CINCINNATI, Ohio, December 15, 2009
- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today
announced a first of its kind
loyalty program that rewards
frequent shoppers with free wireless
service using the company’s own
wireless phone service, branded i-wireless.
The FREE MINUTES rewards program
enables customers to earn free
airtime on their i-wireless phone
when they purchase groceries at the
Kroger family of stores. i-wireless
is exclusively available in more
than 2,200 Kroger-owned stores
nationwide.
In a market that is seeing a rapid
shift in demand toward unlimited
price plans, the FREE MINUTES
program is a unique loyalty
initiative that enables shoppers to
obtain market-leading pricing and
potentially eliminate their wireless
phone bill altogether. Unlimited
Talk and Unlimited Talk and Text
plans start at just $40 and $50 each
when you register for the FREE
MINUTES program, but i-wireless
subscribers can also earn an
additional $1 discount toward their
next monthly service fee for every
$100 spent in-store on qualifying
purchases.
“The FREE MINUTES rewards program
empowers customers to directly
influence the amount they spend each
month on their wireless service. The
more they shop at Kroger, the more
they’ll save on their wireless
bill,” said Paul McAleese, chief
executive officer of i-wireless.
“For loyal Kroger shoppers, FREE
MINUTES enables i-wireless to
deliver the best value in the
marketplace today, making it an
incredibly attractive option for the
millions of shoppers that visit a
Kroger store on a weekly basis.”
i-wireless customers that subscribe
to a monthly rate plan or a
pay-as-you-go plan will receive 20
FREE MINUTES of airtime for every
$100 they spend in-store. Customers
are notified via text message of
their reward in an immediate
fashion, often receiving the message
by the time they reach the parking
lot following their shopping
transaction.
FREE MINUTES rewards can only be
redeemed on a Kroger i-wireless
phone and may carry forward from
month-to-month consistent with the
program rules of their selected rate
plan. i-wireless users can register
for the FREE MINUTES program by
linking their Shopper’s card or
Rewards card number or Alternate ID
to their i-wireless phone number at
the point of activation, online or
by calling i-wireless Customer Care
at 1-866-594-3644.
i-wireless Holiday Offer
Customers that purchase select i-wireless
phones this holiday season will
receive 500 minutes of free airtime.
The holiday promotional offer will
be applied in two separate
installments with the first $30 (300
minutes) credit being applied to a
customer’s account balance when they
register for the FREE MINUTES
program. The second installment will
be applied as a $20 (200 minutes)
credit the first time that airtime
is added to the user’s account
balance.
i-wireless has introduced four new
phones to its line-up including the
blue and pink Sanyo 2700 with QWERTY
keyboard, the Samsung M330 with
slider feature and the Samsung M240
flip phone. Phones range in price
starting at $39.99 to $49.99 when
purchased with a Shopper’s card or
Rewards card and are eligible to
receive the 500 minutes of free
airtime.
The FREE MINUTES rewards program is
not available in Food4Less stores.
The holiday promotion of 500 minutes
is not available at Fred Meyer. For
more information about i-wireless,
please visit
www.iwirelesshome.com.
About i-wireless
i-wireless is a national wireless
service provider exclusively sold in
over 2,200 retail locations within
the Kroger family of stores across
31 states. As one of the nation’s
largest grocery retail chains,
Kroger operates stores under two
dozen local banner names including:
Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer,
Food4Less, Fry’s, King Soopers,
Smith’s, Dillons, QFC, Baker’s,
Gerbes, and City Market. In addition
to enjoying great in-store savings,
i-wireless customers that shop at
the Kroger family of stores can earn
FREE MINUTES on their i-wireless
phone when they use their Shopper's
card or Rewards card on qualifying
purchases, potentially eliminating
their cell phone bill altogether.
i-wireless provides reliable and
affordable wireless service using
the Nationwide Sprint Network
reaching more than 280 million
users.
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