In order to reward its highest spending and long-term subscribers, Sprint has launched a loyalty program that is meant to make sure that customers stay happy with a few perks along the way.
The Sprint Premier loyalty program works by having been a Sprint customer for 10 consecutive years, have an individual service plan of at least $70 or more for three consecutive months or longer, or on a $99.99 or higher shared service plan.
Perks include early upgrading at new customer price every year, special offers for trips, tickets to shows and sporting events, sneak peeks at new devices with first purchase opportunity such as with the Palm Pre for long-term customers, anniversary perks such as bonus minutes or free ringtones, accessory discounts, and a plan check every six months to ensure complete satisfaction.
Enrollment is automatic, and account status will reflect enrollment based on meeting the aforementioned criteria, which is similar to Verizon’s former loyalty program.
this seems like a good idea
The phrase, “Too little, too late” comes to mind…..
Actually, I’ve had premier status for at least several months (that I know of; could be longer). I’ve been with Sprint for just over 8 years and had a family plan for about 6 of those. On family plans, only the main line gets a yearly phone upgrade (the other lines get the standard 2-year deal).
I wonder if they’re going to include former Nextel subscribers in the “more than 10 years” category – those of who switched over to the CDMA side after Sprint began neglecting the iDEN network.
I have seen this on my account for at least two months. Love the idea of being able to upgrade every year instead of 22 months.
Doesn’t it seem like the 10 year requirement is a high one, where as the $69/$99 requirement is quite low?
10 years is only for single plans of less than 70 or fam less than 100, otherwise it’s only a few months
I had this on my account before I dumped Sprint and went to AT&T. I got a notice in the mail informing me basically the same thing the blog says. Only it wasn’t a 10 year requirement. I only had my acocunt for 5 or 6 years consecutively (and a few more years before that but i left for a year so only 5 or 6 were consecutive).
I left anyway. And I’m happy I did. I should have left a lot sooner than I did. As someone already said, too little, too late.
How is this any different from the “white glove” (or similar) program they’ve had for quite some time now? I mean, as a 10+ year customer, I’m always open to new incentives, but I don’t see much new here.
Hey Saltydog good for you for switching to Att. Enjoy their so called high speed network. I understand if you switched over to Verizon but Att? Cmon, i wouldnt be bragging about it though. Ive had sprint since 2003 and they get better every year. So go ahead and pay double the price for the att so called 3G network., more like 2G.
This probably doesn’t apply if I get a discount through my employer?
Your employee discount would not disqualify you from participation in the SP program, as long as you’re on a regular plan that is (or was) available to the general public.
Sweet! I have a regular plan I just get 23% off of my monthly bill, but I’m still way over the $99 threshold.
Call me crazy, but I’ve been with Sprint since October of 1998…and I’ve been a part of this “special” program now since October or November of last year. It’s odd to see this article here now.
I also have 7 lines on my account with an insanely high monthly bill…so I guess I more than qualify.
The thing is…it’s not given me much “special”…sure the 12 months upgrade feature is nice, but that’s about all I’ve seen or have been offered. Even though you get to upgrade every 12 months with a full $150 rebate, I’ve been told by Sprint reps that it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still under a 2 year contract on my current phone and that doesn’t expire until next February (2010).
Really, the only way you get recognized by Sprint is if your contract is up for renewal or you threaten to leave to AT&T…
Hey JJ, glad to hear Sprint gets better every year. Of course its not hard when you’ve hit rock bottom. jmo, but it would appear to me they’re getting worse according to Sprint’s quarterly #’s.
Your right. Their numbers dont look good. But im not complaining as long as my service is still good. Hopefully the pre will help Sprint out. They still have a chance to be cell phone industry contenders. Hopefully their smart enough to get out of the mess their in.
@ JJ:
I don’t know why people say Sprint data is faster than AT&T’s, but it is not the case. Sprint fanboys can say it over and over, but it doesn’t make it true. AT&T has HSPA data that is capable of over 7 meg downloads. Of course, I never get that, but I still get 2 or 3 times the speeds I used to get on Sprint’s EVDO rev A. And, I can talk on the phone while I do it. At least 2 or 3 times per week, I find myself watching my Slingplayer while talking on the phone thru my bluetooth headset.
