By afaqs! news bureau
Publication Date: 2026-05-04 23:31:00
In July 2025, Airtel announced that its customers would get a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, normally priced at Rs 17,000. Six months later, it did it again. This time with Adobe Express Premium, worth Rs 4,000, available to Airtel subscribers.
Two deals. Two very different software companies. So what is Airtel actually doing here?
Telecom in India is a commoditised business. Since Jio entered the market and collapsed data prices, the network itself is no longer a differentiator. Every major operator offers more or less the same speeds at more or less the same price points. Competing purely on tariffs is a race to the bottom.
Airtel’s answer to this is the Airtel Thanks app, its loyalty and benefits platform. And the free subscription deals are the fuel that keeps it running.
When a subscriber weighs switching to a cheaper plan, they are no longer just comparing data packs. They are also mentally accounting for what they would lose. A Perplexity Pro subscription worth Rs 17,000. An Adobe Express Premium worth Rs 4,000. The calculus quietly shifts in Airtel’s favour without Airtel having to touch its tariff.
Importantly, both the Perplexity deal and the Adobe Express deal share one detail that is easy to overlook. Redemption in both cases runs exclusively through the Airtel Thanks app. Not the website. The app.
Every subscriber who claims a free subscription has to open Thanks, log in and engage with the platform. Airtel is building a habit. The more frequently…
