Tag: discounts

How to Compare Best Health Insurance Policies Using Online Tools

When you choose a health insurance plan or renew an existing one, how do you determine that it’s the right one for you? You might rely on an agent’s advice or ask a family member or friend. But are these insurance policies truly the right fit for you?

A health insurance premium calculator can help you choose the best health insurance plan for your needs. It can show you which plans cover hospitals near you, which ones offer maternity coverage, and which ones won’t break the bank. So, using this tool correctly can be very helpful, but you need to know how to use it effectively. Let’s see how to do that.

Why Comparing Health Insurance Online is Smarter?

Back in the day, if you wanted medical insurance, you had to meet agents, read brochures full of technical words, and then hope you didn’t miss a hidden clause. Today, you can sit on your couch, open your laptop, and see ten different health insurance plans lined up like products in an online store. So, why is this better? Because:

● You don’t rely only on what an agent tells you.

● You can compare premiums and benefits side by side.

● You see exclusions clearly instead of in fine print.

It’s just like shopping online or booking a hotel. Nobody calls ten airlines anymore, although we check online. Health insurance should work the same way.

What Really Matters While Comparing Plans

The truth is that not every shiny feature matters. A good policy is one that actually protects you when something goes wrong. While browsing online tools, you should be focused on:

● Coverage (Sum Insured): Does it cover realistic hospital bills in your city?

● Cashless hospitals: If your go-to hospital isn’t on the list, it’s a headache later.

● Claim settlement ratio: Higher numbers mean fewer claim rejections.

● Add-ons: Maternity, critical illness, room rent flexibility, if you really need them.

● Premium vs Benefits: Cheapest is not always best.

If you only remember one thing, it’s this balance cost with coverage. Don’t be tempted by low premiums if it means compromising on actual protection.

A Quick Walkthrough Using an Online Tool

Let’s say you’re 32, married, with one child. You open a comparison website. It asks for details like age, city, and number of family members. You fill that in, and within seconds, you see multiple mediclaim policy options.

Now you notice something interesting:

Feature	Policy 1	Policy 2	Policy 3
Sum Insured	₹5 lakh	₹10 lakh	₹10 lakh
Cashless Network	4,200+	6,000+	5,800+
Maternity Cover	No	Yes	Yes
Premium (Yearly)	₹6,800	₹9,500	₹10,200

At first glance, Policy 1 looks attractive because it’s cheap. But then you realise it doesn’t cover maternity or have as many cashless hospitals. If your family is expanding, that’s a red flag. Policy 2 or 3 might be the better choice long term.

This is precisely why online tools help you to find the best health insurance plans. You’d probably miss these details if you were only talking to one insurance agent.

Don’t Skip the “Exclusions” Section

Most people skim through the benefits and ignore exclusions. Big mistake. Some health insurance plans don’t cover pre-existing diseases for the first 2 – 3 years. Others may exclude specific treatments like cataract surgery or joint replacement.

When you buy health insurance online, every comparison site has an “exclusions” button or tab. Don’t skip it. It may not be exciting to read, but knowing what’s not covered is as important as knowing what is.

Buying Online After Comparison

Once you’ve shortlisted, buying health insurance online has its perks:

● Time saving: Instant policy issuance (no waiting for paperwork).

● Discounts: Some insurers give lower premiums if you buy directly online.

● Transparency: you get all details in writing, no half-truths.

● 24/7 access: you can compare and buy anytime.

Many people get a full mediclaim policy issued in less than 15 minutes online, no queues, no files, no hassle.

So here are some main overview points that you have to keep in mind when comparing before you buy health insurance plans for family by using any online tool:

● Evaluate your personal and family health requirements

● Select a trusted online comparison tool

● Check key features and coverage details of each plan

● Understand what’s covered and what’s not

● Look into claim history and settlement performance

● Consider policy terms and optional add-on benefits

● Directly compare multiple plans to spot differences easily

Final Thoughts

Honestly, picking the right health insurance isn’t as scary as it sounds. Many people just renew the same policy every year without even checking if it still works for them, and later regret it when bills pile up. Using an online comparison tool is super simple. You just spend a few minutes, see which plan covers what, check premiums, and figure out if it actually fits your family. That tiny effort can save a lot of stress later.

When your renewal comes around, don’t just click “pay.” Take a moment, breathe, and see if your plan still makes sense. Look at the coverage, the hospitals included, maybe even check a rider or two. A few minutes now can keep you from scrambling when medical costs hit unexpectedly.

