Airtel and Vodafone, the two most popular telecom service providers in our country have announced their tie-up with Samsung to offer a Rs. 1,500 cashback on a select number of budget smartphones. Like all other cashback offers, this comes with an asterisk (*) marked “conditions apply” that you should skim through first.
So much for their desperation to counter Reliance Jio’s 4G feature phone that is available free of cost with a refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500.
Which Smartphone Models Come Under This Offer?
Under its ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, Airtel is offering Samsung’s Galaxy J-series range – J2 (2017), J5 Prime, J7 Prime, and J7 Pro – with cashback offers and their reduced prices start from Rs 5,490.
Whereas Vodafone is offering Samsung’s Galaxy J2 Pro, Galaxy J7 Nxt and Galaxy J7 Max with a cashback offer of Rs 1,500 and the prices come down to Rs 6,990.
Reliance Jio announced a similar partnership with Xiaomi Redmi 5A way back in November with a cashback of Rs 1,000.
How Can You Avail These Cashback Offers?
The devices will come complemented with Airtel’s special recharge pack of Rs 199 that offers 1GB data/day and unlimited calling.
Airtel: The Rs 1,500 cashback will be given to customers in a period of 24 months.
At the end of 12 months, customers who have done recharge under the denomination of their choice worth Rs 2,500, will be eligible for the first installment of Rs 300. The second installment of Rs 1,200 will be paid only after they make recharges worth Rs 2,500 over the next 12 months again.
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Vodafone: To avail of the cashback, pre-paid users have to recharge with Rs 198 per month for 24 months, which would give them unlimited voice calls and 1GB data/day.
However, post-paid customers need to opt for any one of Vodafone’s Red Plans. At the end of the first 12 months, users will receive a cashback of Rs 600 and after another 12 months, a cashback of Rs 900, respectively.
Busting The Illusion Of These Cashback Offers:
Don’t let these enticing cashback offers worth Rs 1,500 allure you.
It is a process of attracting a buyer with his/her own money!
Consider a yearly recharge of 199 Rs per month at the end of which you get a cashback of Rs 300, as Airtel has offered. What do you do with it? You recharge some more for another year!
This is why Vodafone will only credit your cash onto its M-Pesa wallet. It does not allow you to use this cash anywhere else.
The cashback you receive is not a part of the payment for your smartphone.
It draws your attention away from the real cost of the product and also from any better negotiation.
Winner Takes All:
If you look at the Indian telecom operator ranking, Vodafone is currently #3, behind Airtel and Reliance Jio. The rationale behind such offers is to acquire and retain their customers today which will profit them in the future whilst they become #1 and beyond their competitors.
Most likely, the deals you buy from Airtel are similar to Vodafone and Jio. The best decision would be to choose the network which works best in your region or area. The performance of different networks vary in different states and even localities.
And lastly, be a smart customer and don’t let these service providers lure you with bogus offers which hold no significance.
Shop smart!
Image Credits: Google Images
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