Why you need free e-mail accounts – Outlook.com, Gmail…

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Internet Service Providers (aka ISP) often bundle in their services offering e-mail addresses. But there’s a big problem: if you ever switch provider or stop paying, you’re doomed. I made a couple of phone calls and spoke with some well known Canadian ISP’s customer service and they all told me the same thing: if you change provider, you can’t keep the provided e-mail address. Some may offer you to keep it, but for a fee.

Freedom is free

A free e-mail account on the contrary, is free, it offers the same functionality, long term stability and a LOT more benefits.

With a free e-mail account, mainly you can choose any ISP you want, change whenever you want, you’ll still have the same e-mail address. Move in another country? Not a problem; as long as you have Internet access, you’ll be good to go!

Be smart, start using a free e-mail account from providers like Microsoft (Hotmail, Outlook.com, Live), Google (Gmail) or Yahoo.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Free e-mails however usually have requirements: you usually must stay active. Ex.: Microsoft requires that you sign into your Microsoft account at least once every 270 days, Gmail possibly 9 month too, etc.  So anyone who uses e-mail normally will ipso facto meet the activity requirement anyway. What are you waiting for? Get a free e-mail today!

Yahoo!

I’m still waiting for an official answer from Yahoo!. Since their Terms of Use are quite ambiguous and incomplete about Account inactivity, I can’t recommend it, yet.

EDIT – August 26: Yahoo! Public Relations Manager, Public Policy’s representative replied to my e-mail. Stay tune for more info! :D

EDIT – September 17: I never heard again from Yahoo! since last time. Guess they don’t value much their users after all. Oh well.

Final word

If your e-mail doesn’t look professional (Ex.: whale_killer666@hotmail.com), don’t worry, you don’t have to change or create a new e-mail account. Stay tuned for an upcoming article on how to use e-mail alias!

Enjoy!

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References
-http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/microsoft-services-agreement ( Clearest services agreement ever )
-http://www.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/program_policies.html ( updated as of September 12, 2008 )
-https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/account/inactive ( Inactivity Account Manager )
-https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/ ( Section 15, (e) extended periods […] )