Market News
Airtel customers to earn airtime on mobile money transactions
Wednesday December 20 2023
Airtel Kenya Chief Executive Officer Ashish Malhotra. PHOTO | LUCY WANJIRU | NMG
Kenya’s second largest telco Airtel has unveiled a campaign that will see customers on its mobile money platform Airtel Money recover their withdrawal fees for use as airtime as part of the firm’s efforts to increase transaction volumes on the service.
The promotion, dubbed ‘Rudishiwa Transaction Fee’, will run for the duration of the Christmas season although Airtel didn’t cite the specific dates.
Under the programme, a customer withdrawing, for example, Sh1,000 from an Airtel Money agent and is charged Sh25 as a transaction charge, will receive Sh25 worth of airtime, which they can use for talk time, data bundles or SMS.
“Airtel Money customers who withdraw as little as Sh50 from any Airtel Money agent will be refunded their withdrawal transaction fees. The refund applies to any withdrawal charge up to the maximum daily limit of Sh250,000 per day,” said the telco in a statement.
Airtel Kenya managing director Ashish Malhotra termed the campaign a demonstration of the firm’s commitment to meeting market needs.
“The new ‘Rudishiwa Transaction Fee’ campaign cements our commitment to designing products and solutions that serve multiple payment needs of the user in the market. We believe that the campaign will go a long way to cater to the needs of Kenyans who rely on cash for their daily transactions, helping them stay connected while saving them money,” said Malhotra.
The telco says the promotion is in line with its commitment to provide affordable products and services that enhance customers’ convenience.
To enjoy the offer, Airtel customers will be required to visit the company’s mobile money agents and then dial *334# or use the Airtel App to get started.
The programme comes just days after rival player Safaricom unveiled a month-long Christmas promotion ‘Sambaza Furaha’ that will see borrowers on the Fuliza clear their loans using their loyalty points, popularly known as Bonga points.
The drive, dubbed ‘Sambaza Furaha’, will also see customers purchase locally assembled Neon smartphones using a combination of loyalty points and cash.
