Safaricom, Kenya’s leading telecom company, has altered its popular Bonga loyalty program in a bid to prompt subscribers to use their accumulated points. The move is aimed at reducing the increasing amount of unredeemed Bonga points, which have grown from 3 billion Kenyan shillings in 2015 to 4.5 billion shillings in March 2022.
Bonga points are earned by customers through spending on voice, mobile data, SMS, and M-Pesa transactions on the Safaricom network. Previously, Bonga data bundles were unlimited and considered a valuable asset for customers, but the company has now implemented a seven-day validity period for these bundles. This means that any unused data will expire and be unavailable for use after seven days.
The changes made to the Bonga loyalty program are part of Safaricom’s effort to encourage subscribers to utilize their points. The company recognizes the Bonga points as deferred income, which is only recorded as revenue when redeemed by customers for airtime, SMS, merchandise, or shopping. The value of each Bonga point can vary depending on the item being redeemed.
Safaricom’s Bonga loyalty program, which was introduced in 2007, rewards customers with one Bonga point for every 10 Kenyan shillings spent on the Safaricom network for voice, mobile data, and SMS and for every 100 shillings spent on the network for M-Pesa transactions. The company has also expanded the redemption options to include merchant payments through Lipa na M-Pesa and Paybill, as well as the purchase of plane tickets.
The recent changes to the Bonga loyalty program by Safaricom are aimed at promoting the usage of accumulated points and reducing the value of unredeemed points. With the new seven-day validity period for Bonga data bundles, subscribers are encouraged to use their points and take advantage of the loyalty program benefits.