MEDIA RELEASE - It’s been 365 days of that ‘Friday feeling’ for Vodafone customers – with Vodafone Fantastic Fridays celebrating its first birthday.

Vodafone customers have redeemed over 5.5 million rewards since launch, enjoying 2-for-1 movie deals, exclusive movie premieres, sports events and special Prepay deals, as well as some amazing experiences such as blind dates with members of the Vodafone Warriors and behind the scenes access to international artists.

Avid movie-goer Jasmine Pearson from Tauranga, has redeemed 2-for-1 movie tickets almost every week since the launch of the initiative – joining thousands of other Kiwis taking up the Hoyts deal.

“We love movies - particularly blockbusters, rom-coms or sci-fi. There’s a new one to see every week so in terms of value, you just can’t beat Vodafone’s 2-for-1 deal.

“We can redeem the offer on our smartphones while we’re having dinner, then half an hour later – we’re at the movies.”

Vodafone Consumer Director Matt Williams says that unlike some loyalty programmes, Vodafone’s Fantastic Fridays delivers many of its rewards almost instantly – with mobile devices playing a key part in this.

“Almost 80% of our customers have a smartphone and they’re using their devices to redeem their Vodafone Fantastic Fridays offers: 95% of prepay deals and 65% of movie tickets are redeemed via a mobile device. Given smartphone adoption is increasing all the time, we expect 100% of Fantastic Fridays customers will be using digital self-service to access their deals in the next 2 years.”

A year’s worth of Vodafone Fantastic Fridays redemptions has also revealed a lot about the passions and pastimes of Kiwis. Presales for Ed Sheeran’s upcoming concert proved extremely popular, selling out Vodafone’s 8000 premium tickets in just hours; and the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Vodafone season of a Christmas Carol saw tickets snapped up in just 48 hours.

More recently, one lucky Vodafone customer also took on the role of Deputy CEO of the Vodafone Warriors, from thousands of applicants.

Matt Williams says the company has been focussed on developing its unique loyalty programme and is blown away by how many Kiwis have taken up the rewards.

“We reward people with things they love purely for being a Vodafone customer. Great rewards are crucial, but it’s also making sure our customers are the first to grab tickets to the best concerts and have access to that money-can’t-buy experience - like meeting Six60 or Lorde after their performances.”

“Through our exclusive partnerships and deals, we’re able to offer Kiwis rewards that many others can’t – and there’s more of that in-store. Customers should keep an eye out for new partners who’ll be bringing new rewards to Vodafone Fantastic Fridays in the coming months.”

Fantastic Fridays is a customer loyalty programme that thanks customers for choosing Vodafone. Kiwis can enjoy exclusive rewards any day of the week, across a range of movie, music and sports experiences, as well as Prepay deals. In addition to the popular 2-for-1 ticket deals, Fantastic Fridays customers have also enjoyed ticket presales, exclusive movie premieres and special sports events, plus a vast array of money-can’t-buy experiences that bring Kiwis closer to the action*.