Online shopping portal WorldSpy has pulled the plug on a rare Web freebie: no-charge, advertising-free Internet access.

The White Plains, N.Y.-based company last November joined the growing number of companies offering free Internet access in a bid to lure more customers. But the site went one better, keeping its service free of marketing messages that usually pay the bills on most no-fee Internet accounts. WorldSpy's Web site on Friday began redirecting visitors to Juno Online Services, a free Internet service provider that bundles advertising with its service. "WorldSpy is no longer accepting sign-ups and is proud to announce that it has reached an agreement with Juno to provide completely free Internet access and email to all WorldSpy users,"a message on the referral site reads. Although WorldSpy customers will have Internet access at no cost through Juno, they will also continue to receive email messages addressed to their WorldSpy accounts. WorldSpy did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment. New York-based market research firm Jupiter Communications projects that 6.2 percent of all Internet users will log on through a free connection this year, doubling to 13 percent by 2003. But whether the giveaways will pay off for the businesses sponsoring them remains uncertain. NetZero, a publicly traded free ISP, is losing money, for example.