It’s not quite clear how well Sprint’s “Framily” plans are working in terms of attracting subscribers away from rival carriers and slowing the bleeding — Sprint recently registered a $576 million fourth-quarter loss, making it the only major U.S. wireless carrier that’s still in the red. What is clear, however, is the fact that Sprint is done sitting idly by while other carriers “uncarrier” each other with various promotions that look to steal business away from one another. And so starting Friday, the carrier is launching a big promotion that will offer people up to $650 to make the switch to Sprint.
As leaked by a forum member on Sprint fan site S4GRU, Sprint on Friday launched a new limited-time promotion that will reimburse new customers up to $350 to cover early termination fees (ETF) when they switch over from a rival carrier. All they have to do is snap a picture of their final bill that shows the ETF fee and upload it to a special website.
Beyond the switch-over offer, Sprint will also give new customers a service credit of up to $300 when they trade in their old phones.
The new promotion runs from now until May 8th, and Sprint’s full press release follows below.
For a Limited Time, Customers Who Switch a Number to Sprint on a FramilySM Plan Can Save up to $650
The Sprint Framily Plan offers members service for as low as $25 per month per line
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), April 04, 2014 – When it comes to starting or joining a Framily, there’s never been a better time. Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced a Framily Switching Bonus worth up to $650 in savings per subscriber to cover the costs of switching carriers.
For a limited time, new customers who bring their number to Sprint can receive up to $300 in credit for their current phone and a Visa® Prepaid Card worth up to $350 to cover switching fees. This offer will be available exclusively at Sprint stores and online at Sprint.com from April 4 through May 8.
“At Sprint, we believe in ‘Happy Connecting’ through the value of a Sprint Framily Plan,” said Jeff Hallock, Sprint chief marketing officer. “We are seeing great momentum with the Sprint Framily plan, and we want to make it as easy as possible for customers to join our Framily.”
How it Works
The Framily Switching Bonus offer is available to new and current customers bringing a number to Sprint from another postpaid carrier and signing up on a Sprint Framily Plan. Customers will receive credit for their phone trade-in as a part of the initial transaction. Approximately 10-12 weeks after initial sign-up, customers who register and submit their final bill from their previous carrier and who are in good standing at the time of payment processing will receive a Visa® Prepaid card worth up to $350 to pay back Early Termination Fees or, if not on contract, their remaining Equipment Installment balance.
Sprint recognizes that “family” now includes everyone important to an individual, including friends, neighbors and relatives. It’s no longer just a family, it’s a Framily. With the Sprint Framily Plan, the more people added to the group, up to 10 phone lines, the greater the savings for everyone on the plan. Because each account can be billed separately, customers can invite friends, family and others to join their Framily.
For one line of service, new Sprint customers pay $55 per month per line for unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data. For each additional new Sprint customer who joins the Framily group, the cost per person goes down $5 a month up to a maximum monthly discount of $30 per line. Build a group of at least seven people and everyone gets unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data for $25 per month per line (pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).
All members of the group can customize their plan to meet their unique needs. For only $20 per month per line, Framily members can buy up to unlimited data and get a new phone every year. Plan members can share the savings, without the hassle of sharing a bill. Each account can be billed separately. Unlimited features are while on the Sprint network.
To participate, customers simply purchase an eligible wireless phone at full retail price or through the Sprint Easy PaySM program and pay in 24 monthly payments. Customers also can activate an existing Sprint phone.
New customers will receive a unique Framily ID, at which point they can invite friends, family and others outside of Sprint to join their group. Or, new customers can easily join an existing Sprint Framily group within 14 days of account activation. Once the Framily Group is established, anyone in the group can invite new members.
