Airtel hikes price of minimum monthly recharge plan by 57% to Rs 155; check details

Telecom services provider Bharti Airtel has reportedly raised the price of its minimum required recharge plan for prepaid users by about 57 per cent in Haryana and Odisha. The company has stopped its minimum recharge plan of Rs 99 in the two states and has started offering the Rs 155-plan which offers unlimited voice calling along with 1GB total data and 300 SMS.

Earlier, Airtel used to offer a minimum recharge plan of Rs 99, with 200MB data and calls at the rate of Rs 2.5 paise per second for 28 days.

According to PTI, the company has started trial of the new plan and is likely to roll out the same across India based on the result. Moreover, Airtel is also expected to discontinue all 28-day calling plans with SMS and data priced under Rs 155, as per reports.

“The earlier Rs 99 recharge had Rs 99 talk-time value and very limited data of 200 MB valid for 28 days. In contrast, the now-adopted Rs 155 minimum recharge gives unlimited voice, 1GB data allowance and 300 SMS. This is a massive 57 per cent surge in minimum recharge value, and has been done in the customer segment where affordability matters the most,” research analysts Sanjesh Jain and Akash Kumar in a report by ICICI Securities, said.

Previously, the company did a similar exercise (market-testing) when it increased its minimum recharge offer from Rs 79 to Rs 99 in select circles in 2021, the report said.

It must be noted that the new minimum recharge plan comes with a shorter validity. Airtel’s new Rs 155-plan offers unlimited calling, 1 GB data and 300 SMS for 24 days. The pack also clubs additional benefits including free Wynk Music and Hellotunes.

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