Starbucks rolls out free Wi-Fi, peddles its rewards cards

Venture Beat — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:34:18 -0700

Beginning today, Starbucks across the country will offer free Wi-Fi Internet to paying customers. This is great news. Unfortunately there is some fine print behind this “free.”

First of all customers will have to buy a Starbucks Card, which requires that you put a minimum of $5 on it to purchase, according to USA Today. Second, you’ll have to register online for the Starbucks Rewards Card program. Third, this card will need to be used at least once a month. And four, your two free hours a day that a purchase buys you, must be used all in one sitting.

It’s free just as long as you don’t consider the costs of all of this hassle.

Still, this new Wi-Fi service being provided by AT&T is going to be immeasurably better than the previous T-Mobile Hotspot paid Internet that all Starbucks stores had.

Starbucks is hoping that free Wi-Fi will entice more visitors to enter its ubiquitous stores across the country. For some people, simply making better coffee would do the trick.

[photo: flickr/slushpup]

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Starbucks rolls out free Wi-Fi, peddles its rewards cards