This article will compare the postpaid plans from JIO, Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea and determine which is more affordable and benefits the users.
JIO introduced the new Postpaid plan 199 back on 11th May 2018, one of the company’s lowest monthly rental postpaid plans.
Many Candytech readers have emailed me and asked if they should switch to the JIO postpaid plan from either Idea, Airtel, or Vodafone postpaid connection.
Moreover, some prepaid users are keen to know if they should switch to JIO postpaid, as it looks attractive. I will try to answer all these questions subsequently.
JIO 199 Postpaid Plan Details
Jio has launched the cheapest postpaid plan in the market. It hits the rest of the telecom operators where it hurts most.
The postpaid subscribers usually have a higher ARPU( Average Revenue Per User), and the new JIO plan brings it down.
However, It is beneficial for the Postpaid subscribers, who will now get cheaper telecom plans from JIO, and even the incumbents will have to reduce the tariffs.
Let’s look at the new JIO Zero Touch Plan that offers many benefits for Rs. 199 monthly rentals.
The JIO 199 plan comes with 30 days bill Cycle and offers 25 GB of free 4G Data. After consuming the 25 GB 4G data, the data is chargeable at Rs. 20/GB.
So, if you consume about 50 GB of data in a month, 25 GB is free, and for the remaining 25 GB, you will have to pay 25*20= Rs. 500 extra. So your total bill will be Rs. 699 for the month. This is a standard industry practice, and Vodafone-Idea and Airtel also charge Rs. 20 per GB for extra data used.
ON THE OTHER HAND, PREPAID IS CHEAPER YOU CAN GET 1.5 GB OF DATA PER DAY FOR 28 DAYS FOR RS. 199.
Furthermore, the postpaid plan comes with Free unlimited Voice calling for local and STD calls.
Also, there is 100 SMS/Day access, and the JIO Apps subscription is also complimentary.
Further, it comes with a pre-activated ISD service, and you can make ISD calls for as low as 50p/min to US/Canada.
Notably, you will have to pay Rs. 99 to take the JIO prime subscription when enrolling for the plan.
Jio also has higher rental plans such as Rs. 399, Rs. 599, Rs. 799 and Rs. 999 plans.
Snapshot of JIO Postpaid Plans:
| JIO Plans | Rs 199 plan | Rs 399 Plan | Rs 599 Plan |
| MRP | 199 | 399 | 599 |
| Free Data | 25 GB | 75 GB | 100 GB |
| Data Carry Forward | NO | 200 GB | 200 GB |
| Voice Calls | unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | 100 SMS/day | 100 SMS/day | 100 SMS/day |
| Additional Offers | JIO Apps subscription | JIO Apps subscription | JIO Apps subscription |
| Free-Roaming | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Offers | Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar | Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar | Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar |
| Other Offers | 1 Additional Sim Card with Family Plan |
The Rs. 799 plan offers 150 GB of data and comes with similar benefits as the Rs 599 plan. We get two additional sim cards with the family plan.
Also, there is an Rs. 999 plan that offers 200 GB Data and offers 500 GB data rollover. We get three additional sim cards with the family plan.
Now Let’s check the competition plans and compare them with JIO
Vodafone Idea Postpaid Plan 399
Vodafone Idea has a Rs 399 plan that is the most affordable offering by the company, but it costs twice the JIO 199 plan.
The Rs 399 plan offers unlimited local and STD calls and double data as JIO, 40 GB of free monthly data.
You can carry forward the leftover data to the next month and accumulate up to 200 GB of data.
Furthermore, you get 100 SMS per month and no roaming charges.
Additionally, you get a free subscription to Vi Movies and TV.
Vodafone Idea has a few more postpaid plans that we mention in the table below:
| Vodafone Idea Plans | Rs 399 plan | Rs 499 plan | Rs 1099 |
| MRP(Excluding GST) | 399 | 499 | 1099 |
| Free Data | 40 GB | 75 GB | Unlimited data |
| Data Carry Forward | 200 GB rollover | 200 GB rollover | – |
| Voice Calls | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | 100 SMS/month | 100 SMS/month | 100 SMS/month |
| Additional Offers | Vi Movies | Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and Vi Movies | Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, Airport lounges access |
| Free-Roaming | – | – | 7 days International roaming pack |
Airtel Postpaid Plan
Airtel is also not offering any cheaper Postpaid plans to match the Jio 199 plan.
The Airtel Rs. 399 plan also has similar benefits as the Vodafone Idea plan and offers 40 GB of data, unlimited voice calls, and a free-roaming facility.
Additionally, it offers 100 SMS per day (Local + STD + Roaming).
What’s more, you also get free Shaw academy one-year access, Juggernaut books, Airtel X-stream App premium, and Wynk.
