Many of us remember the days when you could find a free ISP (Internet Service Provider) without our vision being taken over by unsightly banners or annoying "click" requirements. Most of us who utilized the free ISP's did so as a back-up measure when experiencing problems with our "paid" ISP's although there were some who relied 100% on surfing at no charge.

But like so many "dot-com" companies who rely on advertising for their survival, the free Internet services seem to be dying a slow death and have either vanished or have been forced to charge for their service. If you are prepared for the chance of having many connection busy signals and a floating banner with a lot of animation going on, then you can still find the free deals. Popular companies such as NetZero are now offering a time limit of 40 hours a month, or a low cost monthly rate as an offset to their declining advertising revenue. Another popular free service is Juno which offers a free service with a "easy to navigate advertising banner." However, after a recent change in their "terms of service," many Juno customers are unhappy with the news that Juno wants to sell their unused processing power to companies that need to process a lot of data, creating a "Supercomputer" of sorts.

BlueLight.com is another company that reduced their service to only allowing free surfing up to 12 hours a month. Other companies have cut back to 30 minutes a day free service, and still others are no longer accepting new customers. American Express® Online, is now limiting existing customers to 35 online hours a month and taking no
new customers.

Is it Worth It?

The thought of future "Supercomputers" and excrutiating multiple pop-ups may make one reconsider the real savings that they are getting from using a free Internet service. Many low-cost services are providing good connections without invasive policies. Companies like AOL and AT&T are offering low monthly service alternatives without the pop-up banners and surfing tracking that the free ISP's require.

The bottom-line is, whatever you decide about signing up with a free ISP, make certain to read the "terms of service" with close scrutiny. Know what you are agreeing to before you click install. To help you decide if it is the right direction for you, you may want to review customer opinions and compare free services. One such company, hereontheweb.com, keeps an updated rating page.

Good luck!
Donna Montaldo
Your About.com Guide to Couponing

Scouter.com
Get Unlimited Access for as low as $5.99/month with SCOUTER's One Year Prepay Offer (offer available to new customers only with $69.95 paid up front.) Unlimited online time.

Todays *Hot*DEALS
Didn't get here yesterday? Check them out today!

Discount Codes
Browse this A - Z list of current discount codes offered to online shoppers.

Deals of the Week!
These, you won't want to miss!