Not sure how long this has been but last time I looked you had to purchase digital back issues of MagPi, so being able to download them for free now was a pleasant surprise.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/issues/
Thanks for the tip!
Just noticed, it's not only back issues you can download the current issue for free too... how do these guys make money? :D
There is a printed version sent by paid subscription that some people may prefer.