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Google Fi, the Mountain View, California-based company’s eponymous mobile carrier, may not be compatible with your phone just yet — it only works with a select number of supported smartphones and tablets right now — but there’s still a lot to love. It automatically identifies and connects to open wireless networks, saving you from data overages. It includes fast, 4G LTE roaming in more than 135 countries worldwide at no extra charge. And at the end of each month, it subtracts the data you’ve used from your data cap and refunds you the difference. Now, there’s another reason to appreciate Google Fi: a weekslong holiday promotion of games, trivia, and gifts.
Google’s “Fi Holiday” kicked off this week with $10 in promotional credit for the Google Play Store. New, current, and would-be Fi subscribers can redeem it on any account at Google’s World of Thanks website, which features a rotating list of activities set against a wintry landscape. This week, there’s a trivia game, a tool to create custom snow globes and digital gift cards, a list of Fi tips and tricks, and holiday voicemail greetings. New games arrive on Monday, December 12, and every week following until January 6, 2017.
Google Play credit will likely be this year’s only gift, judging by the Google Fi support page — it mentions a solitary “gift with … Google Play credit.” But those who search this week’s page hard enough will be rewarded with “hidden yetis.” “Santa never tells … Click and explore each wonderland to find them yourself!,” the support page reads.
To commemorate the promotion’s launch, self-described “Google director of celebrations” John Maletis penned a holiday poem:
‘Twas four weeks before New Year’s, when all through the land,
Project Fi subscribers were chatting, Pixel or Nexus in hand
As they bustled about in their holiday scurry,
Multiple networks had them covered, there was no need to worry
From hot chocolate to ice skating, joyous time with their clans,
They looked forward to bonding — and maybe a new member for their group plans!
But before the celebrations begin, with friends far and near,
Fi would like to say thanks, and help spread the cheer:
Four wonderlands scattered with treats and surprises,
Holiday fun for Fi subscribers, of all shapes and all sizes.
Enjoy this small gift, wrapped under the tree,
Google Fi is no stranger to holiday promotions. Two years ago, Google sent subscribers a case, portable battery pack, and headphones. And last year, it mailed a spare USB Type-C cable and charging stand made of Lego bricks.
Google Fi, for those unaware, is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that relies on a combination of cell networks — namely Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile — to provide service. Fi smartphones switch between cell towers depending on network conditions, and, where available, Wi-Fi hotspots. And on public internet, they automatically encrypt traffic with virtual private network.
Google’s World of Giving promotion follows the introduction of Fi family plans. Users can be added to an individual plan at a cost of $15 per user and $10 per GB of data.
