Airtel Offers Rs 2,000 Cashback To Customers Upgrading To 4G Smartphone

Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced a cashback of Rs 2,000 to its subscribers upgrading to a new 4G smartphone. Aimed at the festive season, the telecom service provider's "AirtelThanks" program will enable eligible Airtel subscribers to earn the cashback in the form of digital coupons, which can be redeemed to make payment against a prepaid or postpaid connection, according to a statement by the company. The cashback of Rs 2,000, Bharti Airtel said, will be credited to the customer's account on mobile app My Airtel.

The cashback will be awarded to the customer, in his or her My Airtel account, in the form of 40 coupons worth Rs 50 each. These digital coupons can be redeemed on subsequent recharges on select prepaid packs of Rs 199 and above, or postpaid bill payment of Rs 399 and above, Airtel noted.

"As customers upgrade their smartphone this festive season, we want to delight them with exclusive benefits under our recently launched customer program #AirtelThanks. We invite all our customers to make the most of the offer," said Vani Venkatesh, chief marketing officer, Bharti Airtel.

Who is eligible?

The telecom major said customers buying a new 4G smartphone from an online or offline store will be eligible for the AirtelThanks program. To avail the offer, customers will be required to insert a 4G SIM in a new 4G smartphone on or before October 31, 2018, according to Bharti Airtel.

"The coupons will auto-apply on every subsequent recharge or bill payment via My Airtel App and will be valid only for the first 40 months of being credited to the customer's account. Only one coupon can be availed at the time of a recharge or bill payment," the company said in its statement.

The cashback offer from Bharti Airtel comes amid high competition in the country's telecom sector.

Rival private sector telecom operator Reliance Jio, earlier this month, announced a 100 per cent cashback on prepaid recharge plans of Rs 149, and an all-unlimited Rs1,699 annual plan.  The scheme, called 'Jio Diwali 100 per cent Cashback Offer', is applicable for new and existing users and valid till November 30, 2018, according to Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of conglomerate Reliance Industries.

Vodafone Idea, the largest service provider in the country, last month announced a cashback offer and vouchers on purchase of recharge plans through digital wallet Paytm. On a minimum prepaid recharge of Rs. 149, Vodafone and Idea customers can avail an assured cashback of Rs. 25 on the first transaction done via Paytm, according to a statement from Vodafone Idea.

Idea Cellular and Vodafone India completed a merger between them in August this year, creating the country's biggest telecom service provider. The merged entity is called Vodafone Idea.