On July 3, 2024, Jio hiked their mobile recharge tariff. Airtel also did it. Now, let’s compare the monthly prepaid recharge plans of Jio, Airtel, BSNL, and VI (Vodafone-Idea). After reading this page, you’ll understand which mobile network operator offers the cheapest recharge plans for prepaid customers.
Before looking at them, let’s see how we think about each of these mobile service providers regardless of their recharge prices:
- Jio: Unarguably, Jio is India’s most popular mobile service operator. Most users are happy with their services. But their recent tariff hike makes Jio users unhappy. They even think of porting to another mobile operator.
- Airtel: Airtel is the second most used mobile network operator after Jio. However, most Airtel SIM users think that their services are not as good as Jio and that the recharge tariff is costlier.
- BSNL: BSNL is a mobile service operator with the largest network coverage in the country. They offer the cheapest recharge plans as compared to other operators. However, as we know, the main reason for having very few BSNL SIM users is their poor services. If they improve the services, they could be No. 1 in India.
- VI: VI is a joint venture of two different entities – Vodafone and Idea. Even though it is combined with two mobile network companies, its user base has not yet seen improvement due to poor services and unattractive recharge plans.
Now, let’s take a prepaid recharge plan from each operator that gives the same benefit but different recharge amounts and see which is cheaper:
Jio 249: Unlimited calls, 1GB/day mobile data, 28-day validity.
Airtel 299: Unlimited calls, 1GB/day mobile data, 28-day validity.
BSNL 186: Unlimited calls, 1GB/day mobile data, 28-day validity.
VI 299: Unlimited calls, 1GB/day mobile data, 28-day validity.
From the above, we see that BSNL offers the same benefits at the lowest price.
Monthly Prepaid Recharge Plans: Jio, Airtel, BSNL & VI
Jio Monthly Prepaid Recharge Plans (Smartphones)
*All plans include unlimited calls with SMS
| Recharge Amount (Rs.) | Benefits |
|---|---|
| 189 | 28 Days, 2GB |
| 249 | 28 Days, 1GB/Day |
| 299 | 28 Days, 1.5GB/Day |
| 319 | Calendar Month, 1.5GB/Day |
| 329 | 28 Days, 1.5GB/Day + Jio Savan |
| 349 | 28 Days, 2GB/Day |
| 399 | 28 Days, 2.5GB/Day |
| 449 | 28 Days, 3GB/Day |
Airtel Monthly Prepaid Recharge Plans
*All plans include unlimited calls with SMS
| Recharge Amount (Rs.) | Benefits |
|---|---|
| 199 | 28 Days, 2GB |
| 219 | 30 Days, 3GB |
| 299 | 28 Days, 1GB/Day |
| 349 | 28 Days, 1.5GB/Day |
| 355 | 30 Days, 25GB |
| 379 | 1 Month, 2GB/Day |
| 409 | 28 Days, 2.5GB/Day |
| 429 | 1 Month, 2.5GB/Day |
| 449 | 28 Days, 3GB/Day |
| 549 | 28 Days, 3GB/Day + Airtel Extreme |
| 489 | 30 Days, 50GB |
| 609 | 1 Month, 60GB |
BSNL Monthly Prepaid Recharge Plans
*All plans include unlimited calls with SMS if not specified.
| Recharge Amount (Rs.) | Benefits |
|---|---|
| 94 | 30 Days, 3GB+200 Min Calls |
| 186 | 28 Days, 1GB/Day |
| 199 | 30 Days, 2GB/Day |
| 269 | 28 Days, 2GB/Day, BSNL Tune |
VI Monthly Prepaid Recharge Plans
*All plans include unlimited calls with SMS
| Recharge Amount (Rs.) | Benefits |
|---|---|
| 199 | 28 Days, 2GB |
| 202 | 1 Month, 5GB, OTT+TV |
| 218 | 1 Month, 3GB |
| 299 | 28 Days, 1GB/Day |
| 345 | 30 Days, 25GB |
| 349 | 28 Days, 1.5GB/Day |
| 365 | 28 Days, 2GB/Day |
| 379 | 1 Month, 2GB/Day |
| 407 | 28 Days, 2GB/Day, Sun NXT |
| 408 | 28 Days, 2GB/Day, Sony LIV |
| 409 | 28 Days, 2.5GB/Day |
| 449 | 28 Days, 3GB/Day |
| 469 | 28 Days, 2.5GB/Day, Disney+ Holstar |
| 539 | 28 Days, 4GB/Day |
How to Recharge Your Mobile Phone?
After you choose any monthly recharge plan (Jio, Airtel, BSNL, or VI) from the lists above, you can go to any local recharge point to recharge your phone. But you can do it yourself if you use one of the following UPI apps that is linked to your bank account:
- GPay
- PhonePe
- PayTM
- Other recharge apps.
But they may take a platform charge based on your recharge amount. If so, you can recharge on their app or website using your UPI ID, debit card, or credit card. For example, Jio users can recharge on the Jio app or website without any additional fee:
However, you can also recharge your mobile phone on Amazon without any fee. You can get chances of cashback or scratch cards. Use the cashback amount or rewards you got in your next purchase there:
Do you want to recharge a mobile data plan (data booster recharge)?
Read Comparison of Jio vs Airtel Data Plans.
How to Port Your Mobile Number to Another Operator?
If you are not happy with your current operator service, you can change it to another operator without changing your existing mobile number. It is called porting. For example, you can port your Jio mobile number to Airtel, BSNL or VI or vice versa. You can do it by visiting your nearest retailer or SIM service or do it online by clicking the following links:
To port to Jio, Click Here
To port to Airtel, Click Here
To port to BSNL, Click Here
To port to VI, Click Here
But, before porting, make sure to ask other people who are already using the mobile network service if they are happy with it. This will help you from any repentance.
Ibochouba Singh is a content writer and reviewer with a passion for writing about digital marketing and tech gadgets, including software tools and new tech gadgets. He has over 15 years of experience writing for several consumers and clients, including tech startups, marketing agencies, and software companies. He is writing many articles and reviews for many websites, including nigcworld.com, buywin.in, medium.com, and quora.com.