Oh, Flixbus wifi allowance. You lure us in with promises of Netflix and iMessages, only to leave us high and dry after we blow through our allotted 150MB of data after checking Instagram for like, five minutes. But, with a little planning, you never have to run out of Flixbus wifi again.

One thing to note, the Flixbus WLAN is not meant for anything serious, like work, watching movies, or Facetiming. At most, think of it as a free messaging service. But I’ll still show you how to get around the Flixbus wifi problem with tech support and how to plan ahead for next time.

See also: 

• Is Flixbus Reliable? An Honest Flixbus Review
• Overnight Buses in Europe: the Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus

How to Outsmart the Flixbus Wifi Limit

Berlin – a Flixbus Destination

I took an 11-hour overnight Flixbus from Berlin to Amsterdam and didn’t run out until 30 minutes before arrival. You can do this, too! Here’s how:

Outsmart the Flixbus Wifi limit on this ride

There is no Flixbus wifi password, which is great. But if you need something and need more data, try this: 

iOS

1. Open “Settings,” then select “wifi”
2. Tap the information (i) icon next to the Flixbus wifi network
3. Tap “Forget this Network”
4. Tap “Forget to confirm”
5. Clear history and cookies on Safari

Android

1. Open “Settings,” then select “wifi”
2. Tap and hold the Flixbus wifi network, then select “forget network.”
3. Clear history and cookies on your mobile browser.

You will then need to force the Flixbus wifi page to reload by turning off your alternate DNS server.

DNS servers, or domain name servers, match domain names such as shesatrip.com to their server’s IP address—which makes it much easier to visit websites than typing in the numbers.

iOS

Open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, and tap the i button beside your network name. Select Configure DNS and tap Automatic.

Android

Open Settings, tap Advanced, then tap Private DNS. Choose Automatic. With that done, turn off your wifi then turn it back on—and the login screen should open. If it doesn’t, try restarting your phone.

If all else fails, talk to the driver and tell him the wifi isn’t working on the bus. Ask him to reset it. I did this once, and it re-upped my Flixbus data so I can time to download a playlist for the rest of the ride.

Outsmart the Flixbus Wifi limit on future rides

It’s always better to plan ahead and use the free wifi at your hostel, the airport, or even the bus station to download things to keep you entertained than to rely on the Flixbus wifi, as the Flixbus wifi doesn’t work all the time.

Download Netflix + Amazon movies ahead of time

Munich – a Flixbus Destination

Both Netflix and Amazon allow you to download movies and tv shows onto your phone or tablet so you can watch them later. If you’d like to binge Stranger Things on your way to Berlin, it only takes about two minutes of planning.

Just use the wifi at the airport, cafe, or hostel and download any and all of the content you’d like to see on your trip. Just don’t use the Flixbus wifi to download or stream any video files, as you’ll run out of data pretty much instantly. So quickly, in fact, that the download usually won’t even finish. Flixbus wifi doesn’t work for that.

Put your phone on airplane mode while using Flixbus

Prague – a Flixbus Destination

Even though I downloaded Netflix content ahead of time, my phone kept trying to stream the shows I had downloaded instead of relying on the downloaded files.

Pretty frustrating, but there’s an easy fix. Just pop your phone over to Airplane Mode. This way there’s no confusion and you stop having to run interference between your app and the Flixbus Wifi.

Another bonus of Airplane Mode is that you are not accidentally eating up any of the Flixbus Wifi limit with background app refresh, etc. If you need to send a text or look up the address of your next hostel, you can briefly turn it off, but it’s best to pop it right back on after.

This is one of the main ways I stretched my 150MB limit from Berlin all the way to Amsterdam.

See also: 

• Hate Traveling with Friends? Here’s How to Avoid Fighting on Vacation
• Study Abroad Preparation Checklist: 5 Things to do BEFORE Studying Abroad

Sign up for audible or try Libby

Bratislava – a Flixbus Destination

Audiobooks are a great way to pass the time on overnight buses in Europe if your travel style is more look out the window and relax. If you sign up for Audible, you get at least one free audiobook when you sign up for the 1-month free trial, after which you can cancel at any time (and keep your audiobook!) or continue on to receive one Audible credit a month.

I’ll admit, I signed up for the free trial so I could have a book to listen to on my 11-hour Berlin to Amsterdam Flixbus ride, but ended up keeping my subscription because let’s be real… who doesn’t love a good story without the effort of actually reading it? Just, as always, download your book ahead of time — even if it’s using the wifi at the bus station as you’re waiting to board. You can also use Libby, which is a free version supported by local libraries.

Sign up for Audible here.

Stream music offline

Amsterdam – a Flixbus Destination

The paid version of streaming apps like Amazon Music and Spotify have options for listening offline, as long as you download your playlists ahead of time (this seems to be a theme), but there are still a few streaming apps that are completely free.

Like Umusio where you pay .99 one time and then have access to millions of songs offline.

The app Deezer costs $9.99 a month, but the first 30 days are free. So sign up, but remember to cancel on time!

Sleep the ride away

Rome – a Flixbus Destination

The lull of the Flixbus engine. The blurred European landscape whisked past you as you barrel down the highway. Oh, so so relaxing, right? If you reach the Flixbus wifi limit, forgot to download movies to watch or music to listen to, and are traveling alone with no one to chat to, just lean your head back and take a nap. You’ll get to where you’re going soon enough.

The bottom line of outsmarting the Flixbus wifi limit is just not to use the wifi because if you follow the steps I’ve listed above you won’t even need it anyway. But if you do run into trouble, you can always try to reset your phone. Or plead with the driver.

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Emily Kammerlohr

Emily’s all over the place. She’s an expert on working holidays, studying abroad, and turning your #GapYear into a #GapLife. Learn how here.