Coupons: Fill & Download for Free

Ah, the mystery behind FreeCharge and the temptation of Indian mindset to go after 'Free' stuff.How does FreeCharge work?Besides the advertisements that you see on the website, FreeCharge would earn a percentage of the amount of recharge that you do from the operator (ex: Airtel etc) and a percentage of the amount of the coupon that you spend.Let us see this with an example:So, you need to recharge your mobile, data card or DTH or whatever else you may have in mind.You decide to do a recharge for 300 Rs and get Dominoes Pizza coupons for 300 Rs.You would be happy thinking that you've literally got your mobile recharged for Rs 300 and you've got your money back in terms of coupons as well. Isn't that great?No, it is not. Because that is how they make money.The Fine PrintNow that you've got coupons for Rs 300, you might notice that you have coupons worth Rs 300 but also you have six coupons of Rs 50 each.This is where the fineprint written in small letters in the coupons come into picture.You walk in to a Dominoe's Pizza Store and realize the following things:1. You need to spend a minimum of Rs 200 to get a discount of Rs 50.2. You cannot use the coupon in combination with any other existing offers provided by Dominoes.3. The product offerings at the Dominoes would also be priced in such a way that you would find it little difficult to buy something. Pizza might cost more than Rs 200 or you would have to buy 2 or 3 things to cross the limit of 200 Rs.Pic: You will not be able to combine your coupon and avail the below offer at the same time.Anyway, the idea is that you might end up spending more than 200 Rs. You might go in with friends as well and hence, the revenue for Dominoes would only increase.How does FreeCharge and Dominoes earn out of this?Let us say, FreeCharge has a deal to get 10% of every coupon spent from Dominoes.[Edit: Thanks to Vishal, who has indicated that the number is between 2.7% - 3.2%. I don't want to do the changes in the answer as the entire calculation would have to be redone.]10% of Rs 50 = 5 Rs.Final Revenue for Dominoes: 145 Rs. (200 - 50 - 5)FreeCharge would also have a deal with the mobile operators as well and they would give say, 5% of the amount of recharge done.5% of 300 = Rs 15.The Final Equation:You spend: Rs 300 on FreeCharge and get the service.You get: Coupons of Rs 50 each and 6 of them.You would have to spent a minimum of 200 for each coupon to be used.Revenue Per Coupon for Dominoes = 200 - 50 (coupon value) - 5 (FreeCharge commission) = Rs 145Revenue Per Coupon for FreeCharge = Rs 5If you use all the coupons then,Revenue for Dominoes = 145 * 6 = Rs 870Revenue for FreeCharge = 15 (from mobile operator) + (5*6) = Rs 45Total money you would spend to avail all coupons: (200 - 50) * 6 coupons = Rs 900This is how it works :)Moral of the story:One does not simply, get things for free !! The world isn't that kind !Edit: There are different types of coupons offered by different companies. I just took one example. The offers that are given could be vastly different based on the what the companies wants to drive. It could be a push in sales volume, sales value, walk-ins into a store, get a first time customer etc.Do you remember the beautiful Shimona Rashi from this Cadbury's Dairy Milk Ad?

This card is truly an example of Digital India. You can pay the gift amount through PayTM or NEFT transfer. And In case you’ve missed the wedding you can scan the Sodexo coupon at the nearest Haldiram’s and collect your box of sweets.I guess the Ghodi ( female horse ) used in the Baaraat is from OLA or Uber and the couple spend their first night in an OYO room.P.S : All the codes / coupons / numbers have been changed so yeah incase you were thinking to get a box of sweets, bad luck,

I have a homeless friend named Rainbow.He is very self-sufficient. He is a sign spinner so that he can keep a few dollars in his pocket.I offered to get him a meal one day. He told me what he wanted. As I turned to go get it, he stopped me.“Wait man, use this coupon.”In fact, he always has coupons for food on him. He showed me that you can live on the streets and still find ways to save money. He’s the only homeless man that I’ve met who uses coupons.I quickly picked up on that life lesson. For the past two years, I have taught myself how to use physical and digital coupons.Thanks Rainbow!