Postpaid Plans – Information on the popular postpaid plans in 2022
Postpaid plans are a popularly opted mobile connection in the country. These plans are known for giving the flexibility to pay only after using the services, having more features compared to prepaid plans and also having a lot of added-on benefits. Most of the postpaid plans are billed on a monthly basis. These plans have a starting price of ₹199 and the most extensive plans can go up to ₹1,599 per month.
Let’s have a look at the features and benefits of the popular postpaid plans, especially the postpaid plans offered by the top telecom service providers in the country.
Last updated in: November 2022
What are Postpaid plans?
Postpaid plans are those plans for which you pay after utilising the services. You don’t need to recharge anything in advance, like how it is with prepaid plans. You will be billed on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis depending on your chosen plan. Once the bill is generated, you will need to make the payment and clear off until the due date.
Most of the telecom providers offer postpaid plans that also have a data rollover feature which allows you to carry forward your unused/remaining data of the current month to the following month.
What types of postpaid plans are available?
There are various kinds of postpaid plans available that cater to different user requirements. Most of the telecom companies offer their postpaid plans under these categories:
- Postpaid Plus
- Unlimited Postpaid Plan
- RedX Postpaid Plan
- Premium Postpaid Plans
- Postpaid Family Plans
- International Roaming Postpaid Plan
- ISD Postpaid Plans
Who are the top postpaid plan providers?
There are mainly 4 telecom providers in India offering their postpaid services throughout the country. These 4 providers are:
What are the benefits of a postpaid plan?
Postpaid plans are known for offering a higher number of benefits when compared to prepaid plans. Let’s have a look at the benefits of postpaid plans.
- Pay after use - Postpaid plan gives the freedom to pay after utilising the services. All the telecom companies also give a few days of extension after the bill due date
- Additional Benefits - Postpaid plans are known for offering more value & entertainment benefits compared to prepaid plans.
- Reduced Prices - In the past few years, postpaid plans in India have become cheaper than before, managing to convert prepaid users into postpaid users.
- Family Plan - Postpaid plans also provide an option of adding your family members on a single plan, with a single bill in place.
What are the disadvantages of a postpaid plan?
There are some disadvantages associated with postpaid plans as well. We have listed them below.
- Bill Shock - One of the biggest disadvantages is getting a bill shock due to the bill amount being higher than expected.
- Plan Change - Changing a plan on a postpaid connection is comparatively difficult than on a prepaid connection
- Lack of expense control - Since postpaid plans give the freedom to utilise a service as much as you would like, it gets difficult sometimes to manage the plan expenses.
How to get a postpaid connection?
In order to get a new postpaid connection, all the telecom providers in the country offer almost the same methods/options to start availing their services. Let’s look at the example of getting a new Airtel postpaid connection, here’s how you can do it.
Online:
- Log on to Airtel’s official website.
- Scroll on the ‘Postpaid’ section
- Click on ‘Buy New Connection’
- Choose from the given plans available on the website and click on ‘Buy’
- You can select one of the given options between ‘New Connection’, ‘Switch to Airtel’ (with same number), or ‘Airtel prepaid to postpaid’
- Provide your contact and address information
- Click on ‘Submit’
- The next step will be taken by the company to call you regarding the SIM delivery and KYC documents check.
Offline:
- To get a Airtel postpaid connection physically, all you have to do is head to an Airtel store nearest to your location.
- In order to find the store closest to you, log on to this link and enter your address to spot an official store near you.
- Remember, to take important documents such as your address proof and ID proof in order to get a new SIM.
- Once you’re at the store, an Airtel executive will take care of the rest of the process and ensure your postpaid connection is activated in the next few hours.
How to choose the best postpaid plan?
With all the tempting offers on postpaid plans available in the market, you need to make sure that you are getting the best plan for your requirements. How to make sure you are choosing the best plan? We’ll tell you. There are a few factors that need to be considered before opting for a postpaid plan.
Calling and SMS
If you are someone who is an avid user of the calling and SMS features and generally have more calling purposes than using mobile data, then you should consider opting for unlimited calling plans. These unlimited calling plans are provided by all the telecom operators.
Data
In the last few years since Jio entered the Indian telecom market, the price of mobile data plans got a lot cheaper than what they used to be for a long time. Because of this, all the major telecom providers had to bring down their data plan prices due to competitive pressure. Now, if you are someone who enjoys a high data-limit, there are enough plans for that purpose as well.
