Airtel Uganda announced Thursday it was reducing its Airtel money rates for sending by 80%, 60%, 50% and 33.3% in a move to promote its mobile money service for a period of 90 days.
The development comes at a time when MTN Uganda is set to increase MTN Mobile Money rates starting tomorrow, Friday, May 10.
In a promotion dubbed ‘Sukuma Cash’, Airtel customers will be able to send money to their fellow Airtel money users at reduced tariffs and also win prizes.
Initially, you were supposed to pay a tariff of Shs250, to send money anywhere between Shs500 to 2,500. According to the new Airtel money rates, you’ll be charged only Shs100, a reduction of 60%.
Sending any figure above Shs2,500 to Shs5,000 was costing Shs500, the new sending charges on Airtel Money are Shs100, a drop of 80%.
After 5,000, the tariffs were reduced by 33.3% and 50%, implying where you were paying Shs1,000, you’ll now be charged Shs500.
For instance, according to the new Airtel Money rates, while you used to cough Shs1,000 to send a sum above Shs5,000 to Shs60,000 – in the ‘Sukuma’ Cash promotion, you’ll be charged only Shs500.
Before this promotion, Shs1,500 was charged for sending anywhere above Shs6,000 to Shs500,000. According to the new Airtel Money charges, you’ll be charged Shs1,000, a reduction of 33.3%.
To send an amount from Shs500,000 to Shs5 million, before Sukuma Cash, you’d be charged Shs2,000, you’ll now pay half of that, according to the new Airtel Money rates.
Sukuma Cash
Aside from reducing rates for sending, Airtel will also give out prizes to its Airtel Money agents and customers. In the 90-day promotion, 22 customers and 3 agents will each win Shs500,000 daily. Other 7 customers and 3 agents will win tickets to watch Uganda Cranes as it plays in the African Cup of Nations.
Comparing MTN to Airtel
According to the new Airtel Money sending rates, the least you can pay to send money to a fellow Airtel Money user is Shs100 and the maximum is Shs1,000.
While MTN Mobile Money will be charging the same minimum amount in the new charges that take effect tomorrow, to send a figure above Shs500,000 where Airtel Money charges Shs1,000, MTN Mobile Money charges Shs2,200.
The only advantage with MTN is that the limit for the amount of money you can send in one bundle is Shs7m, while for Airtel Money, it’s Shs5m, a difference of Shs2 million.
Financial inclusion
Speaking at the launch of the drive at Airtel Head Offices on Clement Hill in Kampala, Andrew Rugamba, head of financial services at the second largest telecommunications company in the country, said that the Sukuma Cash drive is aimed at enriching Airtel Uganda’s efforts to propel financial inclusion.
“… This Airtel has done reducing the charge of sending money as a 90-day promotion. With effect from today, ninth of May, Airtel Uganda has significantly dropped the charge of sending money to your loved ones, to your associates, by as much as 60%, the lowest or the minimum sending charge is Shs100 and the maximum sending charge is Shs1,000,” he said.
See normal rates
Related:
In 2019, MTN mobile money withdraw charges, fees on other transactions
What you need to become a Mobile Money agent for MTN, Africell, Airtel
