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Bharti Airtel discontinued several prepaid plans that offered 1.5GB of daily data with unlimited calling, effective August 12. The telecom operator withdrew the Rs. 299, Rs. 319, Rs. 579, Rs. 619 and Rs. 649 plans across India, based on information available on the Airtel Thanks app and website.
None of these plans remain visible on the app, and searching for the popular Rs. 299 pack now shows other options instead.
Airtel is yet to issue an official statement on the withdrawal, but people familiar with the matter said the move is part of the company's push to improve average revenue per user.
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The discontinued Rs. 299 plan offered 1.5GB of daily data with 28 days of validity, while the Rs. 319 plan carried the same benefits with 30 days. The Rs. 579 and Rs. 619 plans offered similar data with 56 and 60 days of validity, respectively, and the Rs. 649 plan came with 2GB daily data for 56 days.
With these plans gone, the Rs. 349 pack now becomes Airtel's cheapest unlimited prepaid option. It offers 2GB of daily 4G data, unlimited 5G access for eligible users, unlimited local and STD calls, 100 SMS per day, and 28 days of validity.
Subscribers also get a six-month Apple Music subscription, free Airtel HelloTunes, and a year of Adobe Express Premium with this plan.
Industry watchers say subscribers on the Rs. 299 plan often ran out of their daily data anyway and ended up buying top-ups, making the shift to a higher base plan a logical step for the company.
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Airtel's entry-level Rs. 199 and Rs. 219 plans remain untouched for now, continuing to offer 2GB of data for 28 days along with basic connectivity benefits. Beyond the Rs. 349 plan, customers can also opt for the Rs. 399 pack, which offers nearly the same features but bumps daily data up to 2.5GB and swaps the Apple Music benefit for a 28-day JioHotstar mobile subscription.
Reports also indicate Airtel discontinued its Rs. 799 plan, pushing users toward the Rs. 899 option instead. This marks Airtel's second major round of prepaid price changes in just over a year, after the company raised its cheapest recharge from Rs. 249 to Rs. 299 last August.
The restructuring points to a broader trend across Indian telecom operators, who appear to be moving customers toward higher-value plans as they look to boost revenue per user.
