"The thing is when I used internet cafes, the first thing I would always open would be email."
Seriously? Intenet cafes are the least secure computers to give your email and password to. Sure for junk and spam-email accounts, that you dont care about anyway. But logging in to your personal email account on an internet caffe!? Thats madness.
Internet cafes aren't the only place. Our work doesn't allow access to external email - as one part of an attempt to avoid data leakage - but has no problem with a small amount of browsing sites like HN.
1) You don't have/won't access your email account on that computer (ex: Internet Cafe)
2) Spam filters that may delay the mail and so will delay the ability to log in. (ex: Grey Listing)
3) Changing your email account (ex: Work Email to personal email)