11th ‘Uncarrier’ move by T-Mobile brings you free movies, food, prizes, and stock

Last week T-Mobile began hyping their “Uncarrier 11” event, and word leaked that the new surprise that the company would have in store for its users was automatic stock options. One share of T-Mobile for each user, prepay or postpay, and additional shares each time you coax a friend over to the carrier. That alone would have been pretty big news, considering no public company has ever done such a thing, but the third-largest carrier in the US had even more up its sleeve.

The unveiling is trending with the tag #GetThanked, because president and CEO John Legere says that showing the company’s thankfulness to its users is the whole idea behind Uncarrier 11. “Get ready for a gratitude adjustment, America!” said Legere. “This Un-carrier move is all about giving you a good thanking! No strings. No gotchas. Just ‘thank you for being a customer!’ At T-Mobile, we already wake up every day working for our customers—so I’ve decided to make it official and turn T-Mobile customers into T-Mobile owners by offering them stock. And we’re thanking customers every week with cool stuff from brands people love. For free. Every Tuesday!”

That whole ‘free stuff every Tuesday’ bit is a three-pronged service. First, T-Mobile is buying its users dinner and a movie every week. This week, for example, you get a two-topping pizza from Domino’s, a Wendy’s Frosty, and a free movie rental from VUDU. Second, you get an additional freebie of some kind that could be tickets, a gift card, free subscriptions, or free ride-sharing. This week, it’s tickets to go see Warcraft in theaters. Third, one lucky T-Mobile user will be randomly selected for an “epic” prize. This week’s epic prize is a trip on a party bus for someone and 40 of their closest friends to a private showing of Warcraft with all-you-can-eat candy, popcorn, and soft drinks. Other epic prizes in the lineup include:

• a trip for two to Vegas to stay at Mandalay Bay with tickets to see UB40 at the Mandalay Bay Beach and roll VIP style at Luxor’s LAX Nightclub. Plus $100 in Lyft credits to get around town.
• a trip to MLB All-Star week in San Diego for you and a lucky guest, including exclusive access to the Home Run Derby press conference and batting practice to see the top players up close and personal.
• a once-in-a-lifetime expedition for you and your hiking buddy up the legendary Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, complete with accommodations, meals, and tours from The Clymb.
• a trip to New York City to refresh your wardrobe with a $10,000 shopping spree with the help of an in-house stylist in the private Gilt showroom.

T-Mobile has partnered with a slew of businesses including American Giant, Buffalo Wild Wings, Condé Nast, Fanatics, Fandango, Gilt, HotelTonight, JackThreads, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, Lyft, Major League Baseball, MGM Resorts International, Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Shell, StubHub, The Clymb, The Grommet and Warner Brothers to make these prizes possible. Users also get a free hour of wifi on Gogo-equipped flights as icing on the cake.

T-Mobile emphasizes that these gifts all come with no strings attached. Most rewards plans or loyalty cards are essentially tools to advertise to users more effectively or wrangle them into repeat business. “7 in 10 (72%) people see through it and agree loyalty programs exist to squeeze more money out of them,” the company said in a press release. “That’s why 90% of comments about loyalty programs in social media are negative and why customers don’t bother to use well over half (58%) of the programs they’re on.”

If you’re a T-Mobile user, then you can get started on the weekly freebies by clicking the button below to download the dedicated app from the Play Store. If you want to check out your Stock Up options, all you have to do is sign up for free brokerage service from LOYAL3. T-Mobile is currently trading at $43 per share, and you get an additional share for each referral you make. You can refer up to 100 friends each year.

What are your thoughts regarding T-Mobile’s 11th Uncarrier move? Still looking for a catch? Thinking about swapping carriers? Let us know in the comments!