Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are going neck-on-neck with each other when it comes to offering prepaid plans. The Mukesh Ambani-led Jio ruled the prepaid market for more than two years now and the introduction IUC Top-Up vouchers made things difficult for the telco. Both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are offering 3GB daily data plans under Rs 350, but Jio's plan is Rs 50 cheaper than that of Airtel. However, the IUC Top-Up vouchers have now made it even between the two telcos as Jio prepaid users will have to perform a minimum of Rs 10 recharge to make non-Jio voice calls. Bharti Airtel's cheapest 3GB daily data plan is priced at Rs 349, whereas the same plan from Jio costs Rs 299 per month. Both the telcos are offering the said plans across the country in 22 telecom circles.
Airtel 3GB Daily Data Prepaid Plan Costs Rs 349 per Month
Bharti Airtel has been offering Rs 349 prepaid plan as an open market one for more than two years now. When Airtel launched the plan for the first time, it used to offer 2GB daily data. Later on, the telco increased the data benefit to 2.5GB per day, and now, the same plan is shipping with 3GB data per day for a period of 28 days. Besides the data benefit, Airtel is offering unlimited voice calling without any FUP limit and 100 SMSes per day for the same validity period. Additionally, Airtel prepaid users recharging the Rs 349 plan will get free access to Shaw Academy courses and Wynk Music. These additional benefits will also be valid for the duration of the pack.
Reliance Jio Has a 3GB Daily Data Plan of Rs 299
On the flip side, Reliance Jio has a Rs 299 prepaid recharge that ships with 3GB data per day for 28 days. Similar to Bharti Airtel, Jio is also offering unlimited Jio-to-Jio voice calls and 100 SMSes per day for a month. Unlike its rival, Jio is charging separately from the customers for non-Jio voice calls. For example, you can't make Jio to Airtel voice call with just Rs 299 prepaid recharge.
As you might be aware of, Reliance Jio introduced All-in-One recharge packs starting at Rs 10 and going all the way up to Rs 1,000. The Rs 10 IUC Top-Up offers 124 minutes of non-Jio voice calling and 1GB of data voucher. So if you recharge the Rs 100 IUC Top-Up voucher, then Reliance Jio will credit 10GB data voucher to your account which can be redeemed at a later date.
Having said that, for the customers who just make Jio-to-Jio voice calls, the price of the pack would be Rs 299. But for the users who make voice calls to other networks as well, then the price would start at Rs 309.
Reliance Jio is also offering free access to JioTV, JioCinema and other entertainment app subscriptions with its prepaid plan.
Reliance Jio or Bharti Airtel: Which Telco Has the Best 3GB Daily Data Plan
As you can clearly see, Reliance Jio has the cheapest 3GB daily data plan at Rs 299, but the IUC Top-Up recharges mean the price of the plan starts at Rs 309. Benefits of both the plans are pretty much identical. For someone who makes a lot of voice calls to other networks, then the Rs 299 recharge from Jio will not be a correct option. As mentioned above, Bharti Airtel is providing unlimited voice calling with its Rs 349 prepaid recharge.