Data Rollover
Along with having mobile data, a lot of the telecom operators also have started offering data rollover services, which means the option of carrying forward your unused data of the previous month to the following month. Therefore, if you like the idea of that service, then you can browse for plans that have this option.
Family Plans
Unlike prepaid plans, postpaid plans give you the option of sharing your postpaid plan with your loved ones and getting 2 or 3 people additionally on your existing plan. If you are someone who likes the idea of having a single plan and a single bill for the whole family, then you should pick a family postpaid plan.
Value and Entertainment Add-ons
If you are someone who likes to find out the best of offers and additional benefits on top of a service that you pay for, then there are postpaid plans that offer a variety of add-ons in form of OTT subscriptions/free trials, music app subscriptions, healthcare services, online courses, and more. Airtel and Jio are known for offering the most amount of additional benefits, so you can consider checking out their postpaid plans over others.
Network Range
The core principle of any mobile service is to get a good network range, everything else depends on that directly. Before opting for a postpaid plan, it is important to check the network quality of that service provider in your locality. You can find this out by referring to other users (friends, neighbours, etc) and also by visiting an official store nearest to you.
Jio Postpaid Plans
Here are all the popular postpaid plans offered by Jio. These plans are generally billed on a monthly basis. However, most of these plans offer a data rollover service that allows you to carry forward your remaining data from the previous month.
| Plan Type | Price | Data | Data Rollover | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ₹199 | 25 GB | - | Unlimited |
|
| Plus | ₹399 | 75 GB | 200 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Plus | ₹599 | 100 GB | 200 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Plus | ₹799 | 150 GB | 200 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Plus | ₹999 | 200 GB | 500 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Plus | ₹1,499 | 300 GB | 500 GB | Unlimited |
|
| International Roaming | ₹1,102 | - | - | ₹933.90 Talktime |
|
Which is the cheapest Jio postpaid plan?
The cheapest postpaid plan by Jio is the only plan that’s featured in the ‘regular plans’ category whereas the others are a part of the ‘Postpaid Plus’ category.| Plan | Price | Data | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | ₹199 | 25 GB | Unlimited | Free subscription to all Jio apps |
What are the family plans by Jio postpaid?
Jio PostPaid Plus offers a single postpaid plan to be shared with your loved ones. Postpaid plus plans that are of ₹599, ₹799 and ₹999 offer this service for a family addition. The plan offerings can be shared with the family members, and a single unified bill will be presented for the whole plan.| Plan | Price | Data | Data Rollover | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postpaid Plus | ₹599 | 100 GB (Post that ₹10/GB) | 200 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Postpaid Plus | ₹799 | 150 GB (Post that Rs 10/GB) | 200 GB | Unlimited |
|
| Postpaid Plus | ₹999 | 200 GB (Post that Rs 10/GB) | 500 GB | Unlimited |
|
Airtel Postpaid Plans
Airtel postpaid plans are one of the most popular postpaid connection services across the country. Airtel offers a wide range of plans along with high data limits and additional benefits. Here are the postpaid plans by Airtel.| Price (monthly) | Data (with Rollover) | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹399 | 40 GB | Unlimited | Subscription to Airtel Xstream app |
| ₹499 | 75 GB | Unlimited |
|
| ₹999 (+2 free family add-ons) | 150 GB | Unlimited |
|
| ₹1,599 (+1 free family add-on) | 500 GB | Unlimited + 200 minutes of ISD calls |
|
Which is the cheapest Airtel postpaid plan?
The cheapest postpaid plan by Airtel is the starting plan offered by the company. The plan comes at a price of ₹399 and offers 40 GB of mobile data.
| Price (monthly) | Data (with Rollover) | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹399 | 40 GB | Unlimited | Subscription to Airtel Xstream app |
Which Airtel postpaid plan offers the most benefits?
