SK Telecom boosts customer perks with Air plan points, dining and travel deals

Telecom-ministry CEO meeting spurs livelihood support push

T Day benefits offered weekly; Tous Les Jours, Domino's Pizza among partners

Youth customers to get expanded CGV movie discount

An SK Telecom model introduces a promotional page for expanded customer benefits. [SK Telecom]

SK Telecom is strengthening customer benefits in line with the government's livelihood support initiative, rolling out discounts across dining, movies and travel alongside reduced telecom costs. New subscribers to the 'Air plan will receive points worth up to 70 percent of their monthly fee.

SK Telecom announced Thursday that it will expand customer benefits — including plan perks, membership rewards and partner discounts — during August and September. The move is part of a telecom-sector livelihood support package agreed upon at a July 23 meeting between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the CEOs of the country's three major carriers.

The company said it designed the promotion to ease customers' telecom costs while delivering tangible everyday benefits in dining, grocery shopping and domestic and overseas travel.

From Aug. 7 through Aug. 31, SK Telecom will expand the points benefit for new Air plan subscribers to 70 percent of their monthly fee. Points will be issued for up to 12 months as long as the customer maintains an Air 5G plan.

A promotional image for SK Telecom's August Air plan subscription campaign. [SK Telecom]

SK Telecom will also raise the cap on how much of their monthly bill existing Air plan customers can pay with points, extending the expanded limit through the end of the year. For the unlimited data Air X (5G) plan, the previous 5,000-won monthly cap will be lifted entirely from Aug. 7 through Dec. 31, allowing customers to apply their full points balance toward their bill. The points payment cap for the Air 5G plan will also be raised to 50 percent of the monthly fee.

For example, a customer who newly subscribes to the Air X (5G) plan at 58,000 won ($40) during the promotion period will receive 40,000 sign-up points. By earning an additional 8,000 points through missions such as a step counter and a balance game and applying all of them toward their bill, the customer can use unlimited data for around 10,000 won a month for 12 months after signing up.

Online sign-up promotions will also run during the period. New Air plan subscribers will receive free eSIM issuance from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30. SK Telecom's T Direct Shop will also waive the eSIM download fee for customers who open a new line without purchasing a device during the same period.

T Membership benefits will also be enhanced. SK Telecom has added a three-week "T Day Brand Week" to its existing T Day schedule, which runs every Monday through Friday of the first week of each month and every Wednesday.

During the first week of August, SK Telecom will run a "Young Week" alongside the regular T Day Week, offering additional perks for customers aged 13 to 34 in categories popular among young people during the summer break. T Day Brand Week will then run during the second through fourth weeks of August, with Tous Les Jours (week 2), Domino's Pizza (week 3) and 11Street (week 4) each participating as partner brands.

T Membership VIP customers can also enjoy "Happy Hour" deals at Baengmidang and Shake Shack from Aug. 3 through Aug. 31. A "Global Travel Vacation Promotion" will offer 13 types of benefits in Bangkok, Nha Trang and Guam in August, followed by 10 benefits across Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka in September.

A promotional image for SK Telecom's T Day Brand Week. [SK Telecom]

SK Telecom is also expanding cultural benefits for young customers. Customers aged 34 or under on the Best or Light plans, or those on the 0 Youth plan, will see their CGV 2D movie ticket discount — 50 percent off — doubled from one ticket per month to two, from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31.

"With the summer vacation season and peak consumer period upon us, we have prepared benefits that customers can feel in their daily lives — not just on their telecom bills, but also in dining, grocery shopping, movies and travel," said Koo Hyeon-cheol, head of SK Telecom's Sales and Marketing division. "Going forward, we will continue to expand tailored benefits that take into account customers' age, service usage patterns and lifestyle, while working toward the mutual growth of the telecom ecosystem."

chami@heraldcorp.com