Earlier this year, Starbucks and its newfound wireless Internet access provider, AT&T, which is replacing T-Mobile, announced plans to launch a program that would allow customers who purchase Starbucks cards to enjoy two free hours of hotspot connectivity every day at any of 7,000 “company-owned U.S. stores.” The initiative was put into the corporate pipeline in the hopes that doing so would increase traffic to its stores, which are said to be in great need of reviving.
Today the two partner companies are officially activating the no-cost Wi-Fi program. According to Bruce Horovitz of USA Today, customers will be required to purchase a Starbucks Card with a minimum of $5 to be stored within its account, and register for the Starbucks Rewards Card program at the company’s website. [img src="http://sale-online.click/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/att-logo-spaced.png" caption="" credit="" alt=""]Also, to maintain eligibility, customers will have to use their Starbucks cards at least once a month. To entice customers to sign up for the Rewards program, individuals will receive a voucher for a free drink.
One particular stipulation that may prove very useful for prospective members to know is that Starbucks and AT&T will require the daily Wi-Fi freebie to be enjoyed within two consecutive hours. So an early morning email-IM-Twitter check cannot be complemented with an after-work WSJ.com read. A 120-minute back-to-back micro-marathon is what’s allowed to make the most of the promotion.