September 16, 2025

EaseMyTrip introduces the Travel Republic Sale from 16 to 19 January

Mumbai: EaseMyTrip.com, online travel tech platforms have introduced the Travel Republic Sale, unlocking attractive discounts and offers on flight bookings, hotel stays, bus tickets, cab rentals, and holiday packages. Scheduled from January 16 to January 19 2024, this limited-period sale invites travellers to explore the world with unbelievable EaseMyTrip deals.

During the Travel Republic Sale, customers can save up to 23 per cent on flights, 60 per cent on hotels, 16 per cent on cabs, and 15 per cent on bus travel. For holiday packages, prices start at just Rs 7,999.

To unlock these savings, use the promo code “EMTREPUBLIC” when booking on the EaseMyTrip app or web browser interface. Moreover, customers can enjoy even more savings by booking with an ICICI Bank Credit Card.

EaseMyTrip has partnered with leading airline carriers for this sale, including SpiceJet, Air India Express, Vistara Airlines, Star Air, Akasa Air, American Airlines, Air Mauritius, Air Astana, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airline, Delta Airlines, British Airways, Egyptair, Gulf Air, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, Oman Air, Qantas Airways, RwandAir, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa Airline, United Airlines, Air Canada, and Swiss International Airlines.

The list of selected hotel partners includes Amritara, Roseate Hotels (Delhi & Rishikesh), Sterling Hotels, Spree Hotels, Clarks Inn, Justa Hotels, WelcomeHeritage, Le Roi, Zone By the Park, One Earth, Shrigo, MPT, Suba Group, Cygnett, Byke, Starlit, Lords, Ananta, Summit, Mount Hotels Group, Sumi Yashree Group, Sumi Yashree Group, Jain Group Hotels & Resorts, Toshali Group of Hotels (Bhubaneswar/Puri & Shimla), Fateh Collection, Golden Hotels (Northern East India Chain), Club Mahindra, Ramada Gurgaon Central (Gurugram), and Fab Hotels. Every booking enters you into prize draws for exciting giveaways. Gift vouchers will be available from renowned brands like AJIO, KFC, Gaana, and Styched.

Introducing exciting offers EaseMyTrip co-founder Rikant Pitti said, ‘’Embark on a journey of savings and celebration this Republic Day with our exclusive sale. This isn’t just about discounts; it’s a passport to a world of possibilities, a salute to your travel aspirations. As the nation’s heart beats in vibrant hues, let our offers paint your adventures with unparalleled experiences. This Republic Day, redefine your travel story with us – where every booking is a chapter of value, every destination a canvas of memories. Join us in commemorating the spirit of the nation through our Republic Day Sale – a tribute to your wanderlust and the joy of limitless exploration.”

Unlock globe-trotting savings this January 16 to 19 with EaseMyTrip’s Travel Republic Sale. Whether planning domestic trips or overseas adventures, this limited-time offer makes early 2024 the perfect time to book flights, hotels, rides, and packages at astonishingly affordable rates.

January 18, 2024
GUEST ARTICLE: Myths vs Reality: Are consumers really getting more discounts during the holiday season’s online sales?

Mumbai: Are you ready to go on a shopping spree, or already done with one? Exhilarating discounts are unleashing the shopaholic personalities residing within each one of us. On the contrary, there is a possibility that non-shoppers have succumbed to the marketing blitzkrieg as well.

Let us take a moment to look closely at the entire “festive season sale” hoo-ha from the standpoint of brands and consumers.

With the culmination of the first round of holiday and festive e-commerce sales, online platforms recorded a nearly 5.4X spike in daily sales overall. A 3X boost in e-commerce shipment volumes was also witnessed during the sale period compared to days when business as usual prevailed.

Do brands really indulge in deeper discounting during the festive season, or is it just another hoax? An Ace Turtle report suggests the average selling price of products on e-commerce websites drops by a mere 17 per cent during the sale period compared to the non-festive season.

Grant Thornton Bharat national sector leader of consumer and retail Naveen Malpani said that e-commerce portals have witnessed sale amounts nearing three billion dollars (Rs 24,500 crore) in the initial four days of the festive sale, accounting for about 60 per cent of the anticipated GMV (gross merchandise value, a measure of total sales) for the first festive sale and pushing the overall daily GMV to about 5.4X.

