Women delighting in cashless celebrations this Eid
An occasion like Eid holds particular significance for women, who often experience happiness from shopping, reveling in intricate accessories, luxurious cosmetics, elegant attire, and the perfect pair of shoes to complete their Eid ensemble. Cashless payment methods have transformed transaction management in recent years, providing women with unparalleled convenience and ease in financial management during festivals.
Tailored offers cater to a wide range of customer needs, including lifestyle, jewelry, air tickets, and more. During festive seasons, these offers include exclusive discounts, increased cashback rewards, buy-one-get-one deals, and special promotional campaigns designed to encourage cashless payment.
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For instance, City Alo women cardholders from the City Bank revel in savings and cashback across a wide array of lifestyle, online shopping, grocery, jewelry, and apparel stores during festivals. Lifestyle products from brands like Aarong, Bata, Anzara, and Yellow offer 10% cashback, while other retailers such as Astorian, Artisan, Sailor, Khan Brothers, and Lubnan provide 10% savings. Additionally, women can enjoy 12% savings on online grocery purchases from Chaldal.com, Unimart, and Meena Bazar, while Daraz offers 15% savings on all purchases this Eid through these cards.
Mohammad Razimul Haque Razim, Head of Cards at City Bank, emphasizes, "City Bank's vision is to become 'The Financial Supermarket with a Winning Culture Offering Enjoyable Experiences.' We are dedicated to serving the diverse needs of our nation, particularly women, who represent a significant portion of the population. During festivals, we are especially committed to providing tailored solutions and exclusive offerings to our valued women cardholders. For example, this Eid, City Alo AMEX Credit card members can avail themselves of a 10% cashback offer for personal care at La Belle and Prive by Nahila Hedayet. Furthermore, dining at renowned establishments such as Manhattan Fish Market, Pizza Hut, Tokyo Kitchen, and others entitles City Alo AMEX Women Credit Cardmembers to reward 10% cashback benefits."
Similarly, Mehruba Reza, Head of TARA, Agami and Premium Banking Segments, BRAC Bank states, "With 50% of our population being women, BRAC Bank considers women customers a pivotal business segment. This Ramadan and Eid, TARA cardholders from BRAC Bank can enjoy enticing offers, with discounts of up to 70% available on specific purchases. For instance, there's a 5% cashback at Farzana Shakil's Makeover Salon and Gala Makeover Studio & Salon, a 35% discount at Aftab Jewellers, a 10% discount at Perfume World, Woman's World, BeshiDeshi, Manyavar, Kay Kraft, and a 15% discount at The Body Shop Bangladesh, among several other discount offers. Cardholders can access a range of benefits customized to their preferences. Additionally, there's a 10% cashback on QR transactions with Mastercard Credit cards for women, and our esteemed cardholders can avail themselves of shopping at lifestyle merchants and food orders with women's credit cards. Moreover, diverse transactional campaigns have been initiated to incentivize card usage this Eid."
Additionally, she noted that women tend to maintain steady relationships with the bank, leading to a consistent growth in the transaction and usage of women's cards.
While women benefit from designated cards customized to their needs, generic and regular cardholders also feel pleased by lucrative offers, discounts, and cashback throughout the year, particularly escalating during festive seasons.
An example would be Eastern Bank PLC which offers exclusive deals to designated cardholders, including a 25% discount at Al-Hassan Diamond Gallery, Ddamas, and Gitanjali Jewelers in Gulshan, along with a 10% cashback on clothing and footwear purchases from various stores during Ramadan. Given the array of choices available, it's always prudent to check bank websites for thorough information regarding festive promotions.
A renowned brand such as Aarong, in collaboration with numerous banks and Mobile Financial Service provider bKash, extends Eid cashback facilities to its vast customer base. Meghna Bank credit cardholders enjoy up to 50% cashback at Aarong outlets, while United Commercial Bank and Pubali Bank Limited cardholders receive 30% cashback on purchases up to a certain limit. Banks like AB Bank, Premier Bank, NCC Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank offer up to 25% cashback at Aarong.
One common space is spas and parlors for women to visit during festive times where they seek self-care and grooming, indulging in services to enhance their well-being and appearance, reflecting their desire to look and feel their best.
Aditi Baroi, Marketing Manager at Farzana Shakil's Makeover Salon, highlighted, "This Eid season, for the first ten days of Ramadan, the salon was offering a 20% bill discount on purchases exceeding 5000/-. This was a substantial increase from our regular discounted offers and combos. On top of that, throughout Ramadan, Farzana Shakil's has partnered with Dhaka Bank PLC, AB Bank PLC, BRAC Bank PLC, and bKash, offering cashback incentives."
Furthermore, Aditi Baroi emphasized, "Presently, approximately 45% of our transactions are cashless (Bank cards & MFS), while the rest are cash-based. As a standard practice, we encourage our customers to use Bank & MFS for bill payments whenever feasible. Specifically, we prefer credit card payments to alleviate concerns about cash limits. Regarding MFS, we accept payments via bKash and Nagad. We also participate in limited-period campaigns initiated by MFS merchants and banks when mutually beneficial, often driven by our partners' promotional strategies."
Festivals like Eid are occasions meant to be joyously celebrated with our loved ones. Ensuring that every detail is meticulously taken care of adds to the festive spirit, alongside the delight of donning new attire on the auspicious day while being mindful and avoiding overspending. Cashless transactions have been integral in enhancing this experience over the years, and as time progresses, there will be a growing anticipation for unlocking their full potential. Whether it's women or men, the benefits of cashless methods will continue to unfold, enriching the celebration experience for all.
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