US Wifi Update
 

For the folks out there who are using mobile VOIP devices, you might be interested in knowing that McDonalds, Border's Books, and Barnes & Noble Bookstore now have free wifi. (McDonalds goes free January 2010). Add this to the list of other places in the U.S. which include Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, Bigsby Coffee, and Starbucks (with strings) and it is a pretty impressive list.

*For Starbucks, you need to buy a Starbucks gift card, use it once the month you want the wifi, and then you can surf (or talk) for two hours a day.

And on the other end of the Atlantic, if like me any of you have had to spend a few hours waiting for a boat in Orkney and somehow have not frozen to death, you'll be pleased to know that from soon the little pier in Stromness will also have free WiFI! Yipee! ;)
BBC News - UK community groups win free wi-fi

And if you're anywhere in Center City, Philadelphia, you should be able to use the city's free wi-fi system. (Or at least you used to be.)

Don't forget libraries for free wi-fi also. Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas) has free wi-fi in all libraries (it's very useful when staying in a casino that charges), same for New York etc. I've also used the free wi-fi in libraries in places like Portree, Skye (Scotland). And many more.

Note that the Starbucks deal applies only in the US. Up here a Starbucks gift card gets you only the opportunity to pay for WiFi. If you want free you need an Internet account with Bhell. Or you can go to a Williams coffee shop and surf for free without restrictions (in Ontario, at least.) McDonald's Canada is expected to follow in 2010 with free WiFi as well, at least in some of its locations.

I second the suggestion about public libraries. And don't forget the obvious: there are open routers [almost] everywhere ;)

U.S. Starbucks gift cards work fine in Canadian Starbucks, but bylo is correct that it doesn't get you free wifi. Boingo includes Canadian Starbucks and Verizon USA data card and DSL subscribers get complimentary wifi at Canadian Starbucks.

Back to the USA...

Free WiFi - A 2009-2010 Holiday Gift from Google

McDonald's has gone free:

Free (And Not So Free) Wi-Fi at McDonald's

Some Canadian McDonald's may be getting it as well:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2357193,00.asp

Also, Amtrak is starting to offer free wifi on their East coast trains. Sorry I don't have a URL on that one.

Stu forgot to mention the Dubai airport has free wifi<G>. Nothing like sitting on our UMA enabled T-Mobile phones and making free calls to the U.S. while waiting the nearly 2 hours for our plane. (This was over a year ago.) Regular roaming rates are about $3/min.!
Of course many airports have free wifi. Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, even Oakland, Ca. just to name a few. San Francisco is not free nor is Miami.

...mike