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T-Mobile is providing free unlimited high-speed data use throughout Europe to all Simple Choice plan customers in July and August under a “Summer Unleashed” vacation special offer announced by the carrier.
And for U.S. consumers who won’t be traveling to Europe this summer, T-Mobile is offering a free hour of in-flight Gogo WiFi on all U.S. domestic flights this weekend, from Friday, June 24, through 11 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 26, to any customer of any mobile carrier.
The special offers are an extension of T-Mobile’s recent “Get Thanked” Un-carrier 11 promotions, which were unveiled in early June to thank its customers for their business. The freebies were announced by the carrier on June 23 as it continues to barrage competitors including AT&T and Verizon with advertising attacks highlighting what it says are lower rates and more benefits with T-Mobile cellular services.
Under the free European data offer, T-Mobile is providing free unlimited high-speed data to all Simple Choice customers traveling in every European country except for Andorra, according to the company. The offer is good from July 1 through Aug. 31. Customers can use that free data for photos, video calls, document sharing or any other data use, all at no charge during the promotion. Texting is already provided for free to T-Mobile customers around the globe, while calls can be made for 20 cents a minute throughout Europe under existing Simple Choice plans.
“The carriers see your summer trip as the perfect occasion to slam you with insane international roaming charges,” John Legere, the president and CEO of T-Mobile, said in a statement. “When you travel with the Un-carrier, you’ll never come home to surprise overages or crazy fees. Travel with T-Mobile, and you can use your phone the way you want to without thinking twice. Share every fantastic moment and don’t pay a penny more for your data.”
Carrier roaming rates in Europe and other countries around the world are expensive and can result in hefty mobile bills for carriers who want to use their devices abroad, according to the company. All Simple Choice customers will automatically get the free benefit and do not have to enroll in a special offer.
T-Mobile’s other latest offer, the free hour of Gogo WiFi on all U.S. domestic air flights this weekend, is available to any mobile customer of any mobile carrier on some 33,000 flights before the offer expires at 11 p.m. EDT on June 26. The service is only available on aircraft that are equipped for Gogo WiFi.
T-Mobile customers already get 1 hour of free Gogo in-flight WiFi on their smartphone each month through their Simple Choice plans, as well as always-free Gogo messaging and texting on all Gogo-equipped domestic flights. These benefits were unveiled earlier in June.
In addition, T-Mobile announced that starting July 1, Belize is being added to the list of nations where Simple Choice customers can get unlimited data and texting and 20 cent-per-minute calling rates.
T-Mobile’s Un-carrier initiatives, which it has been unveiling for several years, are designed to show customers that T-Mobile is not a stodgy mobile carrier, which is how the company identifies key competitors AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.
Earlier in June, when T-Mobile announced its Un-carrier 11 promotion, it offered a “Stock Up” benefit that provides a free full share of the carrier’s common stock to all existing and new customers to thank them for their business. It also gives customers the potential to earn up to 100 free stock shares a year by recommending the company to friends and family members.
The company unveiled the Stock Up offer along with several other Un-carrier 11 benefits, such as a T-Mobile Tuesdays app that lets customers take advantage of special offers and prizes from third-party vendors, and a free hour of Gogo in-flight WiFi connectivity to T-Mobile customers on all Gogo-equipped domestic flights in the United States.
T-Mobile’s previous Un-carrier events have brought unlimited video streaming, unlimited music streaming, rebates to switch carriers, roll-over monthly data and more for the company’s customers. In November 2015, T-Mobile unveiled its then-new Binge-On free unlimited video streaming to all customers who had at least a 3GB monthly data plan, according to an earlier eWEEK story.