To retain subscribers, operators offer discounts. What's the catch and how to get it

Date: 14Jan 2021

Author: iMobile

At the beginning of January 2021, a subscriber contacted me with information that Megafon now offers discounts when switching to a new tariff. In his case, it was the “Maximum” tariff, which had already become cheaper with the last update, and with a permanent 30% discount, the subscription fee for it was 553 rubles for 30 days. For Moscow and the region - quite good.

Previously, similar 30% discounts were provided as a personal offer, and only if you were lucky. Now you can get a discount offer in the mobile application when you try to change the tariff. I decided to try this method by changing my son’s tariff.

How an application for number porting opens access to the world of discounts and bonuses

In Russia, there has long been a rule that allows you to change your telecom operator while keeping your phone number. The transfer service (MNP) allows subscribers to choose more favorable conditions without losing old contacts. But in recent years, it has acquired another useful property - the operator, from whom the client is about to leave, persistently offers to stay.

In rare cases, persistence manifests itself in ignoring client statements. But this is quickly resolved - operators are obliged to transfer numbers to other companies if the subscriber has requested such a service. Much more often, so-called retention departments are involved in the work. Their employees call the person who submitted the transfer application and offer bonuses in exchange for remaining their client.

To send an application, you don’t even need to go to the salon - all the necessary forms are on the operator’s website

Some users quickly saw this as a benefit for themselves. This is how pseudotransfers appeared. Subscribers write applications only to extract new discounts and bonuses from the operator. And this works too. The rules are generally very soft.

• The number must be registered to the subscriber who is applying for its transfer.
• The only limitation is that at least 60 days must pass between transitions.
• New numbers can be transferred immediately after purchasing a tariff.
• The transfer cost is 100 rubles. But many operators do it for free or credit money to your account.
• Until you switch to another operator, the balance must be positive.

The client does not need to explain anything - he just wanted to and wrote a transfer application. Cellular operators have two options: let him go in peace or hold him in any way.

VIP tariff parameters with 50% discount:

Main parameters:

• Calls – 1400 minutes to any numbers in Russia. Calls to Megafon are unlimited and do not consume your package of minutes. Moneybox for minutes – up to 5000.
• Messages – 300 SMS to any numbers in Russia.
• Mobile Internet is unlimited. You can distribute the Internet, with restrictions - torrents at speeds up to 128 Kbps.
• Subscription fee including a 50% discount - 495 rubles for 30 days.

It turned out that this tariff is 5 rubles more expensive than the previous one for 30 days, but its content is noticeably better. Of course, I switched to a new tariff. Yes, it does not reach the level of coolness of some non-public tariffs, but in our case, everything is official and quite profitable.

Which operators are the most generous?

There is no objective data and cannot be - operators do not disclose their retention programs, plus a lot depends on how “fat” the client applied to port the number. But some limits of generosity were still identified experimentally.

• Tele2 and Beeline offer the most bonuses. To retain the client, they can give a certificate, a discount of up to 70% on the current tariff, free unlimited Internet in the home region or additional traffic in Russia, packages of minutes and SMS, free distribution of mobile traffic to other devices.
• Megafon offers good bonuses - a discount on the tariff of up to 50%, unlimited Internet, packages of minutes, a refund of up to 30% spent on communications.
• The most stingy set of bonuses is provided by MTS. They mainly offer discounts on packages that are not the most profitable.

These are just general impressions; there are exceptions - for example, high discounts on MTS and minimal bonuses on Tele2.

Tariff parameters

Its conditions before the tariff change

- “Turn on! Chat 11.18":

• Subscription fee – 700 rubles per month (with a 30% discount received as a result of a personal offer, 490 rubles per month).
• Internet – 15 GB + unlimited instant messengers and social networks. Unlimited Internet can be connected for an additional fee.
• Minutes – 600 units for calls to Russian mobile numbers

Why retain subscribers at all?

Operators are fighting for customers because there are few new subscribers. People already have numbers that they have been using for many years. According to an employee of one of the large mobile operators, most of the new subscribers are one-day numbers. They do not benefit the company in the long run.

The situation with the lack of new clients became especially severe in 2020. The number of subscribers decreased by 1.3%. In absolute terms, this is 3.5 million people. The coronavirus is again to blame: people have become less likely to visit communication shops, and due to the closure of borders, the flow of migrant workers and tourists has catastrophically decreased. Against this backdrop, old users who constantly pay have become an even more valuable asset.

The decline has slowed in recent years, but operators predict it will continue.

Subscribers had the right to switch to another operator while keeping their number back in 2013. It is unlikely that many would have imagined that this would become the basis for the development of consumer terrorism. But conditions have changed, and for several years now operators have been spending energy on retaining customers. The main question is, are they really suffering from it? And what are the real costs of providing communications if subscribers are given free unlimited Internet without any problems or discounted up to 70% of the original cost of the tariff?

Tariffs of the “#No Overpayments” line, for which a 20% discount is available

A detailed overview of each tariff can be found at the link in the title of the tariff plan.

