While other carriers just want to “screw you,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere says the “un-carrier” just wants to “take you to a dinner and a movie.”
Legere just made a slew of announcements as a part of “Un-carrier 11”– all of which are aimed at benefiting T-Mobile customers and showing gratitude. The biggest move — and probably the most drastic — is that T-Mobile is giving away a share of the company to its customers. “No publicly traded company has done this before, ever,” Legere said of the move.
Dubbed “Stock Up,” the limited-time promotion provides the primary account holder on postpaid accounts a single share in T-Mobile U.S. The plan must include voice service to qualify. The promotion begins Tuesday, June 7, and will extend for two weeks. You’ll have to claim your share by setting up a free brokerage account from Loyal3.
A share of the company may seem small, so Legere says customers will be able to grab more by referring people to subscribe to T-Mobile’s service. You can get up to 100 shares per year. People who switch to T-Mobile now will also be able to claim a single share of stock. Of course, to show gratitude to longtime customers — for at least five years or longer — T-Mobile is giving away two shares for every referral.
Legere made the announcement on several social networks including Periscope and via Facebook Live — but what likely grabbed more attention is the release of a new iOS and Android app called T-Mobile Tuesdays. Instead of just saying “thank you” like most companies do, T-Mobile is giving away free stuff every Tuesday if you’re a customer.
“We just want to say thank you,” Legere said. “No points, no strings, no schemes — customers come first always.”
You just have to download the app, and verify your device with your T-Mobile phone number. Once you’re in the app, just hit “Check out the Loot” to win special prizes every Tuesday. It seems as though the company will be offering recurring gifts every week — a Domino’s pizza, a Frosty from Wendy’s, and a free movie rental from Vudu. In addition, each week will have a secret prize, and this week’s is a free movie ticket to Warcraft.
These secret prizes can be anything, such as a whole free month of Lyft rides or other giveaways from StubHub, Major League Baseball, and more. Legere says more brands will be added every week. The app also has a game you can play for a chance to win “huge prizes,” such as a trip on the Inca trail in Peru, and more.
The prizes can also be doubled, with extra gifts thrown in if you “gloat” about T-Mobile Tuesdays or Stock Up. That means sharing your participation in the company’s gratitude via social media using “#GetThanked.”
“T-Mobile Tuesdays is a major investment we’re making in customers,” Legere said. “About $31.49 worth of free stuff just this week … multiply that with millions of customers — that’s a lot of gratitude, but you’re worth it.”
Finally, the magenta company is also allowing its subscribers to use iMessage, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, or Viber for free while on a flight. Previously, T-Mobile has made it possible for customers to text while above ground on Gogo-enabled flights, and now the feature has been extended to the aforementioned messaging apps. To add icing on the cake, beginning on June 13, T-Mobile customers will also be able to get a free hour of Wi-Fi on every domestic flight via Gogo.
T-Mobile Tuesdays is available now on the iTunes App Store and on Google Play.
