Verizon Helps Japan with Free Calls, Mobile Giving Program

Today, mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless announced that its customers are offered the possibility to call to Japan for free from now until April 10th, and that it also introduced a mobile giving program for those who would like to contribute to Japan relief efforts.

All Verizon Wireless post-paid customers are offered the possibility to call to Japan for free. Moreover, the carrier announced that they would receive free text and multimedia messaging to Japan for the same time period.

The carrier announced users that all of the calls made from a Verizon residential landline to Japan will be free as well throughout April 10.

Those Big Red customers who have a Verizon World Plan (300, 500 or unlimited minutes of long-distance calling) would be able to call Japan without using minutes from their plan.

“Additionally, Verizon Prepaid Phone Card charges for all long-distance calls placed to Japan from the United States will also be waived from March 11 until April 10,” the carrier announced.

On top of that, the company implemented a mobile giving program for all of its users who would like to contribute to Japan relief efforts, enabling them to donate $10 to a host of non-profit organizations.

To donate, users would only have to sending a text message to one of the nice organizations aiding Japanese people, including the American Red Cross. Users can donate through texting the specific word to the organization’s designated short code:

ADRA Relief: text SUPPORT to 85944
American Red Cross Relief: text REDCROSS to 90999
Convoy of Hope: text TSUNAMI or SUNAMI to 50555
GlobalGiving: text JAPAN to 50555
International Medical Corps: text MED to 80888
Mercy Corps: text MERCY to 25383
Salvation Army: text JAPAN to 80888
Save the Children Federation, Inc.: text JAPAN or TSUNAMI to 20222
World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals: text WAVE to 50555
World Vision, Inc.: text 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222

All text messages sent to these organizations are free. 100 percent of each $10 donation goes to the relief organization, the wireless carrier announced.