indo01

Indonesia: Pertamina offers 30 percent cashback for unsubsidized fuel purchases

Indonesia’s top fuel distributor, state-owned Pertamina, is offering a Ramadhan holiday fuel promotion for purchases of unsubsidized fuels amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted people’s purchasing power.

Pertamina’s latest promotion, which will run until May 31, grants customers a 30 percent discount of up to Rp 20,000 (US$1.32) when paying for unsubsidized fuels using LinkAja, an e-wallet app partly owned by Pertamina.

To be eligible for the discount, customers also have to register with the MyPertamina app prior to purchasing the fuel. Furthermore, the discount only applies to 3,666 gas stations listed within the app, as explained by the company in a statement released Sunday.

Initially, Pertamina’s discount, given as a cashback within the e-wallet, was limited to a daily quota of 2,000 buyers of Pertamax, Pertamax Turbo and Pertamina Dex.

Pertamina spokeswoman Fajriyah Usman said on Sunday that the promotion was “expected to reduce the economic burden on citizens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Pertamina initially announced the promotion on Friday amid public pressure to lower fuel prices, among other reasons. The company’s prices have not changed even as prices in other Southeast Asian countries crumbled as the crude oil price crashed.

The promotion’s end date was previously set for May 23.

“Even though we haven’t made fuel price adjustments, we are offering this 30 percent discount,” said Pertamina president director Nicke Widyawati.

The company has also provided a 50 percent cashback for angkot (public minivan) drivers and app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers for purchases through the MyPertamina app.

The promotion is limited to the first 10,000 transactions daily, while the cashback is capped at a maximum of Rp 30,000 and Rp 15,000 for angkot and ojek drivers, respectively.

Pertamina’s clarification on the promotion also came as customers took to social media over the weekend to express their confusion over the terms and conditions required to receive the discount.

Responding to the comments, Fajriyah reemphasized to reporters at a press conference on Sunday afternoon that the discount was in the form of a cashback on LinkAja and not a straightforward discount.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/05/pertamina-offers-30-percent-cashback-for-unsubsidized-fuel-purchases.html