And as for cost- my AT&T monthly bill is actually a little cheaper than I was paying on Sprint. I have a few less minutes pe rmonth, but that’s okay, because I saved up so many rollover minutes the first month that I don’t have to worry about it. I haven’t even been close to using all of my minutes.
I’m glad you think Sprint is getting better every month. But last time I checked, everyone else is getting better every month too. In fact, everyone else is making much bigger improvements every month than Sprint.
It’s funny, I am in the process of turning my old Sprint Mogul into a stand alone GPS unit for my vehicles. I was on XDA reading the Titan (Mogul) wiki, and in the GPS section, there were multiple parts that said sometihng to the effect of, “The Kaiser/Tilt GPS does this much better.” Go read it for yourself if you don’t believe me. And it’s true. I get a GPS fix in less than a minute on my Tilt, the sprint equivalent device- the Mogul, isn’t even remotely close to that. It’s not uncommon to wait over an hour for a GPS fix when in flight mode on the Mogul. And there are horror stories all over the net about it for your reading pleasure if you care to look.
AT&T is better than Sprint in every imaginable way. The phones are better, the service is better, the performance of the network is better, and in my area the coverage is the same outside- but inside the office tower I work in AT&T has way better coverage.
Good for you Sawlty man. Im glad your Hspa connection is working for you. I guess i’m the only lucky sprint user who also gets 2 to 3 megs on my laptop when I use my Touch to tether and use the GPS that also only takes 1-3 seconds to lock in a signal. Maybe i’ll switch companies too when i get tired of sprints so called bad service and cheap phones. Maybe i’ll get the great iphone with the greatest 3G network.
Hey jj, if I were u, I’d stay exactly where im at. It all boils down to a matter of preference. I dont consider myself a Sprint fanboy at all but I will tell u this, I’ve worked in the wireless industry(off & on) for years and every carrier(provider) has it’s pros & cons. All of ’em……..But after having been with all the major carriers throughout the years in my opinion the ones that I felt were slightly better(if not significantly better) than the rest(right now) are Sprint and Verizon(technology). And between the two of them I would pick Sprint(because of their pricing). Overall, I believe Sprint is the best value hands down. They’re financial & customer service issues not withstanding………..
No offense Salty, but my experiences with Sprint and AT&T were quite the opposite as yours. That’s not to say AT&T isn’t a good wireless provider, im just saying that my experience with them wasn’t as positive………Like I said, it’s a matter of preference.
@ JJ:
I am not an iPhone fan. I’m using a Tilt at the moment, and will be upgrading to the next device with a tilting screen whenever it’s released.
Your Touch that you say only takes like 1-3 seconds for a lock- try that in flight mode and then get back to me. Any device only takes a couple seconds to get a lock if it’s using the towers. But I’m talking about a retired device- AKA, my Mogul that doesn’t even have service anymore versus my Tilt in flight mode. If I open Tom-Tom on my Tilt, in flight mode, it has the map open with my current location correctly displayed in about 20 seconds. These were supposed to be the comparable devices on each carrier, so it’s not an apples to oranges comparison at all.
But yeah, I have no doubt that if you actually tried something like a Tilt, you’d be singing a different tune. In fact, not only can you tether with it just as easily as any Sprint device, but you don’t have to as often. It actually has the horsepower to do a lot of the things you need a laptop for.
All I can tell you is don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. I was a long time Sprint customer until last year when I finally left. Now that I’ve tasted the water on the other side, I’m kicking myself for not leaving sooner. And I’m not naive sit back and take what I’m given type. I’m the flashing custom ROMs (even cook my own ROMs here and there), not only tethering but tethering with WmWiFi Router type.
@bottomline:
I understand here and there you will find people with bad experiences on AT&T, and good experiences on Sprint. But take a look at the numbers. Sprint is losing customers by the millions every quarter, while AT&T is making huge gains every quarter. So it’s not like my story is a fluke or anything.
My god people, are you like paid spokes people… All’s that really matters to any mobile subscriber is what works for that specific individual in their distinct area and daily routine.
and another thing is some people need to know when to use they’re instead of their.
