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Cheapest Recharge to Keep Your SIM Active for a Year: Jio vs Airtel vs Vi

Cheapest Recharge to Keep Your SIM Active for a Year: Jio vs Airtel vs Vi

Vodafone Idea (Vi), Airtel, and Jio recently launched their voice-only prepaid plans in India.

Written by Dhruv Raghav, Edited by Rohan Pal | Updated: 14 November 2026 18:00 IST

Here are the cheapest prepaid plans to keep your SIM active

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Highlights

SIM cards in India can remain active for 90 days without recharge
Telecom companies can charge Rs. 20 to keep your SIM card active
You can buy a combination of prepaid plans to keep your SIM active

Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have been raising prices of their most affordable prepaid plans that allowed customers to keep their SIM cards active without actively using them for weeks or months. This has resulted in Indians opting for more expensive recharge packs to keep their SIM activated, spending more than their usage demands. In India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has mandated that a SIM card should remain activated for 90 days if a user does not renew their current prepaid plan or actively use the service. Further, under TRAI's Automatic Number Retention Scheme, your TSP can charge you Rs. 20 to keep your SIM card activated for an additional 30 days.

However, if you are wondering how you can keep your SIM card active for a year or about 365 days, telecom companies like Vodafone Idea (Vi), Airtel, and Jio offer a combination of affordable prepaid plans. Here are the cheapest recharge packs that let you keep your SIM active for a year. I would like to highlight that the plans mentioned below are for the Delhi NCR circle.

Airtel Discussion

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Airtel Prepaid Plans to Keep Your SIM Active

Airtel customers can purchase a combination of prepaid plans with different validity periods, allowing you to keep your SIM card active. For reference, you can purchase the Rs. 199 recharge pack 13 times, which offers a validity of 28 days each time. By spending a total of Rs. 2,587, you can keep your Airtel SIM active for 364 days.

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The Rs. 199 recharge plan from Airtel offers unlimited STD, local, and roaming calls, a 100 SMS per day quota, and 2GB of total data, along with access to Adobe Express Premium for 12 months and free Airtel Hello Tunes.

If you do not want to buy a recharge pack every 28 days, you can purchase another prepaid plan for a one-time payment of Rs. 1,849. The pack offers unlimited local, STD, and roaming calls, 365 days of validity, 3,600 total SMS quota, Hello Tunes, and an Adobe Premium Express subscription for a year.

Jio Prepaid Plans to Keep Your SIM Active

Jio offers various voice-only recharge plans that allow users to keep their SIM card active. The most affordable voice-only pack costs Rs. 147, offering unlimited calling and 22 days of validity. For a year, you will be paying a total of Rs. 2,440. If you want to recharge your SIM less frequently, you can opt for the Rs. 177, Rs. 196, or Rs. 197 plans offering 28 days, 30 days, and calendar month validity, respectively.

Jio vs Airtel vs Vi: 84 Days Prepaid Plans Compared

You will end up paying a total of Rs. 2,301, Rs. 2,352, or Rs. 2,364 depending on the plan. All the voice-only packs offer unlimited calling to customers. This makes the Rs. 177 plan the most affordable. Alternatively, you can opt for the Rs. 1,748 recharge plan that offers a validity of 336 days. The plan also provides unlimited calling and a 3,600 SMS quota.

Vi Prepaid Plans to Keep Your SIM Active

Vi also recently introduced multiple voice-only packs in compliance with TRAI's mandate. The most affordable plan costs Rs. 179 and offers a validity of 25 days. For a year, you will have to pay a little over Rs. 2,600 in total. The plan also offers a 300 SMS quota. You can also opt for the Rs. 189 prepaid plan that offers 28 days of validity, which will cost you Rs. 2,457, making it more affordable than the Rs. 179 pack.

The most expensive voice-only recharge pack from Vi costs Rs. 206 and offers validity for the entire calendar month. You will end up paying a total of Rs. 2,472 for the entire year. Alternatively, you can purchase another plan for a one-time payment of Rs. 1,849, which offers 365 days of validity, unlimited calling, and a 3,600 SMS quota.

Jio vs Airtel vs Vi: Voice-Only Prepaid Plans Compared

FAQs

1. How long can my SIM card remain activated if I do not buy a recharge?

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandates that a SIM card should remain active for 90 days if a customer does not buy a recharge or actively use it.

2. Which telecom service provider offers the most affordable prepaid plan to keep a SIM active for a year?

Vodafone Idea (Vi) offers the most affordable combination of prepaid plans for users to keep their SIM cards active.

3. Can I keep my SIM activated via the Automatic Number Retention Scheme?

Yes, your telecom service provider can charge Rs. 20 to keep your SIM activated under TRAI's Automatic Number Retention Scheme.

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Further reading: Airtel, Jio, Vi, Cheapest Recharge, Prepaid

Dhruv Raghav

Email Dhruv Raghav

Dhruv Raghav is currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets360. He has previously covered the North American financial markets as a Headline News Correspondent for a major news agency. After taking a sabbatical to prepare for the Civil Services examination, he returned to journalism to cover tech policy, with a special focus on AI laws and online gaming regulation. Now, he is back in Gadgets360 to write features and edit stories. To unwind, he likes to spend time with his PS5, listening ...More