BSNL Giving Up to 50 Percent Cashback on PhonePe Recharges

BSNL is providing up to 50 percent cashback on payments made via PhonePe under its new promotional offer. The state-owned telecom operator, which last month gave up to 50 percent extra data to customers on select packs as part of a promotion, will be giving the cashback to prepaid subscribers who make their first transaction using the Flipkart-owned PhonePe mobile payment service. BSNL is locked in a battle to retain consumers and gain more users even as Jio continues to upend the telecom industry and incumbents such as Airtel, Vodafone and Idea respond with ever-cheaper offers and plans.

The new BSNL-PhonePe promotion is available to all prepaid customers who are yet to use the payment platform to buy a recharge pack. The eligible customers simply need to purchase a recharge pack from the PhonePe mobile app, and make the payment using the wallet, credit or debit cards, or netbanking to get the cashback.

BSNL will give cashback of Rs. 50 on recharge of Rs. 250 or less, the company said in a statement. Those who purchase recharge packs of more than Rs. 250 will get cashback of Rs. 75. This offer is valid only till February 20, 2018, and the cashback subscribers receive can be used for recharges, bill payments, and merchant transactions on the PhonePe app.

This is the latest in a series of efforts BSNL has made to keep consumers from switching to rival networks. In early January, it offered to give 2GB of free data for 30 days to subscribers who have not yet used mobile data on their numbers in order to introduce them to the benefits of the Internet. It also launched a Rs. 1,099 prepaid recharge pack that gives customers unlimited data and calls for 84 days, along with 100 SMSes per day and personalised ring back tone. For its landline customers, it extended the free Sunday calling promotion for three more months. It has also started upgrading its network from 3G to 4G, with Kerala becoming the first circle to get its high-speed service.