If you’re an AT&T customer feeling a bit left out by T-Mobile’s Tuesday rewards offers, don’t fret. Ma Bell is launching its answer, of sorts, in the form of a deal and discount program dubbed Thanks. The kickoff offer, Ticket Twosdays, will see eligible AT&T customers receive a buy-one-get-one-free movie ticket every week. Another benefit set to launch this fall will provide subscribers the opportunity to nab hot Live Nation concert tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
“Great service goes beyond the day-to-day relationships we have with our customers — it also includes ways to say thank you — we appreciate you,” David Christopher, marketing chief for AT&T’s entertainment division, said in a press release. “AT&T Thanks is kicking of with some great entertainment-focused benefits and will build over time.”
But Thanks isn’t without its caveats. The aforementioned movie tickets are only good for 2D movies at theaters owned by AMC Theaters and Regal Entertainment group, and will be available “while supplies last.” And unless you’re a postpaid subscriber, you’re out of luck — prepaid AT&T customers, data-only subscribers, and AT&T employees are barred from taking advantage. Worse still, there’s a chance the deal won’t stick around: according to AT&T’s fine print, when Thanks gets the ax, so, too, do BOGO movie tickets.
The ticket benefit is a bit less restrictive. It’s a presale affair: Qualifying AT&T Thanks customers get access to concert stubs on Live Nation before they’re widely available. If you’re a postpaid subscriber, AT&T said, you don’t need to sign up or opt in to take advantage.
Thanks won’t end there, apparently. AT&T has committed to adding as-yet unrevealed “private offers” and “limited-time” benefits like device and accessory perks, “data giveaways,” and more in the near future. “The relationship we have with our customers will get better and better, with exciting ways for us to show our appreciation,” said Christopher.
That’s a good thing, because Thanks has a long way to go before it measures up to the best of carrier rewards programs. T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 11, for example, includes complimentary stock in the company, free in-flight Wi-Fi and text messaging on Gogo-enabled flights, and an app that features free Wendy’s Frostys, Vudu movie credits, and other rotating benefits.
But assuming Thanks launches smoothly, it’ll be off to a better start than T-Mobile’s equivalent. The provider’s rewards app suffered downtime during its first few weeks in June. And more recently, T-Mobile was forced to replace one weekly reward, a free medium Domino’s pizza, with another (a $15 credit for ridesharing app Lyft) when customers across the country “overwhelmed” the pizza chain.
Somewhat bizarrely, AT&T’s Thanks has gotten into legal trouble. Citigroup, which has a trademark on the portmanteau “THANKYOU,” is suing AT&T for what it calls a “wanton” usage that could lead to confusion among customers in its THANKYOU Marks loyalty programs.
