Competition is brutal in the phone industry these days, and as a consumer, that’s a good thing. Sprint offers Hulu and Tidal Premium subscriptions with some of their unlimited plans. [1] Verizon offers Apple music with some of their unlimited plans.
Free!
Now you can’t just offer 4G and unlimited data talk and text and expect customers to come rolling in. These days you really have to throw a carrot out there. Being a consumer, I’m not complaining.
Question: How do you continue acquiring customers, keep your old customers, while raising up your prices? The answer should be “You don’t.” Instead, the answer is giving your customers something they want, for free.
More for Less
Is it true that we could pay the $10 a month subscription fee for Apple music? Yes. Is it true that you could pay for Hulu and Tidal separately and enjoy a carrier that isn’t Sprint? Yes. Is it true that you think T-mobile has better service and is cheaper? Maybe.
As soon as one of these companies puts a phone that you want on their shelf with a large “Free” sign taped above it, the choice between Sprint or T-mobile becomes a little clearer though.
Last year Verizon took the initiative and offered six months of free Apple music to their unlimited plan subscribers, whether you were a new customer or not. This year Verizon is expanding their partnership with Apple again.
Any new or existing Verizon customer that has the Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited subscriptions get free Apple music with no additional cost for as long as they’re with Verizon. [2]
Has shopping for a phone carrier gotten easier? Not hardly, now you have to worry about not getting too carried away with free offers that you forget the fine print.
Notes:
- ^“Sprint adds an Unlimited plan without high-resolution video.” Engadget, 18 Jan. 2019, www.engadget.com/2018/07/12/sprint-unlimited-plus-basic. (go back ↩)
- ^“Verizon adds even more value to nation’s best unlimited plans as Apple Music will be included in Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited.” 15 Jan. 2019, www.verizon.com/about/news/verizon-adds-even-more-value-nations-best-unlimited-plans-apple-music-will-be-included-beyond. (go back ↩)
