Money Hack: Get free Wi-Fi from your hotel
Staying at an Ibis, Mercure or Sofitel? No need to pay for your Internet connection.
In an ideal world, Wi-Fi would be free in every hotel. The world is sadly less than ideal, and that often means that hotels still want to charge you for Internet access.
Annoyingly, this seems much more common in Australia than in other parts of the world. Even more annoyingly, often it's the most expensive hotels that want extra cash to get you online. To save you having to waste money, exhaust your phone's data allowance or go without Twitter (oh the humanity!), here's a handy workaround for one of the world's biggest hotel chains: Accor.
The hack
Accor is the operator behind numerous hotel brands, including Ibis Budget, Ibis Styles, Ibis, Mercure, Sofitel, Novotel and The Sebel. In most of those chains, you have to pay for in-room Wi-Fi.
However, there's an easy workaround. If you join the hotel's loyalty scheme, Le Club Accorhotels, then you'll receive free Wi-Fi. Le Club is free to join, so this really is a no-brainer if you ever end up with a booking in an Accor establishment. Key tip: make sure you include your membership number in your booking. If you've booked through an external site, ask for it to be added when you check in.
The exact nature of what you'll receive does vary between the different brands. In the relatively cheap Ibis Styles and Ibis Budget chains, you may be given a login code when you check in.
In Ibis hotels, the Wi-Fi system will generally recognise that you're a member and allow you to sign in for a free connection, which can be used on up to three devices. You can opt to pay for a faster connection, but I've always found the free option fine for video streaming and general browsing.
Bonus tip: if you're keen to save even more, check our round-up of Accor discount codes.
finder money hacks is a bi-weekly roundup of the latest tips and tricks to improve your finances. Check back every Wednesday and Saturday for new hacks.
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