Wi-Fi in the sky without paying a dime (or close to it)

Is it just me, or does it feel downright offensive to pay $25 for in-flight Wi-Fi that barely loads your email?

Here’s the nasty truth: Some folks on your flight are scrolling TikTok or answering emails for free

The secret? A mix of loyalty perks, smart credit card picks and a little insider know-how. Let me break it down.

🆓 Airline freebies

You might already have free Wi-Fi and not even know it.

  • Delta now offers free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights if you’re a SkyMiles member. No catch. Just log in, and it’s free to sign up.
  • JetBlue offers Fly-Fi that’s free internet from gate to gate. 
  • Hawaiian Airlines is rolling out free Starlink service on its flights.
  • Southwest isn’t free, but they offer all-day Wi-Fi for $8 per device. That’s cheap if you’ve got layovers.
  • Some airlines let you stream movies and TV shows for free with ads. All you need is your phone, tablet or laptop. No Wi-Fi purchase needed.

🎬 Pro tip: Don’t count on the plane’s Wi-Fi working. Been there, it’s hell on wings. Before you take off, set your Google Drive to offline access and download a couple of Netflix movies or Spotify playlists to your device, so you’re not stuck staring at the seat back in front of you.

💳 Credit card or service

Some credit cards include free or discounted Wi-Fi perks that can pay for themselves after a few trips.

  • The Southwest Performance Business Card covers up to 365 in-flight Wi-Fi purchases a year. That’s a free login every day.
  • AAdvantage Aviator Red gives you $25 in Wi-Fi statement credits on American Airlines flights.
  • United Explorer Card gives you 25% back on in-flight Wi-Fi.

Also, T-Mobile users, you get free texting and Wi-Fi on Alaska, Delta, American and United flights. Just enter your phone number midair.

👉 Pro tip: Buy Wi-Fi ahead of time if you’re not covered. Airlines like Alaska offer preflight passes for less than what they charge on the plane.

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AI made this video in under a minute

I used Google’s Veo and ChatGPT’s Sora to make a video of my puppy on the beach.

💸 PayPal is leaving Google Wallet: Starting June 13, you won’t be able to use your PayPal account to pay through Google Wallet anymore. If you’ve got any recurring payments set up, switch your payment method ASAP. The good news? PayPal-branded Debit Mastercards still work just fine.

9,800

The magic number of steps that works better than 10,000. New research suggests this is the “optimal dose” for reducing dementia risk and boosting long-term health without crossing into overachiever territory. Think of it as efficiency, not laziness.

Think your email’s private? Think again. Big Tech tracks everything. That’s why I use StartMail. No ads, no tracking, just private email. Try it free for seven days and get 60% off your first year.

Unblur that photo: AI image upscalers can sharpen your fuzzy pics, but they’re not all reliable or safe. DGB.LOL is a collection of tools that keeps your uploads private and deletes them from its servers after 24 hours. It’s free, too. Score.

🎧 Spotify sounding flat? On mobile, it might default to lower audio quality to save data. On iOS, go to Settings and privacy > Audio Quality and set it to High. On Android, go to Settings and privacy > Media Quality and set it to High. If you have Premium, there’s also a Very High option. One great option that always sounds great is my show, IMHO.

👆 Search your PC in seconds: Press Windows key + S and start typing. You can pull up apps, files, system settings and web results in seconds. No more clicking around or digging through menus.

Master iPad gestures: In any app, swipe up from the bottom to return to the Home screen. Swipe sideways on the bottom bar to switch between apps. Want the Dock? Swipe up slowly from the bottom. You can also drag an app from the Dock to the side to multitask in a new window.

🦷 May the floss be with you: I never thought this would be something. Tufts made a smart dental floss that detects cortisol (your stress hormone) by poking around spit and sends the drama readings straight to your phone. Coming next: trauma-reading mouthwash.

😴 Brain won’t shut off? Let me help. Watch this quick video with my tips. Hit the heart, so more people will find it, too. TY! 

Gemini is watching: Google’s Gemini AI can now watch videos you dump in Drive and give you notes like a nerdy intern who doesn’t sleep. It’ll spit out meeting takeaways or product updates, but only if the captions are on. Congrats, even your AI thinks your all-hands meeting was boring.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Bookmark your bank’s login page. Hackers create look-alike sites to trick you. Using a saved, official bookmark sidesteps typos that lead to phishing traps.

🏠 Your home could be stolen through a scam! Fraudsters can forge your name on the title and take out loans using your equity. Protect your home with Home Title Lock and get a 14-day free trial with code KIM.

📂 Open files fast: Press Ctrl + O (Windows) or Command + O (Mac) to instantly launch the file dialog in most programs. Even better? Select multiple files and use this shortcut to open them all at once. It’s a real time-saver.

🔒 Garage security trick: Thieves can hack garage door openers, but there’s a clever fix. Use a smart plug to cut power to the opener. It’s like two-factor authentication when you’re away. Here’s a four-pack ($21% off). Need to open it late? Just turn the plug back on with a voice command or your app.

📱 Android app fix: If an app keeps crashing or acting up, try clearing its cache. Go to Settings > Apps, pick the app, then tap Storage & cache (or Storage) and hit Clear cache. Very important: Don’t select Clear data. It will delete your settings, log you out and reset the app to default.

500,000

That’s how many more home sellers there are than buyers right now. It’s the biggest seller surplus Redfin has ever recorded, including 2020 when no one was even sure if open houses were legal. Florida’s feeling the heat with six of the top 10 buyer’s markets, but sellers everywhere might want to start adjusting expectations and maybe listing prices. 

Resize iPhone apps: Want your Home Screen icons bigger or smaller? Long-press anywhere on the Home Screen, tap Edit (top left), then hit Customize. When the menu pops up, pick Small for compact icons or Large for bigger ones. FYI: The Large setting will hide the app names.

👋🏻 Fakespot shuts July 1: Amazon’s fake review detector, Fakespot, is officially going offline July 1, 2025. The Chrome extension will stop working, and the devs say it’s been a ride. If you’re ready to break up cleanly, here’s how to uninstall it (highly recommended). Pouring one out for the plug-in that saved me from hundreds of fake reviews.