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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.
Update: Boingo has closed this loop hole but if you discover a new one, let us know!
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
Step 1: Go to your browser, get redirected to the Boingo page and click on the button that has 3 horizontal lines on it on the top right
This activates the slide out menu.
Step 2: Tap on “The Good Stuff” in the 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!
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%.
Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature.
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.
Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. TripAdvisor is also useful for reviews and bookings.
Vacation Rentals: Airbnb is the market leader but you’d be surprised how you can find cheaper deals on the lesser-known VRBO.
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.
William is the Chief of Awesome at Going Awesome Places which is focused on off-the-beaten-path, outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring others to travel, writing detailed trip itineraries to help others plan their own trips, and providing helpful tips and tricks to guide readers to travel better. He is based in Toronto, Canada but you'll find him on the road more often than not. Make sure to learn more about William to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.
