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[MSE Martin]

What's the deal?

PC World's running a promotion with 3M and The Apprentice (phew!) which offers a redeemable £5 gift voucher for purchasing selected 3M products. The cheapest qualifying purchase is £2.54, so you can almost double your money through redemption.

The £5 voucher can be spent anywhere, as it's issued by Maestro (it's just like a prepaid debit card), not PC World. Furthermore, you can claim more than one voucher, and you can spend as many as you like at once. So, while this is a bit fiddly (see below), you can potentially make some profit from it.

How can I get the voucher?

Either shop online or in-store at PC World for the 3M products that qualify for the deal. These are listed quite clearly on the special promotion page. The cheapeast way to qualify is to buy two packs of scotch tape with dispensers, at a cost of £1.27 each (plus postage if you're buying online). Make sure you don't open them yet, you'll need the packaging to claim.

Next, you'll need to get a claim form to attach your packaging's barcodes to. You can either print one directly from PC World's site, or pick one up in-store. You need one claim form per £5 redemption. For each, staple your barcodes to the corner (all this is written on the form), then fill in your details and post to the address provided. You can post more than one form in the same envelope to save on postage. The voucher should arrive within 28 days.

Anything else I should know?

The offer ends 30 June, and applications must be received by 14th July.

You can use multiple gift cards in the same transaction.

[wolvesinwales]

I collect plenty of these vouchers from Wetherspoons and use them at other Wifi hotspots when on my travels.
Probably one of the most readily available places are Mcdonalds burger places, i find that you can connect ok frm the carpark without having to go in and purchase any cra* in a bap.

You can download a list of Wifi spots from here :

http://www.thecloud.net/content.asp?...=4&content=204

[fbs_4800]

Originally Posted by wolvesinwales

you can connect ok frm the carpark without having to go in and purchase any cra* in a bap

[karmapolice]

Quite often when you're in some places you can pick up wireless networks from other places- I was actually in a Whetherspoons once and I could pick up the network from the Subway sandwich bar next door (which also gives free wireless in there if you ever go and get one of their sub sandwiches). Also some places have big public spots- for example central Bristol has one called StreetNet which you can pick up near the iPlus information points and inside and near some of the bars/restaurants (although you do have to fill in a 2 minute survey before you can get internet on it).

Also if you've got BT Broadband don't forget about your 250 free minutes at their Openzone hotspots!

[normanmark]

I swear this has been going on for yonks now? Has been in my local Wetherspoons!

To be honest though i'd buy a pint, why would you go for a lime & soda and some net time down Wetherspoons when you can probably do all of that in the comfort of your own home

[Tarquin]

I have written to them a couple of times as they have been advertising this for ages but all around the UK (in Aberdeen they claimed it was England only) seem to have run out of cards, despite the stickers and even widescreen tv's (Milton Keynes) advertising the free service.

My most recent visit (Barnstaple) they actually did have the cards. Please name and shame those branches that advertise free wifi but don't provide!

Good luck!!!

[fish1000]

Wetherspoons do a reasonable cappuccino for about 79p, bargain!

[wolvesinwales]

Originally Posted by Tarquin

Please name and shame those branches that advertise free wifi but don't provide!

Good luck!!!

I asked for a card in Monmouth last week and from his shocked and quizical response you'd have thought i'd asked to borrow his underpants. :confused:

[JohalaReewi]

The offer has been running for a few months - you can read others' experiences in this thread

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....html?t=402591

[farci]

If you are a Skype subscriber (free), you can sign up for a Skype Zones account. Per month unlimited it will cost US$7.95 (£4.00) - or less than 1 1/2 pints at London prices!

It's meant to be used for Skype phone calls through public WiFi networks but it works just as well for e-mails and surfing. Coverage is world-wide including The Cloud in UK and is backed by Boingo Wireless - coverage maps here

[techno_geek]

I work at a Wetherspoons, and often get people asking for the free wireless access. If a pub has the ITbox games machine but the bartender (or "bar associate" as we're called) can't find any of the cards with the codes on then ask them to pop down to the manager's office or the staff room as there are normally loads lurking around down there!

Unfortunately, most of my colleagues have no idea about this!!

Lime and soda costs just 15p in my pub - so internet access is very very cheap indeed!

[seaneeboy]

If anyone finds their local weatherspoons refusing due to a cheap drink, or they "don't have any cards" do consider a complaint to the ASA:

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/

[sertav]

McDonalds... I thought their Wifi was for BT's Open Zone subscribers only. Are you saying it's an open connection?

[meandu229]

i also work for spoons and usually if you ask for a few you will get them as we dont have loads of people asking for them

[wolvesinwales]

Originally Posted by sertav

McDonalds... I thought their Wifi was for BT's Open Zone subscribers only. Are you saying it's an open connection?

I connect there using the codes from the Wetherspoons cards.

[jones4d]

If you find yourself in Shannon airport with nothing to do (and that s very easy) you can log on for free as well !!

Dennis

[modeca]

There's a few more places you can get free access.

The River Thames from Greenwich to Millbank is one big Wi-Fi cloud. You have the option of paying for access (£2.95/hr) which is still quite cheap - or you can connect for 15mins at a time completely free (you will have to watch an ad to reconnect). More info here

Also if you fancy venturing down to the O2 (previously the Dome) in Greenwich just go into their swanky phone shop and ask for a Wi-Fi voucher and they'll give you a card valid for 30 mins. It works at the O2 - not sure if you can use it anywhere else.

Free Wi-Fi hotspots.

[normanmark]

Originally Posted by seaneeboy

If anyone finds their local weatherspoons refusing due to a cheap drink, or they "don't have any cards" do consider a complaint to the ASA:

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/

lol, sorry but thats just going to pathetic levels

[wolvesinwales]

Originally Posted by meandu229

i also work for spoons and usually if you ask for a few you will get them as we dont have loads of people asking for them

Can i have a few please

[db35028]

This is no doubt good news for WiFi users, but does anyone else remember the original thinking behind Wetherspoons?

It was a pub you could go into, safe in the knowledge that you would get a good pint of real ale at a reasonable price and somewhere to sit and enjoy it quietly without background music, jukeboxes, fruit machines and all the other claptrap that comes with modernised theme pubs.

I lament the gradual erosion of the original philosophy and fear that Wetherspoons is becoming just another mediocre pub chain.

But then again, perhaps I'm just becoming an old git in my mature years!

David B