Reliance Jio Prime Plans vs Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL, Idea's Best Data Offers

Reliance Jio Prime plans will come into effect on April 1, as Reliance Jio's free services finally come to an end. The Jio Prime membership plans provide customers with 4G data at the most competitive prices for 4G data - as low as roughly Rs. 10 per day. Moreover, the operator has promised to match the best data plans in the market at 20 percent lower rates. But telecom operators such as Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL are not deterred, and have launched bundled data plans of their own to retain their customers, and keep Reliance Jio at bay.

As a consumer, with Jio Prime plans and other data offers to choose from, there has never been a better time to buy a data recharge. However, so much choice also brings with it confusion regarding the best plan to choose, best operator by coverage, etc. We take a look at the Jio Prime membership plans and compare them to the best bundled data offers by Airtel, Idea, Vodafone and BSNL to help you decide which is the best option.

Reliance Jio Prime Last Date on March 31: What Will Happen Next?

Reliance Jio Prime subscription + Rs. 303 recharge pack

Reliance Jio is providing to Jio Prime customers 28GB of 4G data with the Rs. 303 prepaid recharge pack, which has 28-day validity; Jio Prime postpaid users get 30GB of high-speed data for the billing cycle at the same price. Under this plan, customers who subscribe to the Rs. 99 Jio Prime plan will be able to use 1GB of 4G data per day, and make unlimited free calls.

For those who find 1GB data insufficient, there’s the Rs. 499 Jio Prime recharge pack, which provides 56GB data to prepaid users, with daily cap of 2GB. Postpaid customers get 60GB of 4G data for the billing cycle, with the FUP set at 2GB per day.

Reliance Jio Buy One Get One Offer

Under the Reliance Jio Buy One Get One Offer, customers who sign up for Jio Prime plans will get up to 120GB data for free with the Rs. 499 Reliance Jio plan. Similarly, those buying the Rs. 303 Jio Prime plan can get up to 60GB of data free with the Jio Buy One Get One Offer.

Airtel Rs. 345 recharge pack

Airtel is providing the Rs. 345 recharge pack that provides prepaid users with 28GB of high-speed data for 28 days. While the daily FUP is set at 1GB, customers will be able to use only 500MB of data during the day, while the remaining 500MB allotted for the 12am to 6am period. Those who want to skip the restriction of timings can opt for the Rs. 549 recharge pack, which comes with 1GB daily FUP, but no limits based on timings.

The Rs. 345 and Rs. 549 recharge packs come with free calls, but with several caveats. Those who make calls beyond the 1,200 bundled minutes will be charged at 30p per minute (for local and STD calls). Moreover, Airtel has capped the free calls per day at 300 minutes, after which the charges will be 30p per minute. Additionally, calling more than 100 unique users in a week entails call tariff of 30p per minute for the rest of the validity.

Airtel Surprise offer

For postpaid customers, Airtel is providing 30GB of free data to customers starting March 13 for a period of three months. The Airtel postpaid users will get 10GB of data per month under this plan, with no daily limits on data consumption. To claim this offer, customers need to go to the MyAirtel app; the data is credited soon after you claim the 'Airtel Surprise'. Users have until March 31 to claim the free 30GB data.

Vodafone Rs. 346 recharge pack

Vodafone has reportedly launched the Rs. 346 recharge pack that comes with 28GB of mobile data and unlimited free calls. Like rivals, Vodafone is also putting a cap of 1GB on free data consumption, after which the consumer will be charged. In an official statement, Vodafone said, “Vodafone customers are diverse as are their wants. To satisfy these diverse needs and wants, Vodafone offers various segmented propositions. This is one such segmented offering and the offer is valid only till 15 March.”

BSNL Rs. 339 recharge pack

BSNL has launched a special tariff voucher, priced at Rs. 339, that comes with 2GB of data per day for 28 days. Along with the bundled data, the recharge pack provides unlimited calls on the BSNL network, and 25 minutes of free calls per day to other networks; calls beyond the free 25 free minutes are charged at 25p per minute. Notably, BSNL customers will get only 3G speeds; another interesting fact worth remembering is that only Reliance Jio promises 4G speeds at all times - Airtel, Vodafone and Idea do not make any claims regarding whether the bundled data will be 3G and 4G.

Along with this offer, BSNL is providing customers who have never used the Internet on its network 1GB of free data for 28 days.

Idea Rs. 348 recharge pack

Idea is providing users with 1GB of high-speed data with the Rs. 348 recharge pack, along with unlimited free calls; this totals to 28GB of data per month. Users are required to have a 4G handset and a 4G-enabled SIM card to avail this Idea offer.

Along with this, Idea postpaid users can get 1GB of data per day with a Rs. 300 top-up pack. Available only for those with rental plans of Rs. 199 or above, the pack is discounted for the first three months and can be purchased only till April 30. Idea postpaid users with rental plans of Rs. 499 or above will be offered this pack for free for the first three months. Those with base rental plans between Rs. 349 and Rs. 498 can get this pack at a discounted rate of just Rs. 50. Users with base rental plans between Rs. 199 and 349 can get it for Rs. 200. After the first three months are over, all users will have to pay Rs. 300 per month.

What is the catch with all these unlimited data offers from Airtel, Idea, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone? We discuss on our weekly podcast, Orbital, which you can subscribe to via iTunes or RSS, or just hit the play button below.