7-Eleven® Makes Prepaid Wireless More Competitive
SpeakOut™ Plan Comes with Unlimited Nationwide Calling Nights and Weekends
Dallas, TX, December 17, 2007 - While wireless providers add more bells and whistles, such as ring tones and music, games and graphics, data and downloads to their service line-ups, most prepaid wireless customers still want just the basics – a dependable phone, reliable service, good value on voice calls and predictable costs.
In response to this consumer preference, 7-Eleven, Inc. now offers two easy SpeakOut™ Wireless prepaid plans. One plan offers unlimited nights and weekends, and the other plan reduces the per-minute charge to 15 cents for nationwide calling.
“Nearly four years ago, 7-Eleven® was the first major retailer to the market with a private wireless brand,” said Brad Haga, 7-Eleven senior product director for business development and services. “Given its tremendous success, we are taking the 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless program to the next level, while ensuring that it stays easy to use and affordable for our customers. We’ve found that our customers don’t want a long-time contractual commitment and prefer to budget the amount they spend on wireless service. These new plans are among the most competitive available in the market today.”
According to a study by the NPD Group of Port Washington, N.Y., a leading consumer and retail information provider, both prepaid and postpaid consumers cite convenience and price as the top reasons for selecting where to make their wireless phone purchase, a plus for 7-Eleven because of its 5,500 U.S. locations and mostly 24/7 accessibility of its stores.
“With 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless, what you see is what you get,” he said. “Unlike some prepaid offerings with per-day fees, charges for added services, limited calling areas or other restrictions, the 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless nationwide plans are simple, straightforward and now provide even greater value.”
- Unlimited nationwide calling on nights and weekends
- 200 peak-time minutes
- 10-cent rate for peak-time voice calls
- 5-cent, two-way text messaging
- Free voice mail, caller ID, call-waiting
- Carry-over minutes – All minutes carry over to the next month as long as the customer extends the monthly service with another $40 airtime card within 30 days.
- Fill-up cards for as low as $5
- Special holiday offer – Through the end of this year, customers who purchase a Sanyo 2400 or LG 5225 phone will get a free $40 SpeakOut Wireless airtime card, which provides the first month of service free.
- Sanyo 2400 or LG 5225 phones at $49.99
- 24-hour customer assistance
In response to customer feedback, fill-up cards are available for purchase for as low as $5 at participating 7-Eleven stores. These fill-up cards feature a per-minute charge of 10 cents, the lowest ever offered by 7-Eleven. All minutes carry over to the next month as long as the customer extends the monthly service with another $40 airtime card within 30 days.
7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless By-the-Minute Plan – more affordable than ever – 7-Eleven also has lowered the per-minute charge on its most basic SpeakOut Wireless plan to 15 cents a minute for nationwide calling, down a nickel from 20 cents previously. This plan offers:
- Pay-as-you-go anytime minutes at 15 cents per minute
- Free voice mail, caller ID, call-waiting, three-way calling
- Carry-over minutes (365 days)
- 5-cent, two-way text messaging
- Fill-up cards for as low as $10
- Nokia 1600 or Motorola C139 phones at $39.99 through December
- Special holiday offer – Free $10 SpeakOut Wireless airtime card with phone purchase
- 24-hour customer assistance
“Our SpeakOut Wireless has proven to be very successful in meeting consumers’ needs whether they purchase our service for themselves, their kids or their parents,” Haga said.
7-Eleven introduced the first prepaid phone cards to a national audience more than a decade ago as a low-cost option to higher-priced residential and business long-distance service. When it launched the SpeakOut Wireless program in early 2004, 7-Eleven marked another milestone as the first U.S. retailer to offer its own branded prepaid wireless program. The 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless program is powered by Ztar Mobile, Inc.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 7,300 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses some 33,300 stores in 17 countries and one U.S. territory. During 2006, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $44 billion. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.
About Ztar mobile
Based in Dallas, Ztar mobile, Inc. delivers turnkey wireless solutions that enable clients to deliver private branded wireless services to their customers. Ztar Mobile provides a complete outsourced solution, from airtime to service creation, billing and customer care. For more information, please visit www.ztarmobile.com.