• "Minimum";
• "Maximum";
• "All";
• "Internet";
• "Calls";
• "Premium";
• "VIP"

I don’t think that the “Maximum”, “Premium” and “VIP” options will be of much interest to pensioners, simply based on the size of their monthly subscription fee, but the “Minimum” tariff may be of interest to those who call within the region, and the “Calls” tariff plan "- is interesting for those who make calls all over Russia more often.

Another undoubted advantage of the “#No Overpayments” series tariffs is the “MegaFon-Protection” option included by default, which protects against all kinds of paid subscriptions, as well as the possibility of unlimited communication in instant messengers (on all tariffs) and unlimited calls within the network , even with a negative account balance.

Can users who extort discounts from operators get into trouble with the law?

The procedure for changing the operator while maintaining the number is legal and has long been regulated. The maximum that can happen is an unpleasant conversation with an employee of the communication salon. But if such problems arise, it is only for those who are trying to perform a pseudo-transfer for free or are engaged in getting discounts on an ongoing basis. This is consumer terrorism.

But even a client’s deliberate abuse of his legal rights to obtain material gain cannot be punished. Only a fight is possible on the part of the companies themselves - for example, refusing to retain or significantly cutting bonuses.

Cellular operators are well aware of fake transfers and extortion of discounts. But for now, everyone is happy with the situation - some receive bonuses and discounts, others retain subscribers who still pay, albeit much less than other clients.

Tariff change

Sequencing:

1. Go to the Megafon application.
2. Select “My tariff”.
3. Scroll down the page and select “Change tariff”.
4. Megafon asks you to explain what you are not happy with in the current tariff - there are not enough minutes, internet, the packages are too large or the tariff is too expensive. I chose the last option, since it is more suitable than others for receiving a discount, but I do not rule out that it is offered in others.

Megafon offered two options: the regular tariff “No overpayments. Internet" - 400 minutes and 20 GB for 500 rubles for 30 days and the "VIP" tariff with a 50% discount. Let's consider the parameters of this particular tariff.

Mobile operator MegaFon offers a 50% discount on any tariff plan

Miscellaneous 04/01/2018 | 3

In 2021, almost all mobile operators, except MTS, have completely updated their tariff plans. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for prices to increase, but in a cunning way. Telecommunications companies are offering more telecommunications and mobile Internet services, while increasing the average cost of services, and canceling affordable tariff plans. This leads to the fact that on paper communication becomes cheaper, but in reality it is more expensive. Against the backdrop of all this, a 50% discount on any tariff plan, which the MegaFon operator kindly offers, can be an excellent way out of the situation.

Several years ago, at the end of 2014, a service for porting numbers from one operator to another became available to residents of Russia. It can be used no more than once every three months, and its cost does not exceed 200 rubles. In other words, anyone can take advantage of such an offer, but provided that the phone number is assigned to the person who wants to transfer it.

This is a rather complex procedure in which the old and new operators participate, and their powers and responsibilities are determined by the law of the Russian Federation. The point is that when a subscriber wants to leave the operator, he immediately finds out about it and, in order to retain the client, can offer him an extremely generous discount or something else. All this is given completely free of charge and forever, that is, not for one or even two years, but for life, right up to changing the tariff plan.

For example, the tariff plan “Turn on! Listen" costs 500 rubles (Moscow). Having submitted an application to port a number to a new operator, MegaFon immediately does everything possible to avoid losing its subscriber. An employee from the customer loyalty department calls and immediately offers to stay and in return receive a generous discount and something else. What tariff plan the subscriber is connected to does not play any role at all.

Mobile operator MegaFon offers a 50% discount on any tariff plan, and also, no less important, another nice bonus in the form of an additional package of Internet traffic or minutes. Here it depends on what the subscriber chooses when communicating with employees from the customer loyalty department. As a result, pay for the tariff “Turn on! Listen" you only need 250 rubles, and the volume of Internet traffic for each month increases from 10 GB to 13 GB, and, as mentioned earlier, on an ongoing basis.

Previously, she launched completely new tariff plans in Russia from the “Turn On” line, and she also made music on the VKontakte social network free.

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Cashback rules

The cashback amount for subscribers who use the “Turn on” line varies from 10 to 30%, depending on the period of use of the tariff. Part of the money is returned to the account from the subscription fee and payment for roaming services.

• 10% is the so-called initial rate, which is given to all subscribers who connect to MegaFon;
• 15% – given 3 months from the connection date;
• 20% – this discount is provided to subscribers who have been using the operator’s services for 6-12 months;
• 25% - received by subscribers who have been connected for 1-2 years;
• 30% - this cashback is available to all subscribers who have been using the services of a mobile operator for more than two years.

Cashback is credited every month, and you can use it to pay for communication services throughout the year.

You can use bonus points to pay for any calls, SMS messages and Internet traffic. You can also use the discount to pay for unlimited packages for popular instant messengers, social networks and video hosting. Cashback can also be used to pay for purchases at the operator’s branded stores.