I understand the numbers part of the equation. I realize that AT&T is doing well and Sprint isn’t. But keep in mind that that has nothing to do with the technology that each company uses. Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. I, personally, think that CDMA technology is superior to GSM. Again, just my own personal preference……..
Well, I used to think CDMA was better than GSM too- mostly based on what I had read. I guess it probably is better on paper, but the Patriots were better than the Giants last year on paper too.
In reality, when I am talking on the phone thru my bluetooth, and at the same time I am not only on the internet- but watching live tv using my slingplayer, without a hiccup… Until Sprint is doing that, and I don;t mean routing all voice as IP calls and sharing your data bandwidth, but actually using real voice and data at the same time, there is no way you can tell me CDMA (at least the CDMA that Sprint is currently using) is better than the 3G that AT&T is currently using.
Oh, and as far as price goes- I got 2 Tilts totally free when I switched to AT&T from Sprint. What would a phone like that cost me on Sprint? I paid like $600 each for my PPC6700’s, and like $500 each for my Moguls. So lets assume if Sprint even had a phone like the Tilt, (the Mogul was supposed to be their competition to it) it would have been around $500 (like the Mogul).
So I saved myself $1000 in phone expenses by switching to AT&T. if you average that out over the length of my 2 year contract, that saves me $41.67 per month. If you take $41.67 off my monthly bill, it is MUCH cheaper than I was paying at Sprint. And that doesn’t even factor in any potential interest or capital gains I can earn by not spending that money.
Okay. Like someone said. If you try one cell phone service and it works for you, wether its verizon, att or sprint then keep it. In my case Sprint works for me and Verizon works for my cousin and att works for others. So to each its own. Now lets get back on track and talk about those who have sprint and how this loyalty program will help them cause I don’t think its going to help verizon or att customers.
You know, today I won’t even say anything about the networks or phones, everyone knows where I stand.
But…
A few weeks ago I went to an AT&T store, about 7pm (they close at 9pm), walked around for 30 minutes. I was the only customer in the store, and their were 6 employees. I never even got greeted. That kind of rudeness is why I will NEVER be an AT&T customer.
We can all agree that all carriers have areas where the quality of their coverage is superb, but it is how quickly they upgrade the areas where they are not is the real factor that shows their devotion to the customers they are here to serve. In some areas its AT&T others its Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile etc. In the long run who ever has service where you need it is the winner, but as far as the entire country there is no true winner as they all have good and bad areas throughout.
@SaltyDawg.
I understand that you’re happy with ATT /GSM technology. However..just because you got a good deal when you switched to ATT (2 free tilts) doesn’t mean you can spread false info regarding Sprint. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t think you paid that much for the 67/6800 with sprint, but don’t compare a new subscriber price with the REGULAR price of the mogul.
The most expensive phones after rebates are the Mogul and Touch Pro at $300, the Mogul definitely shouldn’t cost that much or the Touch Pro
@08SI
How or where am I spreading any false info about Sprint?
The NEW SUBSCRIBER price of a Mogul was like $500. The no contract price was $650. I am comparing like for like here.
Sprint was left scrambling trying to match AT&T’s ridiculously low prices. When the iPhone came out at only $200, Sprint had nothing even remotely close. AT&T had the Tilt at like $300 already at that time.
Right now- the Sprint Touch pro and AT&T Fuze have the exact same new customer price of $299. The difference is AT&T gives that same price to current out of contract customers, and Sprint only gives it to new customers (unless you get retentions to hook up up).
Oh, and the no commit price on AT&T is $499, while on Sprint it’s $579.
Devices, especially PDA devices, are just cheaper on AT&T. This is nothing new.
@Don Louie:
The Mogul was not $300. Maybe they lowered it to $300 right before they discontinued it, but it was $500 for a long time ($650 no commit).
What about the plans each carrier offers ? Which company gives you the most bang 4 your buck ? Try comparing their simply everything plans, you’ll see what I mean……….
@bottomline
The plans are not as far off as you think. AT&T unlimted plan would cost you an extra $35 per month on the individual plan unlimited plan to get the unlimited messaging and data. On the family plan, it would cost you an extra $30 (total) to get everyone on the plan unlimited messaging, and $10 per line for unlimited data.
