As many of you know, the market has been tough on thousands of dot.coms and unfortunately it has taken the legs from under the provider of our WebFlyerNet.com free ISP. While this was an extremely popular program and the highest rated free ISP on epinions and other quality rating Web sites, we no longer have a company providing the service. While we will probably re-launch it after finding another provider, the current version will cease to be up after December 6th. We have struck a deal with American Express to take on our WebFlyerNet customers with the same free ISP program and the following letter helps with that transition. It's really too bad because we loved the company that was providing us with the service and happy with the results....

WEBFLYERNET - AMERICAN EXPRESS ONLINE

Thank you for using WebFlyerNet Free Internet Access. The pilot program for WebFlyerNet is now ending and we sincerely hope you have enjoyed using this service.

WebFlyer would like to suggest an alternative service: American Express� Online, a free service for all American Express Cardmembers. If you are not a Cardmember go to www.americanexpress.com to sign up now for an American Express Card and start enjoying the benefits of membership!

WebFlyerNet will no longer be available after December 6, 2000. We encourage you to enroll in American Express Online right away and you�ll soon see that American Express Online offers similar navigation capabilities to WebFlyerNet with the services, quality and privacy that you expect from American Express. From fast, high quality access to a private, Web-based e-mail account; from local and world news to the latest weather updates; from online shopping to fantastic deals on brand-name products, services and much, much more�all accessible with a single click.

Download American Express Online today by going to www.AmexOL.net or order a CD by calling 800-281-0258.

What�s more? With American Express Online you�ll get the quality, dependable Customer Service you expect, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you ever need Customer Service for American Express Online, it is available online at http://www.amexol.net/help.htm, via e-mail at [email protected], or by calling 800-281-0258.

P.S. We are announcing today the launch of our independent free email program � MileMail, where your personal email address can be "[email protected]". This means that you�ll always be known to those you email as a frequent flyer. You can sign up right now for this free service at http://www.milemail.com

[This message has been edited by Randy Petersen (edited 12-04-2000).]

Say it isnt so Randy! This is far the most reliable free ISP program I have ever participated in. Thank you for your efforts to provide an alternative option. Bravo Randy.

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I fly therefore I am!

So far, Amex seems much better then Webflyer was (is). With Weblfyer you could access POP3 e-mail, but you could not send outgoing mail. With Amex you can send and fetch. However, you can only send using the Amex server, but you can use any e-mail address you eneter in the box. This means that you can send e-mail and have it come from your normal address even though you are using the Amex server, a real plus over Webflyer.

Instalation did not go easily. It took about 7 tries. If you are going to do the install and you are on the road, you must make up an address with the zip and phone number where you are (not where you live). The second step dials a local number and only gives you number choices for the state you specify as your home address. It does not verify this address against your card. Once you fully sign up, then you have the full array of numbers to pick from and you can go back and correct your address.

The speed seems to be much better then Webflyer, but the lines tend to be busy about 1 out of 6 times, although I have only been at it for a few hours and it may be specific to where I am?

Will keep you posted.

Randy, sorry to hear about the ISP problem.

Like JRF, I had the same POP problems during the beta test phase. I could access my Earthlink account, but not send from it.
The guys at Brand3 seemed to think that would be fixed, but it never was. I had to give up on WFN for that reason.

Local access number lookup for amexol is available at http://home.amexol.net/dialup/

I am not certain this is related to the above, but the timing certainly is. Itsa tough to make a buck internet-wise. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/busi...t-Special.html

MisterNice

A few things here:

1. The look up for dial in access numbers is great, but you still can not select anything other then numbers in the state you use as your home address until you finish registering for the first time. If you want to make sure there are local access numbers for where you are before you register, check out the site in the thread above.

2. Advertisig seems to be almost none compared to Webflyer, which is really nice,

3. Sending mail via SMPT on Webflyer was not allowed due to spam potential problems, this is what I was told and there was no intention to ever change it (people at customer service in Canada told me this.)

4. GlueOn, which was the driver for Weblyer is also the driver for American Express. I wonder if the company that was handling Weblyer was bought by Amex? I do not fully understand what happened. However, it does not matter as Amex so far seems to be MUCH better then Webflyer was as I can send and fetch e-mail. Time will tell however.

Not quite free but worth a consideration is AT&T ISP $4.95/month deal (up to 120 hrs). For Marriott Rewards members, check your next/current statments; mine included AT&T ISP CD-ROM with 5,000 pts sign up bonus after 2 months with $4.95/month rate.

For those who have AT&T Universal Card, AT&T WorldNet has i495 plan; 150 hrs/month for $4.95/month. http://www.download.att.net/ucsbroadnov/index.html

For same plan for Marriott Rewards members, I can located any phone # on the CD-ROM package. I'm not sure whether this is a targeted promo or not.

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For money savings ideas & tips check & FF miles bonus for finance & auto buying check out ValueConsumer.com

[This message has been edited by DH (edited 12-06-2000).]

delete

Bummer Randy.. Adds credence to my theory that "Life's a ..... and then you die".

Being a herd maker is even more difficult than being a herd mover... persevere!

Getting a free connection is getting rougher and rougher. While I would never use a free connection at home, traveling it's a great deal. I have a cable modem and therefore don't have any access outside my house...no numbers to dial. ;-)

1stUp Corp., the corporation providing AltaVista, MyPoints and many other (probably WebFlyer) is going out of business. So this will be a big ripple in the free ISP world. AltaVista alone had over 3 million members using it's services but didn't see any revenue from it.

In the same week, KMART's Bluelight.com bought Spinway.com who also provided free internet service. With Spinway.com closing, things are getting bleaker...slim pickings.

NetZero and Juno are two options.

I also use DSL at home (sometimes paid dial up with the DL user name.) On the road, Webflyer was okay, Amex is making me smile as I CAN SEND MAIL.

Does anyone know where the code is that causes the Amex (or weblyernet) program to exacute on startup? I would like to remove it and start it by hand so that when I not on the road I do not have to load it and then exit out of it.

I have figured it out so it does not start unless you click on the icon. To make this change:

Start
Run
msconfig
startup tab
untick Glueon box

There you go, hope this helps.

Well, FWIW, Alta Vista also announced early this morning that they will no longer be offering their free internet access beginning this Monday! These companies are under tremendous pressure.


"Online search portal AltaVista on Sunday will cut off some 3 million users from its free Internet access service, the latest sign that freebies over the Web do not always pay.

The announcement comes after a host of smaller free Internet service providers shut down earlier this year and as Kmart-owned BlueLight.com said Monday it is considering dropping its free service after the holidays.

``We're seeing a very necessary shakeout among the free ISPs,'' said Dylan Brooks, an analyst at Jupiter Research. ``The ad-supported ISP business grew far too quickly for what was healthy.''

The demise of AltaVista's Web access giveaway is linked to the downfall of 1stUp.com, an Internet service provider that funneled 3 million out of its 5.5 million paying and non-paying clients through AltaVista. 1stUp, which like AltaVista is a unit of CMGI Inc, is closing down by Jan. 31."
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/busi...-Internet.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 12-06-2000).]

I received the same message. For free dial-up also go to http://freelane.excite.com/ . One can try www.costco.com but the logo seems gone.