Airtel also offers a few more plans that you can check in the table below:
| Airtel Plans | Rs 399 plan | Rs 499 plan | Rs 999 plan |
| MRP(Excluding GST) | 399 | 499 | 999 |
| Free Data | 40 GB | 75 GB | 150 GB |
| Data Carry Forward | 200 GB rollover | 200 GB rollover | 200 GB rollover |
| Voice Calls | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | 100 SMS/day | 100 SMS/day | 100 SMS/day |
| Additional Offers | Shaw academy 1year, Airtel X-stream App premium, and Wynk | Amazon Prime, Disney + Hotstar, Shaw academy lifetime access, Airtel X-stream App, Wynk | Amazon Prime, Disney + Hotstar, Shaw academy lifetime access, Airtel X-stream App, Wynk |
| Free-Roaming | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Comparing the Most Affordable Postpaid Plans
Since Airtel and the Vodafone-Idea don’t have a plan that matches 199 from JIO, the Mukesh Ambani company is the clear winner here.
However, all the telecom players offer Rs 399 plans. Let’s compare that and see which is better.
| JIO 399 Plan | Vodafone Idea 399 plan | Airtel 399 plan | |
| MRP | 399 | 399 | 399 |
| Free Data | 75 GB | 40 GB | 40 GB |
| Data Carry Forward | 200 GB Rollover | 200 GB Rollover | 200 GB rollover |
| Voice Calls | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | 100 SMS/day | 100 SMS/month | 100 SMS/day |
| Additional Offers | JIO Apps subscription | Vi Movies and TV Subscription | Free Shaw academy one year access, Airtel X-stream App premium, and Wynk |
| Free-Roaming | Yes | Yes | Yes |
As it is clear from the above table, Jio is offering nearly double the data versus rivals. It is a better proposition than both Airtel and Vodafone.
Concluding Thoughts: Should You Switch to JIO Postpaid?
The JIO 199 Postpaid plan looks very attractive and is cheaper than other operators. The biggest Con for the JIO 199 plan is the lack of a data rollover facility for users.
However, if we compare the Rs. 399 plan even then JIO is offering nearly twice the data than Airtel and VI.
The plans from Vodafone Idea are expensive and have nearly two times the price for the JIO plan.
Concluding Thoughts: Should You Switch to JIO Postpaid or, in general, to Postpaid from Prepaid?
Even if we compare the Rs. 399 plan the VI and Airtel are offering just 40 GB data whereas JIO is offering 75 GB.
Both the affordable Rs. 199 and Rs. 399 plans are excellent and if you want to save some money or get some extra data can switch to JIO Postpaid.
MNP is still slightly cumbersome but has improved a lot in the last few years – read my experience here.
Besides, if you are unhappy with your current operator for any reason and want to make a switch, I think you can change.
Should You Switch from Prepaid to Postpaid
Postpaid is inherently plagued with Bill Shock issues and will continue to happen in the future, even with JIO.
For example, if you accidentally use 100 GB of data, you will need to pay around Rs. 2000 for the extra data used. To me, prepaid is an absolute nirvana. Take a 3-month unlimited recharge plan and stay worry-free, and once it is over, do a recharge again. Sometimes, even your kids may use a lot of data, and you later have to pay for it in Postpaid. In prepaid, there is no such issue.
Also, Read – Prepaid Vs. Postpaid Plans – Better Choice?, Best Prepaid Plans India – JIO, Idea, Airtel, Vodafone
But if you wish to be in Postpaid, I have given you all the possible details; make up your mind and if you are still confused, post a comment below; I will try to help.
You can Also Watch the Video – Should You Switch to the JIO Postpaid Plan? From Airtel, Vodafone or Idea:
Below we have done a bit of study for the ISD calling and international roaming for JIO, and more details are shared in the Video explainer.
Does JIO offer Low ISD Call Rates and International Roaming Rates?
You can watch the above video for more detailed information on the ISD and International Roaming plans if they are expensive.
In a nutshell, some countries have low ISD call rates, and the rivals match others; you may need to check the tariffs on specific codes in the country where you wish to call to understand whether it is beneficial for you to switch to JIO.
There are some countries where the International Roaming rates are low as mentioned in the below table. Countries such as UAE, USA, Canada, UK, Singapore, and Malaysia have an Rs. The 2/min rate for voice calls and Rs. 2 per SMS and per MB of data consumed. Some other countries in the table given below have Rs. 10 rates, such as Australia, Greece, Germany, etc.
Also, there are more countries where the rates are much higher, you can check the exact rate for International Roaming on JIO for each country here.
Data Sources:
- http://www.jio.com/postpaid-4g-plans
- https://www.ideacellular.com/postpaid/plans-packs/nirvana-plans
- https://www.airtel.in/myplan-infinity/
