5 reasons why online movie booking is beneficial

Ever been to the movie theatre to only find the tickets sold out? Or were you unable to get your desired seats? With technology touching every aspect, many industries are opting for online route. You do not have to go through those never-ending queues and head back disappointed. Online movie ticket booking has added to the convenience of the people.

With people heading to the theatres frequently, the seats get booked immediately. Now, with movie ticket booking websites and apps on the rise, you can book them on the go and in advance.

However, the threat of malware practices has increased the fear amongst the individuals. If you operate the websites and apps rightly, then booking movie tickets online is ideal. Some of the benefits are:

1) Convenience: One of the huge advantages of using internet or mobile for booking movie tickets is getting them done at the comfort of your home or office. So, can freeze your choice of seats and purchase them cheaply.

2) Environment-friendly: By using the movie ticket booking apps or websites, you are doing your bit towards the environment. Nowadays, online ticket booking sends you e-tickets on your e-mail ID, SMS and WhatsApp. You have to show the QR code at the theatre and enjoy the movie. Online movie ticket booking has stopped the usage of papers completely.

3) Saves time: Online movie ticket booking gives you access to all information under one roof. It also enables users to check movie timings across portals and apps. This allows you to plan your day/holidays accordingly. Apart from movie shows, you can purchase tickets for stand-up comedy and concerts on certain websites/apps.

4) No loss of money: Movie ticket booking have other pros as well. You have bought tickets for your family and you for your favourite movie. One of your family members falls ill. Not only does your plan get cancelled but there is loss of cash as well. When you use the internet for booking tickets, you do not experience any loss of money. In case of cancellations, through hassle-free customer service, you get a refund of your tickets within 24 hours today.

5) Deals and offers: Many apps and banks have partnerships with individual banks. Through these banks, you can earn cashback offers via your debit/credit card. HDFC’s PayZapp is associated with BookMyShow, PVR, INOX, and ticketnew.com, which has made online movie ticket booking safe and secured. Such portals even send alerts via SMS or e-mails in case of any offers.

Looking for on-the-go shopping? Here are India's top shopping apps

India has got enormous consumer base, which provides a great opportunity for marchants to sell their products in the country. The rise in sale of smartphones has resulted in the creation ofgroup of online shoppers. There are many international brands along with the local players to woo the consumers in the country. They provide versatility in their products and door to door delivery, making it very convenient for the buyers.There are multiple payment options including cash on delivery and EMIs. The user can also return the product without incurring any additional charges.

Let’s look at some of the top shopping apps in India:

1. Amazon
Based in US, Amazon has created a excellent network in the country. They offer a multitude of products ranging from groceries to clothing, books to electronics and much more. The online shopping app has got excellent user interface and also allows the user to live track their orders.

2. Flipkart
It has got the local origin. Flipkart initially started off selling books, when founded in 2007. Slowly they expanded their base to all products. Flipkart have also got a range of exclusive items. Flipkart also boasts of user-friendly app which provides access to live tracking of the placed order and much more.

3. Paytm Mall
Paytm was largely benefitted by the Government’s push to Digital India to promote cashless transactions. They started off with digital wallets and slowly diversified themselves to the online shopping platform. They have got excellent cashback offers and other discount vouchers. Their online shopping app provides this option of payment from multiple digital wallets and debit/credit cards, besides their own wallet.

4. HDFC PayZapp
The HDFC bank has collaborated with marchant providers and some of the reputed brands worldwide to provide its customers a ultimate shopping experience. The USP of PayZapp is that, it provides offers on certain products. The app provides the ideal payment solution for the shopping requirements.
  

5. Snapdeal
They recently got an image makeover and appointed Bollywood star Aamir Khan as their brand ambassador. Snapdeal, based in India, provide an excellent range of products with user friendly interface. They have got tremendous outreach in the country. And the app is definitely smooth and provides million of options to choose from.

Travelling abroad? Here are the 5 best apps to refer to

The traveller who is informed, is safer. A planned trip keeps the tourist relaxed and let them concentrate on the purpose for which they have visited the place. Booking the tickets in advance is always cheaper and it provides time to plan for the trip accordingly. Following are the 5 best travel apps to plan your trip

1. HDFC PayZapp
This travel booking app is making steady progress. It provides best deal on international flights, hotel booking and holiday stay packages. It is very convenient to use PayZapp because of its user-friendly interface. It has partnered with some of the leading airlines, hotels and bus service providers to give you best service in the segment. Some of its collaborators are:
● Indigo
● Jet Airways
● Make my trip
● Yatra
  
2. Expedia
Expedia Group is one of the leading players who provide travel apps for booking flight and hotels around the world. It covers every aspect of travelling, which includes, researching, planning, booking travel, choosing the best airplane seat, personal travel reviews of hotels and much more.

