After the tariff revision in December 2019, telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea brought back the affordable talk time plans like Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100. Airtel is providing six talk time plans to its prepaid users right now and they are Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 100, Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. As you can see, the telco even has a Rs 5,000 talk time plan which ships with the main balance of Rs 4,237.29. However, the major disadvantage with the talk time plans from Airtel is they don't offer service validity. For example, even if you recharge the Rs 5,000 talk time plan, you will still be forced to make a minimum recharge of Rs 45 to use that balance. But the best part is the talk time plans come with unlimited validity, so you can use the balance at any time.
Bharti Airtel Talk Time Plans Lack Service Validity Benefit
At the end of 2019, we have seen Vodafone coming up with talk time plans with service validity benefit. However, that's not the case with Bharti Airtel as the telco is not providing service validity benefit with its talk time plans. For the unaware, service validity is a key for Airtel and Vodafone Idea prepaid users right now as it allows the users to make use of existing talk time balance in their account. Without service validity, Airtel users will face the suspension of incoming voice calling facility after 15 days of current pack's expiry.
It is a piece of good news to Airtel customers that the company has brought back affordable talk time recharge options. However, at the same time, they should feel bad for unable to use the talk time benefit without the minimum recharge plan. If an Airtel customer is recharging with the Rs 10 talk time plan, then at the same time, he/she should perform Rs 45 Smart Recharge to use the benefit of the earlier recharged talk time plan.
The Rs 45 Smart Recharge plan from Bharti Airtel does not ship with any talk time benefit, instead, it offers rate cutter and service validity benefits for 28 days. So for every 28 days, Airtel prepaid customers will have to perform at least Rs 45 recharge to use the talk time balance which exists in their account. Besides the Rs 45 Smart Recharge, the Rs 49 and Rs 79 Smart Recharges from Airtel come with talk time, data and rate cutter benefits as well.
Vodafone Idea Also Offering 5 Talk Time Plans
Similar to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea also brought back the affordable talk time plans like Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100. However, in the majority of the circles, the telecom operator has removed premium talk time plans like Rs 500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. Right now, Vodafone Idea has just five talk time plans on offer- Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 30, Rs 50 and Rs 100. None of the Vodafone Idea talk time plans ship with full talk time benefit, which is a big disadvantage.
Similar to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea users will also have to shell out Rs 24 for every 14 days to make use of the talk time balance present in their account. Unlike Bharti Airtel which hiked the minimum recharge price to Rs 45, Vodafone Idea is still offering the Rs 24 Active Recharge plan, but the validity of the plan has been reduced to just 14 days.
