In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Sprint is waiving all extra fees for customers who contact friends or loved one in the Philippines vis SMS or by voice. Sprint is crediting customers who have already made calls and sent texts, beginning from November 8th and will continue waiving fees until December 7th.
Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines last Friday, November 8th and quickly laid waste to the cities of Cebu and Tacloban. The storm has demolished more than 80,000 homes and has left over 582,000 homeless. The death toll now stands at 2,275 confirmed deaths, and the Red Cross estimates nearly 22,000 people have gone missing.
The Sprint Foundation has also donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross Philippines Typhoon Appeal Fund, and will match up to $25,000 of donations made by Sprint employees, retirees and members of Sprint’s board of directors.
Press release follows below.
Sprint Foundation donates $25,000 to the American Red Cross Philippines Typhoon Appeal Fund
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), November 13, 2013 – To aid customers in making critical contact with family, friends and emergency personnel in the Philippines in the devastating wake of Typhoon Haiyan, Sprint (NYSE: S) is waiving and crediting fees for calls and text messages made by Sprint customers from the U.S. to the Philippines – retroactive from Friday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013.
Additionally, during this time, Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA text messages sent to and from the following disaster-relief short codes and mobile-donation campaigns will not be charged standard text-messaging fees:
- Text AID to 50555 to donate $10 to Operation USA
- Text AID to 80077 to donate $10 to HOPE Worldwide
- Text AID to 27722 to donate $10 to World Food Program USA
- Text AID to 80108 to donate $10 to Foundation Philippines Typhoon Relief Fund
- Text HOPE to 777444 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision
- Text RELIEF to 864233 to donate $10 on behalf of UNICEF
- Text RELIEF to 25383 to donate $10 to Catholic Relief Services
To further support relief efforts in the Philippines, the Sprint Foundation is making a $25,000 donation to the American Red Cross Philippines Typhoon Appeal Fund, and will match – up to $25,000 – American Red Cross disaster-relief donations made by Sprint employees and retirees, and members of the Sprint board of directors.
“It is Sprint’s hope that this support to our customers and the American Red Cross significantly helps those who need it the most, and assists family, friends and emergency personnel affected by this devastating typhoon stay connected, safe and informed,” said Bill White, Sprint senior vice president-Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility.
About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE:S) offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint served more than 54 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all 47 industries, during the last five years. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.