As Filipinos and expats work tirelessly in the UAE, one of the main reasons why they strive hard to make ends meet is to ensure that their loved ones back home are well taken care of. However, God forbid, if something here to happen to such loved ones, these financial challenges make it quite tough to head home in times of emergencies, especially if the OFW doesn’t have any form of savings.
Sharaf Exchange, one of the leading remittance companies in the UAE, understands this pain faced by expat workers in the UAE and has since come up with a progressive loyalty program aptly called “Usrati”. ‘Usrati’ is an Arabic word which in itself means ‘My Family’ making it a fitting title of a program that enables members to not only participate in a rewards program for material goods like clothing, groceries, movie tickets, restaurants, spas and more – but more importantly, the program lives up to the origins of its name by aiding members to head home when they need it most if they don’t have the necessary funds to do so. It also assists any Usrati member facing prolonged hospitalization in the UAE to bring any loved one of their choice from back home to their side.
Connecting families
Recently, an OFW named “Maria” had to head back to the Philippines due to the untimely demise of her husband. She had just returned after her annual vacation and was short of funds. In her attempt to find ways to immediately head back to the country, Maria remembered that she was a member of the Usrati Program, a customer loyalty program of Sharaf Exchange which offers benefits and support to its members including free flight tickets for its members to travel to their home country from the UAE, in case of death and other emergency situations.
For just Dh 10 that Maria paid at an earlier time to be a full-fledged member of the Usrati program, Maria successfully claimed the benefit and was able to go home to the Philippines immediately. Her trip meant a lot to her, her children, and the extended family. She never had to worry regarding the step of flight ticket expenses for such emergency travel as she is assured that her expenditures to travel back home will be reimbursed by the Usrati team.
More members hail Usrati
After Maria claimed her benefit, 2 new Usrati members, a Pakistani & an Indian, have since claimed the travel insurance benefit to travel back to their home countries.
Sharaf Exchange reports that there are now over 50,000 people who are currently enrolled the Usrati program with the numbers growing exponentially every single day. Along with the deals and discounts offered, just the travel reimbursement benefit is of AED 5000 in value.
The remittance company adds that the program is still evolving together with its members and will soon have several “upgrades” as the benefits will expand even further.
How do you apply for Usrati?
One can enroll into Usrati, from any Sharaf Exchange branch in the UAE. If the person is not already a Sharaf Exchange customer, a valid Emirates ID is necessary for registration. There is also a miniscule registration charge of AED10, which pales in comparison to the benefits available to be enjoyed.
Sharaf Exchange has more than 30 locations in key areas of Dubai and the UAE including the Dubai International Airport, Times Square, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta Mall, and more.
Sharaf Exchange can be reached Toll free at 800-8111 for any clarifications required on Usrati.
