Airtel raises prepaid plan price from Rs 859 to Rs 899; benefits remain unchanged
This news might leave select Airtel users who rely on the 1.5GB-per-day plan feeling a bit blue. Over the weekend, Airtel appears to have revised the pricing of one of its top-tier prepaid plans offering 1.5GB of data per day. While the telco did it silently, netizens were quick to report the changes. Airtel has revised the plan, which offers 1.5GB of data per day and 84 days of validity, by increasing the price by Rs 40. Moreover, it discontinued the Rs 799 plan, which was offering similar benefits for 77 days.
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Airtel Rs 859 plan now costs Rs 899
Airtel has increased the pricing of its Rs 859 plan to Rs 899. While the company hasn’t offered an official explanation, reports suggest the move is aimed at improving Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). The hike appears incremental and isolated rather than part of a wider tariff overhaul, making it unlikely to significantly dent users’ wallets or materially boost Airtel’s overall revenue.
The benefits remain unchanged. Similar to the pre-price hike, the Rs 899 Airtel plan will be a “Truly Unlimited”, bundled with unlimited voice calls across local, STD and roaming networks, 100 SMS per day, and 1.5GB of high-speed data per day for 84 days. After the daily data limit is exhausted, internet speeds will be reduced to up to 64 Kbps.
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That said, users who were on the Rs 799 Airtel prepaid plan might have to make a bit of an adjustment. Since the plan has been discontinued, they will now have to switch to either Rs 619 for the same 1.5GB data per day, but for 60 days’ validity or the revised Rs 899, which offers 84 days’ validity.
Jio gains an edge, but only marginally
Following the price revision, Airtel’s closest rival, Reliance Jio, now appears slightly more competitive on paper. Its 1.5GB-per-day plan with 84 days of validity is priced at Rs 889, undercutting Airtel’s revised Rs 899 pack.
Jio also offers additional prepaid options, including a Rs 666 plan with 70 days of validity and a Rs 579 pack that lasts 56 days, giving users a bit more flexibility across price points.
The price difference isn’t significant enough to justify switching from Airtel to Jio, but if you’ve been considering it for a while, porting could be worth a thought.
