AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) officially launched a new loyalty rewards program in conjunction with major brands including ExxonMobil, Macy's, Nationwide Insurance, Rite Aid, Direct Energy, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Hulu. The program, called "Plenti" and powered by American Express, lets customers earn and redeem points at any of the merchants in the alliance.
There is no limit to the number of points a member can earn, and Plenti gives members at least two years to use their points. The program was first announced in mid-March.
To sign up for Plenti, consumers can visit participating partner stores, Plenti.com or download the Plenti mobile app, which is available at both the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Play. Consumers who start to sign up at partner stores must finish signing up online to get relevant offers and use points at checkout after earning a minimum of 200 points. Plenti members can also track how many points they have collected at checkout or at Plenti.com or on the Plenti app.
To get customers started, the group said that Plenti members who use the "featured welcome offers" could earn at least 10,000 Plenti points, which is equal to at least $100 in savings. Every 1,000 points will translate to at least $10 in savings.
Some of the early offers on the service include earning 5,000 points after signing up for a new line of AT&T wireless service on a postpaid smartphone or other eligible phone; earning 200 points after buying at least 10 gallons of fuel in a single visit at a participating Exxon- or Mobil-branded service station; earning 1,000 points on a $100 purchase of sunglasses at Macy's or macys.com.; and earnings 1,000 points after spending $50 on eligible purchases in a single transaction at Rite Aid or riteaid.com.
Once customers have logged in to their Plenti accounts online, they can also browse the group's "Online Marketplace" and select the online store where they would like to shop. They will then be directed to that retailer's website where they can earn Plenti points for their purchase.
Other carriers have embraced rewards programs to varying degrees. U.S. Cellular (NYSE:USM) recently said it will shut down its "Rewards" program for its customers this summer. Last week U.S. Cellular CEO Ken Meyers said the program was "not as effective at attracting new customers" as U.S. Cellular wanted, and that "current customers do not rate it highly as a benefit." Many customers were not even using the points they earned as part of the program, Meyers added. Shutting down the program will allow U.S. Cellular to "redirect resources to other products and services our customers value more."
Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) launched its Smart Reward program nationwide, giving all of its postpaid customers access to its customer loyalty program. Verizon said its program offers customers discounts and savings of up to 40 percent on brand-name merchandise from more than 200 well-known brands. The program also gives customers offers on local shopping and dining they can redeem directly from their wireless device, as well as travel offers including discounts at more than 26,000 hotels. The program also offers discounts on Verizon-specific products along with gift cards for Verizon merchandise and opportunities to win NFL game tickets.
T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS) in January launched a new program called "Score" for all of its prepaid and postpaid customers. Under Score, customers pay $5 per month. After six months in the program, or $30 in fees, members automatically qualify for a free, entry-level LTE smartphone. After 12 months ($60), customers can get discounts on to all T-Mobile LTE smartphones.
C Spire Wireless too offers its Percs rewards program, which gives customers points for activities like paying a bill or telling friends about C Spire. The points can be redeemed for discounts, gift cards and more. C Spire says active participants in Percs can save an average of $300 per year.
For more:
- see this release
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