Telstra to reward customers who are fully vaccinated against Covid with points and prizes

If you’re a Telstra customer and get fully vaccinated the telco is ready to reward you with points and prizes.

If you’re a Telstra customer - and get fully vaccinated - the telco will reward you with 2,500 Telstra Plus Points - the equivalent of up to $25 in gifts - and enter you into a 100 million point major prize draw, under a new plan by chief executive Andy Penn.

Telstra will also change the message at the top of your phones from ‘Telstra’ to ‘Telstra #LetsVaxx’ as part of its vaccination drive, announced Thursday.

The telco recently announced $200 worth of rewards for fully vaccinated employees, and Mr Penn said more than 5,500 people took Telstra up on its offer in the first week alone.

He issued a plea for as many Australians to get vaccinated as possible, and said that his own family had been affected by Covid.

“I consider myself fortunate but nonetheless, this has absolutely impacted me,” he said in an interview. “There’s not one person I’ve met who doesn’t have a story, and many are really heart rending. As a business leader I’ve had to deal with lots of crises, but this is the first one I’ve ever experienced where everybody is impacted at the same time.”

Mr Penn said that he’s advocating for a national attitude shift in attitude towards living with Covid in society.

“We need a unity of leadership and alignment around a pathway forward, and I don’t want to get political but the bottom line is as leaders collectively we have a role to play in providing hope and being as aligned as we possibly can about a pathway forward,” he said.

“We need urgent action to get Covid under control, and that involves all of us coming together to get vaccinated.

“Doing this will make an incredible difference – it will help to protect each other, lessen the financial hardship on families, and reduce the toll on our wellbeing caused by the uncertainty and isolation from rolling lockdowns.

“To help out, we will be rewarding those who roll up their sleeves, and encouraging everyone to get vaccinated for the good of the nation.”

Telstra chief executive Andy Penn says vaccinations will make an “incredible difference”.

Mr Penn said to help ease the burden and boredom of lockdowns, all Telstra Plus members, regardless of their vaccination status, will also be able to claim a ‘digital care package’ that includes a free Telstra TV Box Office movie, discounts on a food delivery service and access to discounts in the Telstra Plus Rewards store. That package will be available by the end of September.

“We know some of our customers may not choose to or be able to get vaccinated, but the results of our employee offer have shown there’s a groundswell of support and understanding that increasing the vaccination rate is our best way forward – and we feel it’s important to spread that message.

“For those who are already vaccinated, these offers are a thank you from us. For those who are yet to, we want to make that jab even more rewarding.”

It comes as Spotlight Group - which owns its eponymous homewares and crafts chain as well as Anaconda, Mountain Designs and Harris Scarfe - announced it will bring forward bonus payments for its 8000 staff by two months on the condition they receive at least one Covid jab.

“Vaccination is the quickest path to ending debilitating lockdowns, the most effective way of mitigating the Covid risk to our people and the entire community, and the only way to open the Australian economy,“ Spotlight managing director Avi Gilboa said.

“In the context of a global pandemic, safety at Spotlight takes on an entirely new dimension. As a result, we want to positively incentivise our staff to reduce the risk of viral transmission to team members and customers.“

This week airline Virgin Australia joined the campaign to get the country vaccinated as soon as possible, offering $150,000 worth of “prizes” for those who have had the double jab.

Meanwhile since launching its vaccine rewards campaign last Tuesday, Qantas has had more than 170,000 people upload their vaccination certificate to the airline’s app in return for either 1000 frequent flyer points, 15 status credits or $20 off their next flight.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the country needs a vaccination rate of 80 per cent in order to prevent more lockdowns, and open up international borders.

Online comparison website Finder is giving away $5 worth of Bitcoin to every vaccinated Finder app user as part of a vaccination drive, while Luxury Escapes is offering $200 “vaccine vouchers” to members who log in and provide their proof of vaccination.

Meanwhile fully vaccinated private health members of Medibank will receive 1000 Live Better Rewards points from early September, the equivalent value of a $10 gift card.

Additional reporting: Jared Lynch.