Telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are making major changes in the prepaid segment to generate revenue from the users. In December last year, both the telcos increased the prepaid tariff prices for good, and at the same time, they also hiked the prices of Minimum Recharge plans. At the end of 2019, Bharti Airtel announced a hike of its base minimum recharge of Rs 24 and it now costs Rs 45, so an increase of Rs 21 on the pack. On the other hand, Vodafone Idea brought down the value of Rs 24 Plan Voucher by half and a prepaid user will have to recharge it twice to enjoy the benefits for a month. But the biggest question right now is: Should you recharge them even now? Read on to find out.
Airtel and Vodafone Idea Minimum Recharge Plans Detailed
After the latest revision of prepaid tariff plans, telcos have brought the minimum recharge plans from five to two. Airtel' Smart Recharge plans are currently priced at Rs 45, Rs 49 and Rs 79, whereas Vodafone Idea's All Rounder plans are Rs 49 and Rs 79, along with a Plan Voucher of Rs 24. The Rs 79 plan from both the telcos comes with Rs 64 talk time, 200MB of data and all the voice calls will be charged at 60 paise per minute. The Rs 49 plan offers Rs 38.52 talk time, 100MB of data and the voice calls will be charged at standard rates. More importantly, both the plans offer service validity of 28 days.
Lastly, Airtel's Rs 45 Smart Recharge does not come with talk time or data benefit, instead, it allows users to make voice calls at 2.5 paise per second and 28 days service validity. On the flip side, Vodafone Idea has a Rs 24 Plan Voucher which offers 100 local on-net night minutes which can be used between 11 PM and 6 AM every day. This plan is valid for just 14 days, so Vodafone Idea users will end up recharging the same plan for two times in a single month (28 days).
Minimum Recharge Plans are Important to Basic Users
Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel unlimited plans now start at Rs 149 and it ships with 2GB data, unlimited voice calls and limited SMSes for 28 days. But for those who don't want to spend more than Rs 100 per month, their only choice is the minimum recharge plans. Both the telcos even brought back affordable talk time plans like Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100, but the disadvantage with them is the lack of service validity.
The Rs 49 minimum recharge plan is an ideal choice for many as it offers basic talk time of Rs 38.52. Once the talk time expires, users can make use of the available talk time plans such as Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100 and so on.
The Rs 79 will be important to the users who want slightly more data benefit. At the moment, we are not sure whether the telcos are aiming to bring back the minimum recharge plans of Rs 145 and Rs 245 which provide more validity. But for now, the Rs 49 plan is an important one for all the prepaid users of Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Vodafone Idea is offering an unlimited plan with 14 days validity at Rs 129, whereas Reliance Jio is still offering the Rs 98 plan without off-net minutes. With bundled off-net minutes, the Rs 98 plan costs Rs 129 per month.
Are you still recharging the minimum recharge plans from Airtel and Vodafone Idea? Let us know by commenting below.