3. Ixigo
Launched in 2007, ixigo has emerged as one of India’s leading travel booking app, connecting over 100 million travellers to over 100 travel suppliers. Ixigo aggregates and compares real-time travel information, prices & availability for flights, trains, buses, cabs, hotels, packages & destinations.

4. Goibibo
Goibibo provides range of choice for hotels, flights, trains, bus and cars for travelers. Through GoStays, the customers enjoy excellent stay experience at certified hotels. They have introduced first virtual travel booking currency GoCash and travel social network, GoCash+ Rewards, making it on of the most popular choice among the users.

5. ClearTrip
Cleartrip, an online corporate travel management, is the ideal travel tool for travel agents/ They also have Cleartrip Mobile, a travel booking app for smartphone users. It has also introduced Quickeys, for last-minute deals on hotel booking and other journey planning services.

All the customers should download these travel apps from authenticated app stores only, and they should never share the OTP and passwords with anyone. They should also avoid saving their passwords in the phone and keep changing it occasionally for safety purposes.

5 reasons why online mobile recharge is the best innovation

Mobile phones are a necessity more than luxury. With innovation in technology, life has become easier. After the introduction of high speed internet in the phones, it is now used in more ways than just a communication device.

Now, imagine you have got a smartphone and want to explore internet, book tickets, or you just want to watch a trending video but you are out of data. You will have to go to your nearest retailer, and if it is late in the evening, there is no way out until the next morning.

Following 5 reasons prove why online mobile recharge is the innovation that we deserved:

1. Available Round the Clock
You can recharge your phone at any given point of time with just few taps, all you need is an internet connection. You can stay at your home, choose the required plan and its done

2. Multiple Payment Options
The online recharge portals provide multiple options to pay for the recharge. The amount gets deducted from your account and you recharge successfully. You can use the following modes of payment to get your recharge done:
• Digital Wallets(HDFC PayZapp, Paytm, Freecharge, Airtel Money, SBI Buddy etc)
• Debit Cards
• Credit Cards
• Internet Banking

3. Freebees
With the introduction of digital wallets, they came up with multiple offers including cashbacks and other vouchers. Some of these apps when introduced, offered cent per cent cashbacks. You can install these applications on phone and do the recharge via smartphones. You can also go to the website and get the topup done

4. Choose your Plan
Online recharge not only saves lot of time and effort, it also provide the user the option to choose from multiple mobile services. Some of these services are listed as under:
Prepaid
Postpaid
Talk Times
SMS
Data
You can also compare different plans and their validity and then carry on with the recharge. 

5. Everyone included
All major mobile service providers offer the ‘everyone included’ option to recharge your phone online, you can use digital wallets for that or you can directly go to the website of the particular mobile service operator and get recharge done after choosing your plan. You also get a confirmation message through SMS.

There are few things that the customer should keep in mind before online mobile recharge. They should always download the application from authentic application stores like Google Play and App Stores. There are many fraud links that offer vouchers, the user should be cautious.

Vidya Lakshmi portal for education loans - everything you need to know

Students who wish to apply for an education loan can now apply online through Vidya Lakshmi portal. Vidya Lakshmi is a government run portal for the students who wish to get an education loan for studies in India and abroad. The government run website is maintained by NSDL e-governance and they are operated by the finance ministry, Indian Banks Association and the Department of Higher Education. The government has started this initiative to release a platform which makes it easier for the students who wish to get an education loan and scholarship. 

Students can research about all the other education loans that are offered by different financial institutions and make an informed decision about which loan do they want to choose. This government run website has all the information a student might need about the education loan schemes of the banks that have registered with NSDL e-governance like the education loan interest rate that will be offered, repayment tenure of the loan and the terms and conditions of the loan.

The Vidya Lakshmi portal aims at providing the students with transparency and the efficiency in the education loan process. Through the Vidya Lakshmi portal the students can get the information on the education loan that is offered by different financial institutions. Once they have all the information, they can make an informed decision. The maximum loan amount that the customer can get will depend on the financial institutions policy. The students who wish to apply for the loan may also be required to provide an asset to the financial institution in case of a high loan amount.

Benefits of a Vidya Lakshmi for Education loans-

1. Students can apply to three banks with a single form.
2. 34 public sector and private sector banks are offering over 71 education loan schemes through the portal.
3. Applying through this portal the education loan process is simplified and there is less paperwork.
4. The IBA has instructed that the loans should be processed within 15 days of receiving the filled application form.

