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Verizon’s name is typically associated with the carrier’s tendency to bill and charge you for anything and everything they can. They’re often considered the most expensive wireless carrier to do business with. But it looks like they want to change that perception with a new rewards program they’ve announced.
Dubbed Verizon Smart Rewards, the program will allow you to earn points for doing what you already do with your Verizon account today. Whether that’s signing into your My Verizon account and paying a bill or signing up for paperless billing, points can be earned without you having to jump through hoops.
Points are useless without anything to spend them on, though, so what are they offering? Nothing out of the ordinary, really. They’ll have discounts for goods and services from over 200 well-known brands, travel discounts at over 26,000 hotels, and offers on local shopping and dining, all of which are redeemable from your smartphone (likely through either MyVerizon or a standalone app).
You’ll also have opportunities to win NFL game tickets (Verizon being their official carrier sponsor, and all) as well as discounts on Verizon Wireless gift cards and access to exclusive sales and auctions. Sounds like a pretty good deal if you’re the type who likes to get a little something back for all the hard-earned money you spend with them.
The program launches July 24th and folks needn’t look further than the MyVerizon site to get started with the signup process. You’ll be given 10,000 points to start off with, and while we’re not sure just how much you’ll be able to take advantage of with that amount it sounds like you’ll be able to get some of the smallest rewards right away without much work.
The caveat to all this? Verizon warns some users may have to sign up for Verizon Selects, a program that allows them to use location, web browsing and apps usage information to get insight into their demographics. They might also use said information to serve up targeted ads in their apps, on the web, via text message or via email. Not OK with that? Simply refuse to sign up for rewards. Otherwise, enjoy the new benefits!
[via Verizon]
Keep your points and give me back my unlimited data, ya jerks!
^This.
why’d you let them take it? they are going to have to pry it from my cold dead hands…
I wish that I could hit the agree button 5 more times.
I didn’t. My sister (who is between jobs and lives with my parents) “needed” an iPhone. Since we’re all on a family plan together, we lost ours the second she hit the “Buy Now” button.
strange, one line on a family plan should not affect any others… there are plenty of examples out there of people on family plans where some lines have unlimited and others do not. Sounds more likely that a VZ agent or crafty marketing convinced the account holder to put all lines on the “more everything” plans.
So like Best Buy gives you 1 point for every $1 spent. After you spend $250 you can get a $5 reward certificate.
So a $1000 purchase will give you $20. Dafuq Ima do with $20 after spending $1000? Autozone does it the best. After spending at least $20 5 times, you get $20. That’s a very good ratio. In a sense,that’s a 20% cash back. I’ve saved so much on my oil changes and transmission fluid in my old car.
Verizon better have a good system. I don’t want to see no Best Buy style in doing this.
No, the only way that’s 20% cash back is if you spend exactly $20 each time you go in there. But you’re going to spend well over $20 most of the time. Also, I’m no expert on either, but since I’ve worked around both consumer electronics and auto parts, I’m pretty sure there is far more margin in auto parts, which equals a far greater lee-way for rewards… Side note, as a Best Buy employee, the rewards are actually kinda nice if you’re putting everything on the store credit card and taking the extra points.
Are you sure it’s exactly $20? I’ve bought oil change stuff which equals around $22. I was told you have to spend at least $20. I’ve never spent exactly $20. I mean, with taxes that’s almost impossible to do. I’ve always ranked up points.
After posting that comment, I talked to my friend about the Best Buy points and he said that there’s also more than just that 1 point per $1 spent. It depends on what you buy. There are more ways to get points. That’s nice to hear. I don’t shop at Best Buy enough to know that.
It’s the same thing with AutoZone. Since I frequent there, I saw great value in the reward points. It sounds like it would be the same thing with Best Buy and Verizon. So people who stay there would see more value from the rewards than someone who barely uses Verizon. (Don’t ask me how that’s possible. LoL!!)
Verizon almost lost me on the 17th after my contract ended, but they put their pre paid program on 4g LTE and that kept me on. $65/mo for unlimited talk text and 4 GB data with tethering is pretty good considering their network. Still might switch once I save up money to buy my next phone out right. SCREW CONTRACTS
I don’t have Verizon but why not reward your customers with your own products and discounts instead of this other garbage. It’s just like their advertisement of 25 GB free back up storage. There are plenty of free storage services. Prepaid LTE was the best news for Verizon customers in a long time.
Nope. I want Verizon products
How about keep the rewards and have lower priced plans?
How about after your subsidized phone is paid off your bill reflects that in monthly savings.
It does now. All noncontract lines on a More Everything plan are eligible for the $10/$25 discount (under 10gb/over 10gb).
It does now. All noncontract lines on More Everything are eligible for the same discounts that Edge plans (which are considered noncontract) get. $10/$25 off each noncontract line, depending on whether you’re under ot over 10gb of data.
That already happens. Any noncontract lines on More Everything are eligible for discounts of $10/$25 depending on if you’re under or over 10gb on your data package.
IT’S A TRAP!!!!!
RUN AWAY!!!!
How about Verizon just stops carrier branding every inch of my phone and makes all garbage apps removable. Lets start with that.
I remember that phone where there was a Verizon logo on every inch of it. It was the TingedSeven Is an Idiot 4GLTE
Are you saying that because he’s with Verizon? Or because you’re just cranky?
Exactly. A little logo on the back is fine – I get that. The non-deletable apps, on the other hand, are completely unnecessary. If the bloatware is needed and/or wanted, then people may leave them installed. The only reason you can’t delete them (without root, etc…) is because they know that the majority of the bloatware is crap and everyone will un-install it.
It would be so cool if a phone company had a rewards program like this, but was good for Google Play credit. Like with a chance to get over $100 per year in credit. *sigh* I spend way too much money in Google Play as you might can tell.
I got early access to the smart rewards a few months ago. I can tell you this is the stupidest program that only Verizon could come up with. It is auction based primarily and so many people are bidding that you probably have a 1/1000th chance of winning anything.
Just to give you an idea, a $10 gift card auction just went for 11,140 points. If a bid is placed within 5-10 secs then the time extends back to 10 secs. This makes the auction typically last 10-30 mins longer.
Nevermind it is much higher than 11,140 points. I thought it ended but sure enough it is going through its never ending 10 second BS. Here is a screenshot. The bids are coming in so fast within the last 10 seconds.
attachment…
Nevermind it is much higher than 11,140 points. I thought it ended but sure enough it is going through its never ending 10 second BS. Here is a screenshot. The bids are coming in so fast within the last 10 seconds.
Well, I got 18,000 points to sign up. We’ll see if it’s worth the trouble… if not, I’ll cancel it. Ah well…
For some reason, the first image that springs to mind when I hear the words “Verizon” and “Smart Rewards” used in the same sentence is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV1LWhNpTJU
Okay who’s the idiot that asked for this from Verizon? STOP IT!
You’re assuming that Verizon listens to other people.
You lost me at ” The Caveat”