Key Highlights:

  • Both companies are offering up to Rs 1,500 cashback
  • Bundled handset data plans will give customers unlimited voice calls and 1GB data/day on Vodafone and Airtel's network
  • Airtel subscribers crossed 28 crore in October while Vodafone touched 20.9 crore

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It is Airtel versus Vodafone in the battle to woo new subscribers with cashback offers. Two of the country’s largest telecom operators have tied up with Samsung to give cashback on a variety of smartphones in a bundled handsets offer.

After Vodafone announced its Rs 1,500 cashback on select Samsung smartphones, Airtel also stated a similar deal.

While availing the cashback offers on these phones, which the operators’ claim will bring down the ‘effective price’ of these smartphones, subscribers will have to become a part of the telcos’ respective network.

Deals of bundled handsets started pouring in after Reliance Jio launched its JioPhone, a feature phone with 4G VoLTE technology for a refundable deposit of Rs 1,500 after three years.

Vodafone has announced deals on three of Samsung’s smartphones of the Galaxy J series namely – Galaxy J2 Pro, Galaxy J7 Nxt, Galaxy J7 Max.

Airtel has announced deals on four phones – Galaxy J2, Galaxy J5 Prime, Galaxy J7 Prime, Galaxy J7 Pro.

So which offer should you go for?

The maximum cashback on each of the phones by Airtel and Vodafone will be only Rs 1,500.

Vodafone

“At the end of the first 12 months, users will receive a cash back of Rs 600 and after another 12 months, a cash back of Rs 900 respectively, thus availing a total cashback of Rs 1500. The cash back will be credited to their Vodafone M-Pesa wallets,” Vodafone said.

The Galaxy J2 Pro is being offered by the company for an effective price of Rs 6,990 as compared to Rs 8,490, Vodafone said. While the J7 Nxt and the J7 Max will be for Rs 8,990 and Rs 15,400 respectively.

Vodafone added that the offer will be launched across different locations, later this month.

In order to avail this offer, prepaid customers will have to recharge with Rs 198 per month for 24 months.

Post-paid customers will have to opt into any one of Vodafone’s attractive Red Plans.

Vodafone users will have to recharge with a total value of Rs 4,752 over a period of two years.

The bundled handset data plans will give subscribers access to unlimited voice calls and 1GB data/day on Vodafone's network.

Further the cashback will only be credited into customers’ M-Pesa wallets, which is Vodafone’s e-wallets used mainly for recharges.

Airtel

“The Rs 1500 cashback will be disbursed to customers over 24 months. At the end of 12 months, customers who have done recharges (in any denomination of their choice) worth Rs 2500 will be eligible for the first instalment of Rs 300. They will be eligible for the second instalment of Rs 1200 provided they complete another set of recharges worth Rs 2500 over the next 12 months,” Airtel said.

Samsung’s Galaxy J2 will be effectively priced at Rs 5,490, Samsung said. Its J5 Prime, J7 Prime and J7 Pro will be available for Rs 10,490, Rs 12,400 and Rs 18,4000 respectively.

While Airtel customers will need to recharge with a total value of Rs 5,000 over a period of two years to avail the cashback.

The bundled handset plans would give subscribers access to 1GB data/day and unlimited calling.

The operator did not specify in the release how the cashback would be ‘disbursed,’ however a report by PTI said the money would be credited in Airtel Payments Bank.