Profitable are the ties that bind - renew that phone contract for freebies
You, too, can collect a great freebie from your telco when you renew your contract By Bryan Lee
There might be no such thing as a free lunch, but how about an iPod, phone or TV instead?
In a few weeks' time, I will be taking possession of a shiny new laptop that I've been eyeing - without paying a single cent of its thousand-dollar price tag.
All I had to do was to make a commitment to maintain the broadband connection for my home for the next two years, something I would most probably have done anyway.
Telecoms companies are offering all sorts of goodies, along with more traditional phone discounts, in return for a pledge to use their services for a year or two.
While the free gifts used to be dull, utilitarian items such as modems and networking gear, premiums have been getting increasingly trendy - and valuable.
Even if you can't find space for a svelte MacBook Air notebook or an XBox 360 game console, these hip gadgets can be turned into cash with relative ease.
The best part is, these freebies and phone subsidies are often available to existing customers too, as long as they're willing to extend their loyalty to the service provider.
And they would be well-served by doing so as a 're-contract' of a mobile phone line or broadband connection is pretty much a non-event for all but the most fearful of commitment-phobes.
Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday Times