The consumer perspective

While consumers get a chance to obtain hands-on products from top brands and the latest fashion at a lower price, many e-commerce apps offer a bundled package to avail such discounts, so consumers end up spending more than their budget.

Moreover, multiple offers have time constraints attached to them, which means you might get a discount of 20 per cent in the daytime, but the same product can be bought for 50 per cent during late hours. This is nothing short of an opportunity lost. It’s imperative to know the discount percentage pre and post the sales start. You might be buying products at the same discount even in sales too.

For instance, a report by Ace Turtle suggests that the average discount on normal days is 47 per cent, which marginally increases to 50 per cent during the sale period. Thus, it might be a myth that brands engage in hefty discounting during festivities or holiday sales compared to non-sale periods.

Several e-commerce platforms launch sales events at the same time. Comparison among these apps is the key to clinching the best offer in a world where the customer is always spoilt for choice.

What’s in for brands/e-comm companies?

It helps e-commerce companies build an emotional connection with existing and potential consumers as the sales are now aligned with big festivals or events like Diwali, Holi, Christmas, or New Year.

Brands can structure their narratives bearing in mind consumer behaviour during festivals. Also, brands should reach out to consumers well in advance before the festive season and not when it is at its peak.

Demographic-based marketing during specific festivals can help with new customer acquisitions, primarily from tier-II and III towns and cities. E-comm companies bridge the gaps between existing and newly launched brands and these consumers. Customised offerings and personalisation help gain loyal customers and retain them for a longer time. Moreover, holiday sales help in clearing their old stocks and generating a substantial-top line with slightly lower margins.

Conclusion

The holiday/festival season can benefit consumers, provided they act smart and do proper research before making a final purchase.

It’s a win-win situation for both the brands and e-commerce sites as it helps in clearing their stocks while acquiring new users from remote areas, thanks to the deeper internet penetration in tier-III towns. A report by India’s retail and e-commerce trends highlighted that India’s e-commerce growth in FY22 was driven by consumers from tier-II and tier-III cities. Moreover, the growth was majorly attributable to the D2C (direct-to-consumer) segment.

The author of this article is AdCounty Media global mobile business head Kumar Saurav.

October 12, 2022

realme announces Realpublic Sale on Flipkart

MUMBAI: On this Republic day, Realme, which is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in India, has announced the “Realpublic Sale” with lucrative offers on the most trendiest and popular smartphone’s and accessories for their customers.

The sale will go live on 19 January, 2020 at 11.59 PM till 22 January 2020 at 11.59 PM. During this period, devices like realme 3, realme 5 Pro, realme X and the realme XT will be available at exclusive prices at Flipkart and realme.com. realme is also extending thrilling offers on its latest accessories – the realme Buds 2 and realme Buds Wireless. These will be available on realme.com, Amazon and Flipkart on special prices between 18-22 January, 2020.

The realme 3 (3+32 GB), which is currently sold at INR 7,999 will be available at INR 6,999. The higher variants of the phone come with a higher discount, making the 3+64GB available at INR 7,499 (earlier INR 8,999) and the 4+64GB at INR 7,999 (earlier INR 9,999). The brand is offering similar discounts on the realme 5 Pro, realme X and realme XT.

Here are the complete offers for your reference

Smartphone online offers (Flipkart & realme.com)
Title	Variant	Current Price (INR)	Sale Price (INR)
realme 2 Pro	4+64GB	8,999	7,999
	6+64GB	10,999	9,999
	8+128GB	12,999	11,999
realme 3	3+32GB	7,999	6,999
	3+64GB	8,999	7,499
	4+64GB	9,999	7,999
realme 3i	3+32GB	7,999	6,999
realme 3i	4+64GB	9,999	7,999
realme 5 Pro	4+64GB	13,999	11,999
	6+64GB	14,999	12,999
	8+128GB	16,999	14,999
realme C2	3+32GB	7,499	6,999
realme X	4+128GB	16,999	14,999
realme XT	4+64GB	15,999	14,999

Along with smartphones, realme is also providing exciting offers on its latest accessories – the realme Buds 2 and realme Buds Wireless. The offers on accessories will be valid between 18 January, 2020 – 22 January, 2020.

