Save on Wifi, Starbucks to debut "free" wifi on Tuesday

If you can't check your email in the next 5 minutes you'll go crazy, trust me, I know. I live that connected life as well and I pay dearly for Internet access on my smartphone. I've also been known to purchase Wifi at a Starbucks on a rare occasion, but for many people a Wifi fee at Starbucks is a standard monthly expense. Not anymore! Starting Tuesday June 3rd Starbucks will be rolling out free* wireless at all locations. If you are one of the many people paying $20 a month for hotspot access through T-mobile or AT&T, then this move will allow you to put that money into your gas tank rather than your browser.

I call the access "free" because in order to take advantage of the offer you need to have a prepaid Starbucks card and use it at least once a month. This lets you nab 2 hours of complimentary access per day. This is one of the few times I would condone getting a "gift card" since the benefits for regular users far outweigh the negatives associated with these cards. If you don't want to pad your wallet with yet another card you can still get free Wifi if you are an AT&T DSL customer or pick up two hours of access for $3.99, though it would make more sense to get a prepaid card in order to grab a latte AND net access for the same price!

Will this draw you into the open arms of Starbucks come Tuesday?