WhatsApp Offering Cashback Rewards in India: Here's How to Avail

WhatsApp has announced that it is introducing cashback promotion of up to Rs. 33 for selected users of the app. Those who will be eligible for the promotion might see a banner within the app, or a gift icon when they are sending money to an eligible receiver. The news comes a few days after Meta Platforms-owned instant messaging app won the regulatory approval to extend its payments service from 40 million to 100 million users in India. The service will compete with Google Pay, Paytm, PhonePe, among others in the country's crowded digital payments market.

WhatsApp made the announcement in a blog post, and listed various steps on how to receive the cashback.

Here's how to receive WhatsApp cashback

• If you are one of the eligible users, you can send money to any registered WhatsApp contact and receive Rs 11 cashback per successful transaction.
• If the chosen contact is not registered, users will be able to invite them to join payments on WhatsApp, and send them any amount to receive cashback after they join.
• WhatsApp notes that there is no minimum payment amount required to get the cashback.
• Eligible users will receive Rs. 11 cashback up to three times by sending money to three different contacts, which means users can get an effective cashback of Rs. 33 over three transactions.

Users will only receive one cashback reward per each contact. In layman's terms, if you have received cashback by sending money to a family member, you will not get the cashback again if you send money to the same family member. You have to choose three different eligible contacts to receive a cumulative cashback of Rs. 33.

How to be eligible to receive WhatsApp cashback

• Only those who see a promotion banner within the app, or a gift icon when they are sending money to an eligible receiver are eligible for the cashback promotion.
• You must be a WhatsApp user for at least 30 days. WhatsApp Business is not eligible for this promotion, the blog post said.
• You also must be registered for payments on WhatsApp by adding bank account details. In case you haven't, here's a quick “How to Send and Receive Money on WhatsApp” article that will help you register for payments.
• Users must make sure they are using the latest version of WhatsApp for making transactions.

Furthermore, WhatsApp has said that transactions done when users no longer see the promotion banner or gift icon in the app will not be eligible for cashback. QR code transactions, payments made on collect requests or by entering the UPI ID of recipient, and/or third-party online apps using WhatsApp will also not be eligible for cashback. The cashback promotion will be available to different users at different times. If the promotion becomes available to you, it'll be for a limited time only, WhatsApp added.

As per a recent report, WhatsApp is testing a programme where it will role out cashback incentives for users who pay highway tolls and utility and other bills straight from the app. It also wants to test incentives for those making mobile payments for Reliance Jio.

Earlier this month, Meta Platforms' WhatsApp won regulatory approval to extend its payments service to 100 million users in India. WhatsApp has more than 500 million users in India.

Giving away cashback, offers, and discounts on transactions has been one of the ways to attract customers in India. Platforms includin Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and Amazon Pay, among others, offer great discounts and cashback offers to their customers.