Airports that don’t offer free wifi drive me insane. American airports are notorious for not offering free wifi and instead electing to use a service called Boingo where you either have to pay for a day pass to use wifi or pay a monthly fee to gain unlimited access to Boingo hotspots. In this day and age it’s just insulting! Who’s with me here?
On my latest trip to New York, unwilling to let Boingo win, I decided to poke around to see if there was a way around this.
I thought it was hopeless until I stumbled upon this very travel hack. You won’t believe how incredibly simple it is. Without further ado, here are the steps to get your free wifi.
Read more about travel deals
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- Our best travel hacking tips
How to get the best deals in travel
- Hottest deals – Bookmark the travel deals page.
- Car rentals – stop getting ripped off and learn about car rental coupon codes.
- Hotels – Use corporate codes or get Genius 2 tier with Booking.
- Flights – Have you ever heard of the “Everywhere” feature?
- Insurance – Make sure you’re covered and learn more about where to buy the best travel insurance
In This Article
Desktop – How to get free Boingo wifi in 3 easy steps
Step 1: Go to your browser, get redirected to the Boingo page and click on “The Good Stuff” on the left side bar
Step 2: Click on “Shopping”
Step 3: Select ebay
At this point you’ll be redirected to eBay but you’ll notice you get full access to the internet. Boom! Done :)
Mobile – How to get free Boingo wifi in 4 easy steps
This activates the slide out menu.
Step 3: Time to do a little shopping
Step 4: Tap on eBay
And just like the desktop method, you’ll get redirected to eBay on your browser but after that, you’ll get full access to the internet.
Yep it’s as easy as that!
I didn’t get a chance to try all the different combinations of shopping and other “Good Stuff” they offer but if you follow these exact steps you won’t be one of those suckers that pay for wifi ;)
I’ve so far tested this at both LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR) with success but I would also love to know if this works at other airports that force you to use Boingo wifi. Chime in if you know or if you’ve tried this hack after reading this article. Chicago O’Hare works as well!
Enjoy!
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Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
Credit cards: Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card. Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.
Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature. Kayak is also another that’s we will often check as well.
Car Rental: If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and RentalCars are great places to start.
Airport Parking: You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.
Data: We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices like PokeFi because their rates are so good and you can use it globally but recently, we’ve really loved using eSIMs. The best one is Airalo. Save money by getting region-specific eSIMs and use referral code WILLIA9500 to get $3 USD credit on your first purchase. Ubigi is another one that we’ve had success with where they uniquely offer 5G coverage. Use code AWESOME10 to save 10% on your first order.
Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. TripAdvisor is also useful for reviews and bookings.
Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental.
Tours: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
Travel Insurance: Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.
- Insured Nomads – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks.
- RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
- SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
- Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
- InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.
If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.