U.S. Cellular is changing the way they do contracts and rewarding loyal customers through the launch of The Belief Project, which focuses on what customers want.
U.S. Cellular will offer "One and Done" contracts, a rewards program with points that never expire for active accounts. It offers simplified national rate plans, overage protection/ forgiveness, phone replacement and savings for auto pay/paperless billing.
In a recent Weinstein and Associates survey, 1,000 wireless consumers revealed:
- 90 percent said wireless providers should earn their loyalty, not require it by having to sign a contract.
- 87 percent said they shouldn't have to sign a service contract just to stay with their current wireless carrier.
- 84 percent said 24 months is too long to wait to get a good deal on a new cell phone.
- 80 percent said wireless providers should do something about overages and the big bills that come from them.
With new "One and Done" contracts, new customers who fulfill an initial two-year commitment with U.S. Cellular never have to sign a contract again. Customers on Belief Plans can earn points for being a customer. The Belief Points can be redeemed for things that customers want, such as earlier phone upgrades at promotional prices, additional lines, phones, accessories, ringtones and forgiveness of overage charges.
The Phone Replacement allows customers on Premium or Premium Plus Belief Plans to get a replacement phone if something goes wrong with their handset. Customers who bring in their accidentally broken or malfunctioning phone can get a replacement of the same or a similar model - even if the phone is no longer under warranty. And, if a customer's phone is lost or stolen, they can receive the same or similar replacement phone for $100 - far less than the typical cost of a phone. Phone Replacement is available at U.S. Cellular retail locations and through customer service. If a replacement phone isn't available in the store, it will be shipped to the customer to arrive the next business day.
With the Overage Cap program, U.S. Cellular customers don't need to worry about excessive overage charges. The service prevents voice overage charges from exceeding $50 for a National Single Line Belief Plan or $150 for a Family Belief Plan, and customers have the option to use points for overage forgiveness to eliminate overage charges. U.S. Cellular also has its customers' backs with Overage Protection, which sends customers a text message when they reach 75% of their allotted minutes or text messages, and again at 100%, so there isn't a surprise when the bill arrives.
For years, one of the most common frustrations for wireless customers has been waiting two years to upgrade to the latest handsets, like U.S. Cellular's Android-powered devices. The standard phone upgrade time under a Belief Plan is only 18 months. U.S. Cellular customers can upgrade a phone as early as every 10 to 11 months depending on their plan by redeeming their Belief Points.
U.S. Cellular is the first wireless carrier to offer monthly service discounts to customers who use both paperless billing and auto pay. Customers who sign up for both with a debit or credit card get a 3% discount on their monthly bill. Customers who sign up for both and use their checking or savings account will receive a 5% discount.
The Belief Project complements U.S. Cellular's other free, innovative offerings like Battery Swap, My Contacts Backup and Free Incoming Calls, Texts and Pix.