Verizon Wireless will hand out freebies on November 26

Verizon is calling the day before Thanksgiving 'Connection Day,' and has a slate of gifts prepared for all wireless consumers -- not just Verizon customers.

Verizon Wireless is in a giving mood this holiday season.

Verizon

The company is preparing a bundle of freebies to be handed out on November 26 -- the day before Thanksgiving -- in what it is calling 'Connection Day.' The freebies, which range from access to free apps to free in-flight Wi-Fi, are available to everyone, although Verizon Wireless 'More Everything' customers are eligible for a 'one-time gift' of 1GB of sharable date and another 1GB of data in their next billing cycle.

The gifts, which come through a partnership with several partners, are largely promotional, but represent the extra effort the wireless carriers are taking to gain attention during this critical holiday season. Connection Day lands a day before Thanksgiving and two days before Black Friday -- the unofficial kick-off to the shopping season. 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 -- has to be wary of its more aggressive rivals.

Verizon is also increasingly working with other brands, and in July launched a points program that would garner discounts to partner retailers, although its Smart Rewards program has been criticized because it enables those partners to market to customers who opt in.

The freebies, which are all tied to the theme of connecting people to content on their smartphones, include special mobile access to movies and TV shows on the Verizon FiOS app on November 26; a selection of 10 free or discounted apps, and two free Audible book downloads through Amazon (existing Audible members get a $10 credit); free digital edition downloads of 17 Conde Nast publications, including Wired and Vanity Fair; a free 30-minute Wi-Fi session at airports through Boingo Wireless and in-flight through Gogo Technologies; free in-flight Wi-Fi on JetBlue between November 26 and December 24; and a free seven-day trial of Pandora One, a premium subscription music service that costs $5 a month.

Apple will also have a special offer from iTunes to be revealed on November 26.

Customers can check out the details at Verizon's Connection Day site, where they can sign up to get reminders for the gifts.