Not as bad as you make it out to be. My monthly bill is actually cheaper on AT&T than it was on Sprint. and if you factor in the $40+ per month that I saved by getting my phones for free, I made out like a bandit 9and i am FAR from a fluke story- there are tons of people with similar stories).
Hey SaltyDawg you sound like you either work for ATT or you need to GET A LIFE due to your obsession with the company. Just be happy with what you have and stop trying to justify why you switched from Sprint to ATT by defending and challenging every little detail. Congratulations we ALL know you LOVE ATT. By the way I have Verizon, the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not work for AT&T. I just have to correct the misinformation that all the Sprint fanboys are spewing in this thread.
Sprint is on it’s last leg, and there is a reason for that.
@saltydog,
I don’t know what your talking about that Att is not far of the price for the unlimited plan. You must be out of your mind. Sprints simply everything plan gives you unlimited EVERYTHING( including data messaging email and navigation) The att so called unlimited plan only gives you Voice minutes. If you want to add data it starts at $30 and if you want email and data its $50. Then you have to add $20 for unlimited texting. Thats an extra $70. Its not $35 for messaging and data. Cmon Salty boy, even Verizon is cheaper than that. Just forget about it its a lost cause.
Oh by the way, sprint just recently whooped both AT&T and Verizon in a speed test in New York. Sprint has always been the fastest in the Data game.
Sprint might have been on its last leg but they are working on rehabilitation now and they don’t look to shabby.
@jj
I have no idea where you are getting your prices from, but you are WAY off.
AT&T unlimited data is $15 for indivisual plans, $10 for family plans. And unlimited data with included unlimited messaging it’s $30 for individual plans. If you are on a family plan you can have unlimited messaging for the entire account (all lines included) for $30.
As for your speed test- there have been PLENTY of speed tests where AT&T beat Sprint all over the place. Just because Sprint won one out of 50 doesn’t mean jack. AT&T has already said they will have 20 meg HSDPA deplayed by the end of the year. Now, of course I don;t expect to get that on my device, but I know Sprints EVDO isn’t even capable of anything near that speed. AT&T has 7 meg HSDPA deplayed right now. And, again, I know I won’t get a 7 meg download, but I know Sprint’s network isn’t even theoretically possibly going to get a 7 meg download.
I have no idea where all this “Sprint has the fastest data” comes from, but I know it isn’t even remotely true. The only time sprint will beat AT&T in a speed test is if AT&T either doesn’t have coverage in that area or has too many subscribers for the tower to handle.
It’s one thing if you say AT&T doesn’t have coverage in your area. But nobody in their right mind would say Sprint is better than AT&T if coverage is equal and tower utilization is minimal on both.
FYI guys, I just saw on newegg.com they are seeling the AT&T Fuze to new customers for $149. The Sprint Mogul for new customers on that same site is $299. The Sprint Touch Diamond is $249 for new customers on that site. They don’t have the Sprint Touch Pro.
Letstalkwireless.com has the AT&T Fuze for $99 for new customers. They also have the Sprint Touch Pro for $249.
Why nobody ever factors that in when they talk about the monthly bill is beyond me.
Your right, unlimited data is only 15, FOR REGULAR CELL PHONES, but if you want data on a PDA it starts at 30. Hey but if your only paying 15 for your pda then youve got an awesome deal. Dont let it go if thats the case.
And again you start with the coverage. Come On! Most people agree, coverage depends on the area your in so if att gives you good coverage then go with them, but if sprint gives you good coverage then choose them. Its all about your personal preference. So stop being a little kid with the “mine is better than yours” crap.
Again, this thread is for those who have sprint and sprint works for them. If not then go with the service that suits you.
@jj
I agree that coverage is the most important factor. And in my case, I get equal coverage from all the major carriers. The whole area here is pretty much blanketed in coverage.
However, as I already said, I work in an office tower, and inside that builiding, AT&T has a stronger signal than Sprint. Sprint still has a signal inside the building, but it’s much weaker than the AT&T signal. In fact, whenever I would start downloading something back when I had Sprint, my connection would usually drop from EVDO to 1X shortly after the download began. Whenever I was outside, or in a smaller building, the EVDO signal was fine.
