Jambojet customers to pay for flights with Bonga points

Jambojet customers can now pay for their flights using Safaricom’s #ticker:SCOM loyalty awards Bonga points as the low-cost carrier expands its payment channels to ease bookings under the Covid-19 pandemic hit economy.

The new partnership will see Safaricom subscribers exchange 33,000 Bonga points for a one-way ticket to Kisumu from Jambojet’s hub in Nairobi on Friday, and 67,500 Bonga points for the return trip.

The airline’s head of sales and marketing Titus Oboogi, on Thursday said the move was part of the company’s strategy to help households manage the tough economic times brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are aware of the financial impact Covid-19 has had on many families. There are those who may want to travel but are cash–strapped. We want to provide options to the customers and tell them that they can still travel by redeeming Bonga points,” said Mr Oboogi.

The deal allows customers to purchase air tickets on any of Jambojet’s six domestic routes – Nairobi, Mombasa, Diani, Malindi, Kisumu, and Eldoret.

To pay for the flight ticket, customers are advised to dial *126#, select ‘Lipa Na Bonga Points’, then select ‘Pay Bill’.

One will then be prompted to enter the Jambojet Pay Bill number (737700), and the account number, which is the Reference Number issued during booking.

The customer will then be required to input the amount they want to pay via Bonga points, and get a response showing the number of points needed for the air ticket.

The partnership comes at a time when the aviation industry is in turmoil following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 that saw airlines around the world grounded.

Jambojet resumed flights mid-July but demand for flying is still low.

The use of Bonga points will also help Safaricom reduce the loyalty awards backlog that had hit Sh3.94 billion in the year to March 2020, up from the previous year’s Sh3.85 billion.

Bonga points are accounted for as a liability or deferred income in the telco’s books and only recognised as revenue once customers utilise them, hence the relief when they are redeemed.

The purchase of air tickets using the points now adds to the telco’s channels for customers to use the resource such as shopping, fuelling cars and even repaying education loans.

Customers earn one point for every Sh10 spent on voice calls, SMS, Internet and some chargeable M-Pesa transactions.