This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
Verizon Wireless is in a giving mood.
The company is preparing a bundle of freebies to hand out on November 26 — the day before Thanksgiving — in what it is calling “Connection Day.” The freebies, which range from free apps to free in-flight Wi-Fi, are available to anyone, although Verizon “More Everything” customers can snag a “one-time gift” of 1GB of sharable data and another 1GB of data in their next billing cycle.
The gifts, which come via partnerships with several companies, are largely short-term promotions but represent the carrier’s extra effort to grab attention during the critical holiday-shopping season. Connection Day lands a day before Thanksgiving and two days before Black Friday — the unofficial kickoff to America’s annual shopping frenzy. As competition heats up with carriers offering lower prices and higher amounts of data, a company such as Verizon — which has traditionally charged a premium because of its network superiority — is likely wary of its more aggressive rivals.
Verizon is also increasingly working with other brands. In July, it launched a Smart Rewards points program that creates discounts to partner retailers — although the program has been criticized because it allows the partners to market to customers who opt in.
The upcoming freebies — all tied to the theme of connecting people to content on their smartphones — include mobile access to movies and TV shows on the Verizon FiOS app on November 26; 10 Amazon app store apps; two Audible.com book downloads (existing Audible members get a $10 credit); digital edition downloads of 17 Conde Nast publications, including Wired and Vanity Fair; a 30-minute Wi-Fi session at airports through Boingo Wireless and in-flight through Gogo Technologies; in-flight Wi-Fi on JetBlue between November 26 and December 24; and a seven-day trial of Pandora One, a premium subscription music service that normally costs $5 a month.
Verizon also mentioned that Apple is planning a special iTunes offer that will be revealed on November 26.
More details are offered at Verizon’s Connection Day site, where consumers — including Verizon customers — must sign up to receive the gifts.
Find The Perfect Gift
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Jacques Torres bonbons
$55 at Jacque Torres
A bouquet of exotic meats
$90 at Man Crates
Sarah Chloe diamond locket
$145 at Sarah Chloe
The Bouqs Co. Pixie bouquet
$99 at The Bouqs Co.
Sweet heart bamboo
$35 at Plants.com
Max Brenner chocolates
$37 at Max Brenner
Ingarden microgreens garden
$100 at Amazon
Shun Sora Japanese petty knife
$70 at Amazon
Wolf Circus Toni gold bracelet
$95 at Wolf Circus
Champagne Gummy Bears
$9 at Sugarfina
MakiMaki sushi roll kit for 2
$125 at MakiMaki
Cote des Roses rosé
$16 at Wine.com
Flavored Truffle Gift Box
$38 at La Maison du Chocolat
Barrel Aged Hot Hive Honey and Reaper Salt Series
$40 at Fuego Box
Carrie Hoffman X studs earrings
$290 at Carrie Hoffman
Wanna Date? sweet date spread
$12 at Uncommon Goods
Italian olivewood serving board
$17 at Sur la table
Three-piece cheese knife set
$20 at CB2
A delivery of fresh pasta
$25 at Goldbelly
Maison Miru heart nap earrings
$75 at Maison
Bokksu Japanese snack box
See at Amazon
State cashmere blanket throw blanket
See at Amazon
HyperChiller
See at Amazon
Nixplay smart digital photo frame
$20 at CB2
Online cooking classes
See at Online Cooking School
Washable Silk Tee & Shorts
See at Quince
Ouai Chill Pill Bath Bombs
See at Ulta
60 Hour Candle
See at TheraBox
Dyson Supersonic hair dryer
See at Dyson
Mint & Lily Mama necklace
See at Mint & Lily
Sephora gift card
See at Sephora
Google Nest Hub
See at Google
Theragun Prime
See at Therabody
Matador NanoDry Towel
See at REI
Mixbook
See at Mixbook
Tiki fire pit
See at Amazon
Mario Badescu face spray set
See at Ulta
Flower delivery from BloomsyBox
See at BloomsyBox
Slip silk pillowcase
See at Amazon
Aarke water carbonator
$230 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Five S Kneading Massager
$35 at Amazon
Hydro Flask
$35 at Hyrdo Flask
Nintendo eShop Gift Card
$50 at Amazon
Fox in the Forest
$12 at Amazon
SteelSeries Arctis 1
$50 at Amazon
Disney Plus Gift Subscription
$80 at Disney
DJI Minin 2 Fly More Combo
$600 at Amazon
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera
$69 at Amazon
ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner
$36 at Amazon
Perfect Pot
$165 at Our Place
Letterfolk Customizable Tile Mat
$75 at West Elm
Parks Project Candle
$36 at Parks Project
iPad Mini 2021
$500 at Best Buy
Crown & Paw Pet Canvas
$50 at Crown & Paw
Coravin Wine Preservation System
$150 at Target
Botley 2.0
$47 at Amazon
Arcade1Up Arcade Machine
$600 at Best Buy
Biolite TraveLight 135
$40 at Biolite
Blockaroo Blocks
$40 at Amazon
Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion Board Game
$32 at Amazon
JBL Go 3
$50 at Amazon
Illy Y3.3 Espresso and Coffee Machine
$149 at Amazon
Lenovo Smart Clock
$35 at Best Buy
Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker
$79 at Amazon
Lego Speed Champions Corvette
$30 at Amazon
Madewell Transport Tote
$178 at Madewell
Lunya Silk Sleep Mask
$48 at Lunya
Lite-Brite
$13 at Target
Lodge Cast-Iron Grill Pan
$20 at Amazon
Wyze Cam v3
$36 at Amazon
Apple AirPods 3
$150 at Amazon
EarFun Air Pro 2
$80 at Amazon
Sony WF-1000XM4
$250 at Walmart
Sony PlayStation 5
$499 at Amazon
Roku Express 4K Plus
$39 at Amazon
Apple iPad 2021 (9th generation)
$280 at Amazon
Acer Chromebook Spin 713
$530 at Amazon
MacBook Air M1
$1,000 at Best Buy
Bose SoundLink Flex
$150 at Best Buy
Dell G15
$1,100 at Best Buy
HP Pavilion Aero 13
$1,000 at HP
Lenovo Yoga 7i (2-in-1)
$850 at Best Buy
Mosaic Plant-Based Meal Delivery
$70 at Mosaic
Trade Coffee Subscription
$40 at Trade
Vizio MQ7 65-inch
$1,000 at Amazon
Apple Watch SE
$269 at Amazon
Apple Watch Series 7
$399 at Best Buy
Atlas Tea Club
$199 at Atlas Tea Club
iPhone 11
$499 at Apple
iPhone 13
$799 at Apple
Fitbit Charge 5
$179 at Amazon
Google Pixel 6
$599 at Amazon
iPhone 13 Pro
$999 at Apple
LG C1 OLED 65-inch
$1,797 at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
$1,166 at Amazon
TCL Series 4 TV 65-inch
$529 at Amazon
TCL Series 6 TV 65-inch
$999 at Amazon
Theragun Mini
$199 at Amazon
Best of Dylan’s Candy Bar Gift Basket
$100 at Dylan’s Candy Bar
The Mirror
$1,495 at Mirror
Echo Dot with Clock
$60 at Amazon
Croissant Light
$19 at Amazon
Spanish-style Wine Glasses
$20 at Amazon
Nintendo Switch OLED
$350 at Target
Xbox Series X
$499 at Amazon