As for cost on those data plans- I am not sure you understand how it works. AT&T is not like Spriont. With Sprint, you put your plan on your device. You have to call Sprint everytime you change your device. AT&T is not like that. With AT&T, you put your plan on your SIM card, and then you stick your SIM card in whatever device you want. Once you have a plan on your SIM card, you don’t have to call AT&T ever again, and you can use as many different devices as you want. So you either go online or call AT&T and add whatever data plan you want. You then take your SIM card and put it in your PDA. It’s not rocket science.
Lets just hope your phone doesn”t get stolen then. Then someone can take your phone and use their sim card in it. Make sure you buy insurance. Oh but insurance only covers the phone Att knows about, so you still have to call them if you change your phone so they know which phone to cover.
I guess again i might be the only Sprint customer that can change their phone online without having to call them. I must be really lucky to be able to do that since all other sprint customers have to call in if they ever change their phone.
Hey SALTYDAWG,
If you don’t have sprint then why continue making comments on a sprint subject that has nothing to do with ATT? Just asking.
@jj:
yes, if my phone gets stolen someone could pop their SIM in and use it. And yes, I do have insurance on it. When you sign up for the insurance, they note what kind of phone it is. It has absolutely nothing to do with your data plan though. In fact, I have already replaced one of my kids’ Tilts thru the insurance, and he still has the $15 data plan.
And anyway, I run Sprite Terminator on my phone. If my phone gets stolen, I’ll be going directly to the thief with the police.
As for you changing phones online at Sprint- yes, I’m aware you can do that with a phone you bought from Sprint and previously activated. But I’m talking about buying a phone off the streets that does not even say AT&T on it. You know, like the Touch Pro before AT&T released the Fuze, or the Sony Xperia X1 right now, or the HTC G1 right now, you get the idea. Or heck, it could even be an AT&T branded phone I bought used (or new). Any old phone that has a SIM slot- assuming it has US frequencies (which just about all of them at least have US voice and edge).
@ John:
I continue to make comments because people keep making posts directed at me. If you read back thru this post, just about every comment made has been directed specifically at me- including yours. And you may not think it has anything to do with AT&T, but it does. AT&T is taking customers from Sprint every quarter, and that is precisely the reason Sprint is taking drastic actions to retain them (which is why we have this post).
@ SaltyDawg
If you provide a link on ATT’s website saying that PDA plans are 15 bucks a pop that would be great……..
Just because your SIM has a “dumphone” data plan on it doesn’t mean that every ATT customer does the same thing. Think about it… and like jj said, the whole my plan is better than yours is not working man. If THE MAJORITY of consumers were buy a cheap “dumbphone” and then swapping the sim to a Fuze/Tilt etc.., ATT would implement some sort of block. But this is proof that only a small fraction of customers swap sims that way…
@ 08SI:
The link on AT&T’s website is there, but I don’t know how to link it (it just sayd javascript:void(”) when I copy the shortcut).
On Sprint’s and AT&T’s websites, I just used the regular prices, no sales whatsoever, no special deals. I put together the following packages:
Sprint:
Touch Pro, Everything Data 900 minutes plan. It comes to One Time Charges: $399.99, Monthly Charges: $89.99.
AT&T:
Fuze, nation 900 with rollover minutes, PDA Personal Bundle (includes data and messaging). It comes to: One Time Charges: $279.99, Monthly Charges: $109.00
So, Sprint charges $120 more up front, and then charges $20 less per month. Over the course of that 2 year contract, that $120 comes to a $5 savings per month. So Sprint is $15 per month cheaper, at regular prices, with no deals whatsoever.
Now, the people who know what they are doing will immediately switch to the regular messaging and data unlimited plan (for $30 total) and that will bring their monthly bill to, per AT&T cart on their website: $89.99. Factor in the $5 per month savings from the cheaper device, and AT&T is now $5 per month cheaper than Sprint for the same minutes, unlimited data, and unlimited messaging.
And now, factor in that you can go to letstalkwireless.com and get the AT&T Fuze for FREE, and AT&T is suddenly MUCH cheaper than Sprint:
http://www.letstalk.com/cell-phones/productdetail.htm?prId=34883&popup=1
So I can’t link to the AT&T or Sprint shoppoing carts, but you know how to get their and I gave you the exact options I selected. And I gave you a direct link to letstalkwireless.com for an even better deal.
