New Delhi: In September, the messaging giant, WhatsApp started testing cashbacks for its UPI-based payments service. Now a report by Business Insider states that WhatsApp has started rolling out this feature to beta users on Android platforms.
According to the report, WhatsApp is offering a guaranteed cashback of Rs 51 to users for sending money via the platform to different contacts. Besides, the user can utilize the cashback five times and the beta app has a banner on top of the chat list that informs users about the offer saying, “Give cash, get ₹51 back.”
WhatsApp hasn’t set a limit on the amount for the cashback offer. Reportedly, even by sending Rs 1, the user can get back cash of Rs 51 on their account. The confirmation of the credited money is soon shown on the user’s registered number by the notification from WhatsApp itself.
To enroll for the WhatsApp beta, “Open Google Play and search WhatsApp>Scroll down to ‘Become a beta tester’ panel>Tap on the button that reads ‘I’m in’>Choose ‘Join’>You’ll receive an update from the app in next few hours.”
As the offer now is only limited to beta users, it is expected that soon it will be rolled out to the common users. With this cashback offer, WhatsApp seems to make its way to push its payment services in India.
A similar approach was adopted by Google in 2017 through its launch of the digital payment platform Tez, now popularly known as Google Pay or GPay.
Also, WhatsApp has added a dedicated payments button in the chat bar. This enables the users to send money directly from the chat bar. The platform has also allowed the user to add a payment background when sending out money. WhatsApp provides several artful expressions particularly for the occasions like birthdays, holidays, or for gifts and travel.
WhatsApp was launched in India in 2018 as a part of a trial run and after getting approved by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the service was officially made available to the public last year. The platform offers a real-time payment system collaborating with over 227 banks all across the country.
