# Hotmail to start charging? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493 "2001-03-11T01:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/1 "2001-03-11T01:23:08Z")
I regulary delete my cookies, so today I was trying to get my Hotmail and was instead redirected to a page to sign up for the MSN Passport service. I declined the sign-up, and I couldn’t get into my Hotmail account. Then a friend told me Hotmail is going to start charging for their email services. Can anyone confirm this? I cannot get into my inbox without signing up for Passport. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/2 "2001-03-11T01:25:15Z")
I have heard nothing about Hotmail charging, and I seriously doubt they could. People would just switch to one of the innumerable other free email providers. Passport is their multi-site-access gimmick. I have had no problems logging on; when I hit the Hotmail front page, I am asked for my username and password and whether I want to log in to Hotmail _or_ Passport. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/3 "2001-03-11T01:34:46Z")
I signed in on the main MSN page, and was still redirected. I don’t want a Passport, but it won’t let me get around the sign-up page. Grr… ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/4 "2001-03-11T01:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boscibo \* > \*\*I signed in on the main MSN page, and was still redirected. I don’t want a Passport, but it won’t let me get around the sign-up page. Grr… \*\* My understanding is that if you have a hotmail account, you have a Passport account. That doesn’t mean you have to use the other features. I go to the hotmail home page, and from there it takes me straight into my inbox. The only time I get redirected is when hotmail is having problems. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/5 "2001-03-11T02:55:48Z")
Hotmail, Passport, and MSN are three different accounts (I happen to have all three). Passport supposedly lets you log in to several different Microsoft Internet services with one login. However, my passport account doesn’t seem to work on Hotmail, and MSN works on neither (MSN doesn’t even have a web-based e-mail(!). When you log in to Hotmail, you’re redirected to [Passport.com](http://Passport.com) (watch the bottom of your browser) in order to check your ID. It’s highly unlikely Microsoft will begin charging for passport or Hotmail. ---
**Author:** ![Evnglion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f04885/32.png) [@Evnglion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evnglion)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/6 "2001-03-11T03:07:05Z")
I, like Lsura, have a passport and hotmail binded into one account. The reason Hotmail is successful is becaue it is free. All ISPs that I know of have E-Mail and they offer additional addresses for very little money. Hotmail is making their cash off of the little ads all over their site, and in your Outloo inbox, if thats what you use. I do not think they would o something like making users pay. Now, what your friend could’ve been thinking of may be an optional pay service. I know a lot of sites offer things like this for their “Pltinum” services that don’t have ads and allow more than 3mb in your inbox. Otherwise, your friend is misinformed, or simply lying. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/7 "2001-03-11T03:11:10Z")
OK…here’s what **not** to do: I thought whatever, I’ll do the Passport sign in thing. They asked a bunch of info I didn’t feel ike giving out: Full name, occupation, sex, country, state, zip code, age, I do it and messed up my birthday year. Now they think I’m under thirteen (?!) and they want a parent (who must also sign up for Passport), to approve my account! I think I will write the whole account off and stick with my Yahoo account. I’m kinda bummed, I’ve had that account quite awhile. ☹ I emailed them, maybe I’ll get it sorted out. ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/8 "2001-03-11T04:23:00Z")
I have heard something about this. While I can’t really confirm it, this is what I think is happening. Hotmail’s web based email will remain free. However, they are going to charge a small amount for you to be able to view your hotmail in an email program (ie. Eudora) Because you can’t view hotmail’s ads when in your email program. ---
**Author:** ![SINsApple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SINsApple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SINsApple)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/9 "2001-03-11T05:39:26Z")
Try telling that to my Outlook Express program. It is more than happy to pop up ads when I get in to my Hotmail account. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/10 "2001-03-11T06:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SINsApple \* > \*\*Try telling that to my Outlook Express program. It is more than happy to pop up ads when I get in to my Hotmail account. \*\* That’s why I was not getting my Hotmail through my OE. After further review, I think _I_ messed up here, not Hotmail. I was screwing around with all the info (I don’t like giving out personal info, especially not to Hotmail), and when I messed with my birthdate, I screwed up my account. I am not going to sign up for a **new** account just to give myself permission to use the old account. Luckily I don’t use Hotmail for anything important. ---
**Author:** ![Mikahw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/11 "2001-03-11T06:35:01Z")
Yeah, that’s the reason I mentioned Eudora instead of OE. OE is a microsoft program, Hotmail is microsoft, Microsoft made OE to allow Hotmail, with ads, of course. I was talking about other email programs instead of OE. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/12 "2001-03-11T06:43:29Z")
**Boscibo** : If giving out personal information irks you (as well it should), just make it up. Lie like a dog, they’ll never find out. I do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/13 "2001-03-11T08:50:15Z")
Derleth, that’s what I was doing, but I put 2000 as my birth year, and there is some law that says anyone under the age of thirteen needs a parent to approve the account. I entered that bit of fake info and poof…so lie like a dog but make sure you are over thirteen…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-to-start-charging/57493/14 "2001-03-11T15:58:50Z")
I wouldn’t count on an answer from hotmail anytime soon. You may get one, but it will have been generated by a robot, not by a human. They lost all my adresses and birthdates once, and I never got it straightened out, only a robotic apology. Quasi