Accessory online offers (realme.com, Amazon & Flipkart)
Title	Current Price (INR)	Sale Price (INR)
realme buds 2 (All Colours)	599	499
realme Buds Wireless (All Colours)	1,799	1,599

January 17, 2020

Brand Factory takes a quirky take on how things go overboard during Diwali

MUMBAI: Diwali known as the festival of lights, brings with itself a gigantic festive fervour that's filled with fun, happiness, love, family bonding, and not to forget — the gifting and shopping frenzy. And no brand wants to miss out the opportunity to connect with its audience through a heart-touching and emotional content.

Brand Factory, breaking this clutter, has launched a digital film – #Diwali365Days, which shows there is every day Diwali at Brand Factory because of amazing discounts 365 days on 200+ fashion brands.

The film captures the essence of how Diwali also means dramatisation of everything. There are countless greetings from random numbers to mandatory office celebrations to never-ending selfie sessions. It is something we don’t opt, but our celebrations are incomplete without it. Through a quirky narrative, the digital film showcases such instances which do get overwhelming.

The film was a big hit among millennials and garnered over 2 million views and 200+ shares in just 5 days.

Brand Factory chief marketing officer Roch D’Souza says, “During Diwali, brands usually take an emotional or social hook to convey a message. But at Brand Factory, we decided to take insights from things that usually happen during Diwali and give a quirky spin to it. So, we decided to have a digital film which will resonate with our audience. At the same time, we ensured to enhance the brand proposition of discounts 365 days which the film does it aptly.”

Brand Factory, a Future Group concept, is India’s leading chain of fashion discount stores with 72 outlets across 30 cities in India. It offers 200+ Indian and International fashion brands at 20-70 per cent discount, 365 days a year. It also offers a diverse range of merchandise at absolutely great prices in a refreshingly enjoyable ambience. Brand Factory stores include men’s formals, casuals, youth wear, women’s wear, sportswear, kids wear, footwear, accessories and more.

November 5, 2018
MobiKwik to now offer instant loan in 90 secs

MUMBAI: Indian digital financial services platform, MobiKwik has launched its breakthrough product, Boost, that offers instant loan approval and disbursal to MobiKwik users.

This is the first-of-its-kind of credit disbursal product, wherein loans of up to Rs 60,000 are sanctioned as well as disbursed in a matter of 90 seconds.

MobiKwik has partnered with a number of NBFCs to offer this service to its users. MobiKwik is the first wallet player to disburse loan amount in the user’s mobile wallet.

Boost offers loans without any hassles of submission of paperwork or collaterals. The loan sanction decision will be taken in 30 seconds, on the basis of an innovative risk scoring model called ‘Mobiscore’, developed by MobiKwik.

The real time underwriting has been possible only because of artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities used in the entire loan journey.

Users can apply for loans ranging from Rs 5,000 up to Rs 60,000 through the MobiKwik app. MobiKwik users who avail loans via the app will have the option to transfer their loan amount to their bank account. The amount credited can be utilised by the app users across a range of use cases including urgent purchases, marriage expenses, travel plans, hotel bookings, medical emergency, as well as payments to offline and online merchants.

To avail the loan facility, users have to select Boost on the MobiKwik App, activate Boost for instant loan, insert PAN and other KYC details to view loan offer and accept loan offer to get instant disbursal.

MobiKwik co-founder and director Upasana Taku says, “Our objective is to provide easy access to credit to each and every Indian, irrespective of his location. This is first of its kind of product that will totally revolutionise the way India avails credit. Our path-breaking product will enable Indians, located anywhere in India, to avail instant loans, whenever they require, within 90 seconds, via the MobiKwik app. In the initial months of piloting the offering, we have already crossed a portfolio of 100 thousand loans. We will be rolling out new products in the lending portfolio so as to cater to diverse credit requirements of customers. We are confident that lending will be a game changer and will establish us as clear leaders in the digital financial services domain in the country.”

The loan amount is payable in easy instalments of six and nine months. They can either payback from the MobiKwik app or can enable MobiKwik’s partner to auto-debit the monthly EMI from their bank account. MobiKwik users are required to update their KYC with PAN card and other KYC details to avail the loan benefit.

October 6, 2018
Café Coffee Day celebrates birthday with offers & deals for customers

MUMBAI: As Café Coffee Day (CCD) marks a key milestone this month by completing 19 years, the brand is organising a unique activity to excite customers.

As part of the celebration, CCD has organised a surprise for its patrons wherein consumers stand a chance to win freebies and discounts along with a mega bumper prize for one lucky winner.

