McDonald’s To Offer Free Wi-Fi

I don’t spend a lot of time at McDonald’s, but I’ll be a lot more likely to drop in when the free Wi-Fi kicks in.

McDonald’s offers wireless Internet at 11,000 of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants, and has been charging $2.95 for two hours of access. In mid-January it will drop the fee, according to the Associated Press.

I say woo-hoo for that. Everything tastes better with some free Internet on the side.

This will come in especially handy when I’m traveling and trying, as I usually am, to avoid hotel Internet fees. I usually look for restaurants that I know have free Wi-Fi —  Cosi and Panera, for example. I even went through the complicated process of buying and activating a Starbucks card so that I can use its Wi-Fi free.

In fact, the AP suggests that McDonald’s move may be aimed at grabbing more of Starbucks’ business for its McCafe line of beverages. I think it might work.