Next Tuesday, T-Mobile is turning T-Mobile Tuesdays on its head, instead opting to use its weekly giveaways to benefit charity. The company said on Wednesday it plans to donate up to $500,000 to local Boys & Girls Clubs as part of a new ‘Giving Tuesday’ promotion.
Customers will have the chance to win $50, $250, or $5,000 cash prizes that would be donated to their local club in their name, up to a total of $300,000. Alongside the prizes, the company will also run a promotion that will match both customer and non-customer donations up to $80 for a total of $200,000, it said in a statement.
T-Mobile Tuesdays has been by far the most successful promotion the company has ever run. It says over 20 million free gifts have been redeemed since the weekly giveaway started in June, and in some cases has been too much for its partners to handle.
The most notable example was Domino’s, which bowed out as a partner after only two weeks. The company said its participation overloaded its franchisees, causing some to even refuse service to those looking into cashing in on the free medium pizza offered.
Customers will still be able to get free stuff next Tuesday, just less than what is normally offered. The company plans to offer a free small Wendy’s Frosty — a promotion that has been a part of T-Mobile Tuesday almost every week from the start (and also backed by a company donation to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption), and a free movie from Fandango Now, which replaced earlier movie partner Vudu.
Those looking to donate to their local Boys & Girls Club, whether a customer or not, can text “TUESDAY” to 20222 next Tuesday to donate $5. T-Mobile says customers can donate as many times as they want, with the first $80 per person being matched dollar-for-dollar up to the $200,000 overall limit.
“T-Mobile Tuesdays is all about giving to our customers,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a statement. “Now, we’re giving more to local communities through the Boys & Girls Clubs with up to half-a-million dollars in donations.”
It is not clear how much longer T-Mobile Tuesdays will continue to be a part of the so-called un-carrier’s strategy to attract and keep customers happy. So far, neither Legere or the company have given any indication that the offer will end, although other promotions as part of its strategy have ended or were quietly phased out.
Editors’ Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described T-Mobile’s Jump on Demand upgrade option as having been phased out. Corrections have been made to reflect that the promotion is still indeed offered, although some representatives might be incorrectly saying otherwise.
