Airtel joins Vi in offering free international roaming, but only for postpaid users

Airtel has announced free international roaming on its new postpaid plans, just days after Vi rolled out a similar offer. From October 8, 2026, customers on the new plans, which start at Rs 499, will get one international trip with free roaming every year at no extra cost. The complimentary pack includes 5GB of data, 60 minutes of calls, and 25 outgoing SMS, valid for 5 days, and customers can activate it whenever they choose. On family plans, every member gets their own free trip. Unlike Vi, which allows up to three trips a year and extends the benefit to select annual prepaid plans, Airtel’s offer is limited to one trip and to postpaid users. Here’s what the new plans include and how the two offers compare.

What Airtel’s free international roaming pack includes

The comlimentary international roaming pack gives customers 5GB of data, 60 minutes of calls, 25 outgoing SMS, all valid for 5 days. Airtel says customers can activate the 5-day pack whenever they want, rather than having it tied to a fixed date, which makes it easier to line up with an actual trip.

The benefit applies per SIM. On Airtel’s postpaid family plans, each member of the plan gets their own free trip every year, so a family of four on one plan gets four separate trips’ worth of roaming benefits. Airtel’s announcement today didn’t specify which countries are covered by the free pack, so that’s worth checking in the Airtel app before you travel.

New Airtel postpaid plans with free international roaming

Free roaming is available across all six of the new postpaid plans, which all include unlimited data and calling, spam and fraud prevention, Xstream Play Premium, and Google One. Higher-priced plans add more OTT and entertainment subscriptions.

The plans also include Airtel’s Fast Lane technology on 5G and access to the Airtel Postpaid Advantage Club, which offers perks like comedy shows, movie premieres, and concerts. Airtel hasn’t said whether the plan prices have changed from its earlier postpaid lineup.

Amit Tripathi, Airtel’s Director of Market Operations, said the company wants to give customers “more and more reasons to choose Airtel Postpaid.”

How to get the new Airtel plans

The plans are available from October 8. Existing Airtel customers, whether on older postpaid plans or on prepaid, can upgrade through the Airtel app or at an Airtel store. Customers on other networks can switch by raising a request through the app or visiting a store.

How Airtel’s plans compare with Vi’s offer

Airtel’s announcement comes shortly after Vi announced its own free international roaming plans, and the two offers differ in a few ways. Vi’s benefit allows up to three trips a year, and it extends beyond postpaid to select annual prepaid data plans (priced from Rs 2,997 to Rs 4,999) and enterprise plans. Airtel’s is limited to one trip a year and is currently available only to postpaid users.

That said, Vi hasn’t published the exact data, calling, and validity details for its pack, and says the benefits vary by plan and circle, so “up to three trips” is a ceiling rather than a guarantee for every plan. Airtel, by contrast, lays out exactly what you get (5GB, 60 minutes, 25 SMS, 5 days) and applies it uniformly across every new plan and every family member. Entry pricing is also nearly identical, with Airtel’s cheapest plan at Rs 499 and Vi’s eligible postpaid plans starting at Rs 501.

For frequent travellers, Vi’s offer could go further on paper. For someone who takes a single trip a year, the more clearly defined Airtel pack may be easier to plan around.