How about a side order of Android with those baby-back ribs? Chili's restaurant is gifting patrons with a free Android smartphone when they spend over $25 on their website...if they agree sign on for a two-year contract with a major carrier. The unusual promotion is designed to market the restaurant's new Android app that helps users locate nearby Chili's locations, check out the menu, snag a few coupons and of course, order some food.
Chili's offer covers 11 phones including the Motorola Droid Bionic and the ZTE Fury from three carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon). The phones will be provided through Simplexity, an eCommerce site. The plans will come from the carriers themselves.
Although the majority of the devices offered in the deal have been on the market for some time, thrifty consumers can walk away knowing that they saved a little cash . For example, Verizon is currently charging $99 for the Motorola Droid Bionic while Amazon's only charging $0.01. However with the Chili's deal consumers would get the phone free of charge with a $40 credit to their bill. The HTC Evo Design 4G is currently $49.99 on Sprint and $0.01 on Amazon. Chili's is offering to activate the device for free in addition to the free shipping.
The promotion only last a limited time, so if you need a new phone and you've got a hankering for a Beef Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, you might want to head down to Chili's to satisfy both appetites.
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