were offering you in the past, so what's the gripe? If you're not a Starbucks customer, then you won't be in their shops and again, what's the gripe? It doesn't impact you? Seems like many of those complaining's only motivation for doing so would be that they're upset they actually have to buy a $2 cup of coffee once a month to use a courtesy service from a company that they otherwise wouldn't be patronizing.

[Distortedloop @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:21AM]

P.S. - I don't drink Starbucks, and I don't use their WiFi. ;-)

[ZeroCorpse @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:37PM]

Bigby's getting big, and expanding across the country. You'll see them soon, and they kick Starbucks' ass in every regard.

And their WiFi is free for everyone.

[haX0r @ Jun 3rd 2008 9:33AM]

Most Starbucks where I live already have free WiFi???

[Frank Furter @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:01AM]

Tomorrow's headline on Engadget:

"AT&T pulls free WiFi at Starbucks."

Yawn. I've said it a dozen times before, and I'll say it again. Who cares? Dang near everyone has free WiFi now. BFD.

[Vidit Bhargava @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:05AM]

AT&T wifi sucks...i tried to hook up my phone at one of the starbucks...it never even connected, kept saying "connection failed"...the starbucks employees kept saying "you should get an AT&T page to login"

[Tor Slettnes @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:33PM]

Your Phone? Does your phone have WiFi (e.g. iPhone, some Blackberries, some Nokia S60 phones, ...)? Or were you attempting to connect through your cellular provider (with a data plan)?

Then again, if you DO have a data plan, why would you resort to Starbucks?

[Vidit Bhargava @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:45PM]

dude....of course my phone (SE P1i) has wifi otherwise why would i even try to connect to AT&T wifi.

[Wiigee @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:11AM]

Starbucks is the only coffeehouse i know of in Seattle that dosent have free wi-fi. Nnot to mention the worst coffee. Vivace is the best!

[Backwards People @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:14AM]

I walked up to Starbucks and stood outside. I found the WAP.

My DS Browser works with any unlocked router, *unless* there is a signup screen.

I'm guessing there is, because it didn't work. Same goes for McDonald's Wifi (requires a sign-on).

Oh well. Back to Caribou Coffee.

[Matt @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:37PM]

You're talking about the Opera browser, specifically? Because Nintendo has a deal where you can play their WiFi games for free over the connection at McDonald's. I've tried it myself, but that was a while ago.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jun 3rd 2008 10:32AM]

BarSuck’s (see what I did there? ;^), showing the way to the perfect capitalist blueprint.
(i.e. FIND A WAY TO GET BETWEEN THE MASSES AND THEIR OBSESSION)
$!$!$!$!$!$!$!

[Jason Charney @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:29AM]

I work at Starbucks....and we get all the free internet we want :-)
It's about time Sbux should be offering completely free unlimited internet to EVERYONE though. They're way behind in that respect.

[diulei @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:12PM]

To all the hip avant garde "Meeehhh, I don't go to Starbucks" who happen to have a good choice and probably live somewhere urban: good for you.

But not all of us are lucky enough to do that. Some of us poor souls do live in the suburbs where there is a Starbucks on every corner, but aside from that, no other convenient choice for coffee and a place to sit down and relax.

Sure, when I lived in Tokyo, I had literally thousands of choices besides Starbucks, but now not so much.

[Tor Slettnes @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:35PM]

Heh:
> "To the hip avant garde [...]"

then:
> "Sure, when I lived in Tokyo [...]"

A bit schizophrenic, are we? :)

[Matt @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:35PM]

I've never been inside a Starbucks because I just don't like coffee.