 Education Loan eligibility criteria for students-

1. The student applicant should be of Indian nationality.
2. They should have completed their higher secondary school.
3. They should have secured admission in to a technical or a professional course through an entrance test.
4. If they are applying to a foreign university, they should have secured their admission.
5. The student’s parent or guardian should meet the income criteria which are set by the financial institution.

Personal loan vs. Gold loan: Which is better

The number of financing options which provide the flexibility of using the funds when the individual needs instant funding. However, there are certain types of secured loans like a gold loan which emerge as an alternative for personal loans including the benefit of minimal documentation and quick disbursal of the loan. Personal loans and gold loans, both have their own advantages and disadvantages which may prove beneficial or it might become a financial burden for the individual. Let’s look at the advantages and the disadvantages of both the loans so the user can easily choose the loan option which best suits their specific requisites.

Gold loan: Gold loans are secured loans. If the individual owns physical gold in any form like coins or bars. They are great options for short term money requirements if they are in the need for instant funding.

Advantages:

1. Easy processing:
The processing of a gold loan is fast and easy. The documentation involved in a gold loan is minimal and does not include complex documentation. The loan disbursement is completed in hours.

2. Credit history not required:
Customers who wish to apply for a gold loan do not need to worry about their credit history. Financial institutions would not need your CIBIL score or declare any debts, it’s a great way to improve the credit history.

3. Low interest rates:
Since gold loans are secured loans, the interest rates on them are low making it much more affordable for the customers.

4. Flexible repayment:

A gold loan offers flexible repayment options which are generally not offered by other types of loans.
Disadvantages: Since a gold loan is a secured loan, the customer has provided some asset as collateral to the financial institution. The customer is always at risk of losing their asset if they fail to make any of the repayments. Gold loans are offered for short tenures which will result in high EMI payments.


Personal loan: Personal loans are unsecured loans that are the most optimal solutions for generating funds. These types of loans are the best way of getting financial assistance for any situation.

Advantages:

1. No collateral:
The biggest advantage of availing a personal loan is that the customer does not have to provide any type of collateral to the financial institution. The customers will be provided the loan without having to provide any type of asset as collateral.

2. Minimal paperwork:
The amount of paperwork involved in getting a personal loan is minimal. Customers availing the personal loan have to just provide some basic information documents.

3. Quick disbursal:
The personal loan amount is provided is disbursed in to the customers bank account within 48 hours.

Disadvantages:

The customers will have to maintain a good credit history to be eligible for the personal loan as they are unsecured loans, they need some assurance that the customers won’t default on their repayments and the interest rates on a personal loan are high.

Gold loan - FAQs

Gold is treated as one of the most precious metals in the world. Its popularity in India especially, has remained consistent despite volatile market trends, recession and other economic factors.
Notwithstanding the ever-rising prices of the metal, gold is often purchased as a long-term investment; whether it is the form of jewellery, bullion (gold bars) or gold exchange traded funds. It is one of the few things people rely on during testing times as gold can bail them out of financial worries. That’s right; you can take out a loan against gold, in case you need funds urgently. In this article, we answer some frequently asked questions about this loan.

What are gold loans?

Gold loans are those loans provided by banks and NBFCs in which you can take out a cash amount in exchange of gold. The gold remains in the custody of the lender, as collateral, until the borrower repays the loan.

What is the loan repayment tenure?

Loans taken against gold are usually short period loans taken by borrowers in need of urgent cash. You can commit the repayment tenure to your lender. Typically you can repay the loan in as less as 1 day or up to a certain number of instalments (generally 48 instalments), depending upon the agreement you arrive at with the lender.

What is the typical loan disbursal time?

Loans taken against gold are generally disbursed instantly. However, to do so, the lender may ask you to provide proof of purchase or other necessary documents. Lenders may also need to verify the value of the gold before considering your loan application and amount that can be sanctioned.

What is the interest rate charged against the loan?

Lenders can charge a gold loan interest rate at their discretion. There is no set or base interest rate when it comes to these loans. Since it is a secured loan, banks typically charge a smaller interest rate on these loans, as opposed to non-banking finance companies and private lenders.

What is the maximum loan amount that I can get?

The maximum loan amount also varies from lender to lender. The borrower needs to fit a certain eligibility criteria of the lending institution. It is possible for one to get a loan against gold for as low as ₹1,500 to as high as ₹10,000,000 (1 Crore).

Is it safe to pledge your gold to a bank?

Yes, pledging your gold to a bank is extremely safe as banks exercise great precautions in storing your gold.
The gold is locked away safely until you return the loan amount in full, after which it is returned to you.

What documents do I need to provide to take out the loan?

You would be required to provide government approved ID and address proof documents such as your passport, PAN card, Aadhaar card, ration card, utility bills) as well as the original gold bills (proof of purchase) to get your gold loan passed.