For a fortnight following the birthday which is 11 July, 2015, CCD will gift back an offer to each customer who bills at CCD, which will be redeemable with their next visit to CCD. Customers will receive their offer via SMS, the number which they will share with the café staff on request while placing their order. Once customers punch their bills they will receive a mCoupon of the offer. The offer will include exciting treats like ‘19 per cent off on a bill’, ‘a free Devils Own’, ‘a free Cappuccino’, ‘any beverage @ Rs 19’ and much more. One lucky customer also stands a chance to win the grand prize – an all expense paid vacation to Coffee Day’s luxury resort in Karnataka, The Serai!

Coffee Day group president marketing Bidisha Nagaraj said, “This month CCD completes 19 years of providing consumers all over the country a preferred place to hangout over a range of food & beverage offerings and we are very excited about it. Over the years, CCD has become synonymous with the coffee drinking experience in India and today has a significant following amongst the youth in the country. We wish to celebrate this milestone with our CCD fans with a special offer where we will be giving away a range of exciting treats including a free stay at one of our resorts. A warm and heartfelt thanks to all our CCD patrons for their continuous love and support.”

CCD’s special birthday celebration will run across 700 cafés in the top seven cities of India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.

July 25, 2015
Brands woo Mumbai voters with offers

MUMBAI: Political parties may have succeeded in getting Mumbaikars to step out and cast their vote but brands are taking a step further in wooing all those who fulfilled their duty on voting day. Here’s looking at what’s on offer for inked customers:

Vote today, party tomorrow

Today being a dry day, DDB Mudra Max, which has been running an interesting initiative titled ‘Operation Black Dot’ for the last few months, is hosting what it calls a ‘voters’ party’ tomorrow for first-time voters at one of the suburban outlets of Hard Rock Café. While Myra Wines is serving a complimentary glass of wine at restaurants such as The Table, Salt Water Café and Smoke House Deli in SoBo. Blue Frog is offering free entry tomorrow. The pub has also asked those who voted to take selfies with a pint of GBC beer and post them on their social pages. The first 25 to do so will be getting the second pint free.

Food for vote

Just flash your inked finger and avail some cool offers at places like Sun-N-Sand, Sahara Star, Dominos, KFC, Ice Cream Works, Le 15 Patisserie, Bistro Café, Ramada Goa Portuguesa, 6^th Street Yogurt, Cream Centre, Grain & Bagel Café, Debonairs Pizza, Spaghetti Kitchen, Bombay Blue, Noodle Bar, Copper Chimney and The Little Door.

Go shop

The likes of Spykar, bYSI and It’s our Studio are offering discounts on apparel and other products.

Pamper your hair

Lakme Salon is offering a 50 per cent discount at all outlets across the city while Trinity Salon is offering free haircuts to those who come flaunting their ‘Kaala Teeka’. Taj salons across Taj properties have come up with cool offers as well.

While brands took the initiative to ensure good voter turnout, seems like Mumbaikars were not wooed enough to go and vote.

April 24, 2014
TV Ad Indx offers 50 per cent discounts for new pitches

MUMBAI: TV Ad Indx has launched New BIz Discounts, a service under which ad agencies can avail of upto 50 per cent discounts to acquire competitive TV commercials & press ads. These discounts would be offered to ad agencies pitching for new businesses. Typically, clients rarely pay ad agencies to make their presentations and agencies absorb all expenses for pitches.

TV Ad Indx claims to be the country’s largest and most professional creative monitoring service and it covers the largest number of TV Indian channels & publications for every new ad released. It also monitors 52 countries across the globe and provides 11 types of services to over 600 clients and ad agencies.

The discounts offered would be higher on larger orders for digitised ads (instead of the conventional hard copies). Agencies are encouraged to order CD ROMs with digitised copies of TVCs in the MPEG format (which can be played by Windows MediaPlayer). Press ads are digitised in the JPEG format (and can be viewed in Internet Explorer or any other web-browser software).

The service and discounts cover Indian, Pan-Asian and international ads under 20 product groups including foods, beverages, durables, telecom.

The digitised ads are delivered with software to archive the ads. This software dramatically improves in-house archiving systems and creates a central warehouse for all reference ad material. It facilitates easy and instant location of ads by brand, product, date, size, headline, language, agency, client. Users can instantly view digitised TVCs & press ads. The system also ensures ads once acquired are never misplaced.

April 3, 2007