Subway says nearly 10,000 people offered to change their names for free subs for life

Want free subs for life? All you have to do is legally change your name to “Subway.” Yep, that’s all. No big deal.

From Aug. 1 to 4, the popular sandwich chain was on the hunt for its biggest fan and tempting loyal customers with a lifetime of Subway Deli Heroes if they were willing to make a major life change.

And boy, were people willing. In just 96 hours, nearly 10,000 sandwich lovers signed up to legally change their name to “Subway,” according to the chain. But only one will be “named” the winner — and Subway will announce who that person is later this month.

Here’s everything you need to know about the unconventional contest.

But ... why?

The competition comes just weeks after Subway introduced automatic slicers and fresh-sliced deli meat to 20,000 of its restaurants. On July 11, the chain started selling its new line of Deli Heroes, which come in four varieties: Titan Turkey, Grand Slam Ham, Garlic Roast Beef and The Beast.

Subway already gave away one million free subs on July 11 during a previous promotional campaign for its fresh sliced deli meat. And the chain is certainly drumming up more attention for the new subs with this competition.

The contest only lasted for three days.

The nationwide contest ran between Aug. 1 and 4, 2023, hosted on SubwayNameChange.com. During this period, Subway fans were asked to commit to legally changing their name to enter for the chance to win.

“Subway will select one lucky winner to earn free sandwiches and assume an iconic new identity,” the press release read.

In order to enter, you needed to be a legal resident of the United States and be at least 18 years old (19+ in Alabama and Nebraska, and 21+ in Mississippi).

Of course, there's a bit of red tape involved with legally changing your name, and Subway will reimburse the winner for the legal and processing fees.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Subway has given away a lifetime of free subs.

Last year, Subway also gave one brave customer, James Kunz, free subs for life. All he had to do in return was get a foot-long baseball jersey-themed Subway Series logo tattoo.

Several other fans agreed to get Subway tattoos in exchange for smaller prizes that were based on how large the tattoo was and where they placed it.

While speaking with TODAY.com, Kunz revealed what inspired him to get the tattoo.

“When I was a teenager, I was still kind of chunky,” he said at the time.

Around this time, Kunz began to work out and Subway played a role in his health journey.

“Because of that, I have kind of a brand loyalty," he said.

When he heard about the promotion Subway was offering, Kunz jumped at the opportunity.

“I said, ‘No, no, I’m totally serious about this. I love Subway, and I’d be pumped to get this tattooed and get Subway for life,’ and so I went for it,” he said. “And I’m super glad I went for it. It was a total blast.”

If he changes his name to “Subway,” is Kunz eligible for a second lifetime of free subs? We’ll just have to wait and see.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com