Any more questions?
@SaltyDawg
Theres no way you can provide a link from ATT’s website backing anything your saying.. lol Besides phonenews.com who I don’t think is biased to a specific carrier did the math already.
“More importantly, that calculates out to a savings of $840 per year over the same plans on AT&T and Verizon”
https://phone.news/sprint-doubles-the-savings…-by-changing-the-math-6030/
Theres a link. Your turn! lol
I’ll add to this, no one is comparing device/plan price, the topic is yearly upgrades, giveaways, 1st to get new devices and free content. At this point vzw is still beating them with thier upgrade program, additional money off new customer price on plans as low as $35 at 20 months and new customer price yearly on plans of at least $50. Salty Dawg, you’re getting an unadvertised deal so hold onto it because your Fuze is supposed to be on a $30 data plan like the smartphone plans for most carriers, bottomline. When was the Mogul ever $500 for new customers, was never looking at it but was around $300 from the time I saw it and the Diamond is $200 thru Sprint and probably cheaper thru Best Buy. You don’t need to justify leaving w/the site community and there’s no need to compare phones/prices/services/coverage in an article about upgrades
I know I don’t need to justify leaving to the community. i am only correcting all the misinformation Sprint fanboys are notorious for spreading. I demonstrated in my last post that Sprint is NOT the hands down better deal that fanboys always say it is (and even said multiple times oin this very thread). I just compared the Touch pro on Sprint to the Fuze on AT&T, on plans with the exact same minutes, and unlimited data and unlimited messaging on both. And it came out to be cheaper on AT&T with no sale prices. I thin posted a link where you could get it even cheaper. If that isn’t proof that Sprint isn’t automatically the cheapest, then people are only seeing what they want to see.
I think you need to take this to the forum, I can dispute but would prefer not to distract from the topic. If this was about the competitions upgrade program I would continue to engage. One last thing on it though and I’ll meet you in the ATT or Sprint subforum, unlimited data alone on the Fuze is $30 which is the mandatory data plan (if you pay less, great but the average customer won’t) Sprint’s Touch Pro can be used w/Data Premier ($25 on top of minutes w/no messaging, nav, tv and radio), Pro Pack ($30 on top of minutes w/messaging, nav, tv and radio) and the Everything Plans.
I don’t understand what you mean. You are saying you will only consider the most expensive AT&T data plan, but then you will consider several Sprint data plans?
Look, it doesn’t matter. I have 4 Tilts on my family plan- 2 of them have the $15 data plans, and 2 have the $30 plans. I figured I would keep the PDA data plans on the ones that get heavy use. And I have never had any problems from AT&T- even though I had to use insurance when one of my kids broke his screen (and he has the $15 data plan). AT&T even sent the rebate cards on the phones with $15 data plans.
You seem to be thinking I cheated the system somehow. That is not the case. I got the $15 data plans activated in the store, by the AT&T rep, at the time I purchased the Tilts (I bought 2 in store and added them to my existing family plan, and bought the first 2 online).
But it doesn’t even matter. I posted a link where you get a FREE Fuze for agreeing to a 2 year contract. Even if you pay $30 a month for your data, that $400 savings (the one time costs on the Sprint website) comes out to about $17 per month over a 2 year contract. If you take any old AT&T versus Sprint bill comparison, and take $17 off the AT&T bill, it is going to either be about the same or cheaper than Sprint. And that is WITh the $30 data plan, and the $20 messaging plan. But if you get the $30 data plan that includes messaging, suddenly AT&T is MUCH cheaper than Sprint.
There is no debate here. I already went to Sprint’s and AT&T’s website, put the Touch pro in Sprint’s shopping cart and the Fuze in AT&T’s, selected a 900 minute plan in each, with unlimited data and unlimited messaging in each. I posted the results a couple posts ago, so there is no more debate here. If you doubt it, go to their website and try it yourself. And after you get done, you’ll see what I mean. And THEN you can come back and click this link where you get a FREE Fuze:
http://www.letstalk.com/cell-phones/productdetail.htm?prId=34883&popup=1
Unless you’re talking about Sprint’s SERO plans (or something similar) then you can’t say Sprint is hands down the better value on any given plan. Especially when you start factoring in the cost of the actual phone.