Swiggy hikes Super membership fee

Naspers-backed food delivery platform Swiggy has hiked the subscription rates of its user package for Swiggy Super, both for renewal and new registrations, according to an email sent to subscribers on Monday.

The company is charging new Swiggy Super users Rs 79 for a month and Rs 179 for three months, and renewal charges for existing members are at Rs 149 and Rs 349 for a month and three months, respectively.

While Swiggy said in the subscriber email that the new rates will come into effect from January 8, TechCircle independently verified that the new rates have been active for a week. 

Earlier, the one-month subscription cost Rs 49, while the three-month one was priced at Rs 129.

Launched in July 2018, the Swiggy Super membership comes with benefits such as unlimited free deliveries, free delights, no surge fee during rains, traffic and peak hours. The perks are applicable only when the total bill amount is more than Rs 99 per order.

The development comes at a time when the company's bottom-line is suffering, given the high cash burn in the sector. Bundl Technologies, the parent holding that owns Swiggy, reported consolidated losses that ballooned to Rs 2,364 crore during financial year 2018-2019. 

It has reportedly been raising commissions for its restaurant partners in some regions where its service is nearing maturity. The company has also increased its delivery fees to control losses on a per-delivery level.