The ₹999 and ₹1,599 postpaid plans by Airtel offer the most amount of benefits. We have listed down the plan details for the ₹999 plan as the price is comparatively much lower than the other plan whereas the benefits are almost the same.
| Price | Data (with Rollover) | SMS | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹999 | 150 GB | 100 per day | Unlimited |
|
BSNL Postpaid Plans
BSNL is also quite popular for its mobile services, especially in the smaller cities and rural parts of the country. The state-owned telco’s postpaid plans start from ₹199 onwards. We have listed all the plans and their details below.
| Price (monthly) | Data | Data Rollover | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹199 | 25 GB | 75 GB | 100 SMS per day, Unlimited voice calling |
| ₹399 | 70 GB | 210 GB | 100 SMS per day, Free local and STD calls |
| ₹525 | 85 GB | 255 GB | 100 SMS per day, 2 Family connections with unlimited voice calls with no data/SMS |
| ₹798 | 50 GB | 150 GB | 100 SMS per day, 2 Family connections with unlimited voice calls, 50 GB data and 100 SMS/day |
| ₹999 | 75 GB | 225 GB | 100 SMS per day, 3 Family connections with unlimited voice calls, 75 GB data and 100 SMS/day |
| ₹1,525 | UNLIMITED (without speed restriction) | Not required | 100 SMS per day, Unlimited voice calling |
Which is the cheapest BSNL postpaid plan?
The cheapest postpaid plan is the one for ₹199 and offers data worth 25 GB along with a data rollover service.
| Price (monthly) | Data | Data Rollover | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹199 | 25 GB | 75 GB | 100 SMS per day, Unlimited voice calling |
How to change BSNL postpaid plan?
BSNL has made it easy for its postpaid users to change plans themselves through a simple SMS procedure. You don’t even have to get online for this service request. Here’s how you can do it.
| Action | SMS Details |
|---|---|
| Plan Change Format | CHG *Old Plan*[space]*New Plan*', Eg: CHG PLAN199 PLAN525 |
| Send the SMS on | 53733 |
| Eligible postpaid plans | Plan 199, 399, 525, 798, 999, 1525 |
| Plan Codes | PLAN199, PLAN399, PLAN525, PLAN798, PLAN999, PLAN1525 |
| Data Activation on SMS | Send SMS message START to 1925 |
| Data Deactivation for Postpaid mobile | Send STOP to 1925 |
Vodafone-Idea (Vi) Postpaid Plans
Vodafone-Idea, also known as Vi also offers competitive rates for its postpaid plans along with value and entertainment benefits. Here are the postpaid plans offered by Vi.
| Price (monthly) | Data | Data Rollover | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹399 | 40 GB | 200 GB rollover | Unlimited | Vi movies and TV subscription, 6 month-ad free Hungama music in Vi app |
| ₹499 | 75 GB | 200 GB rollover | Unlimited | Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar for 1 year, Vi movies and TV, 6 month-ad free Hungama music in Vi app |
| ₹699 | Unlimited | Not required | Unlimited | Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar for 1 year, Vi movies and TV, 6 month-ad free Hungama music in Vi app |
| ₹1,099 | Unlimited | Not required | Unlimited | Netflix annual membership, Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar for 1 year, 6 month-ad free Hungama music in Vi app, Access to International and Domestic Airport Lounges - 4 times per year |
Which is the cheapest Vi postpaid plan?
The cheapest postpaid plan offered by Vi is the ₹399 plan. It is priced the same as Airtel’s cheapest postpaid plan mainly due to competitive pricing reasons. This plan offers 40 GB of data and currently, the company is giving an additional 150 GB as a complimentary offer.
| Price (monthly) | Data | Data Rollover | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹399 | 40 GB | 200 GB rollover | Unlimited | Vi movies and TV subscription, 6 month-ad free Hungama music in Vi app |
Premium Postpaid Plans - Airtel, Jio, Vi and BSNL
Most of the telecom service providers also have premium plans in place. This is mainly due to the increasing demand for postpaid connections over the recent years. These premium plans are generally the most expensive one of their available options but also with the most exhaustive service offerings in terms of calling, data and additional benefits as well. Let’s have a look at the premium postpaid plans offered by the top telecom companies.
Airtel Premium Postpaid Plan
Airtel’s most expensive as well as extensive plan in terms of its offerings is the
| Price | Data | Calls | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹1,599 (+1 free family add-on) | 500 GB | Unlimited + 200 minutes of ISD calls |
|
Airtel Black
Airtel Black is the recent addition to the service offered by Airtel. The main advantage of this service is that 2 or even 3 types of services such as Mobile, Broadband and DTH can be purchased as part of a single plan and there will be only one bill for this service. There are 4 different combinations of Airtel Black plans available and postpaid mobile services are a part of all of them.
| Plan Name | Price per month | Postpaid (Mobile) | Fiber & Landline | DTH | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel Black 998 Plan | ₹998 | 2 connections, 105 GB data, Unlimited calls | - | ₹350 worth of TV channels | 1 year of Amazon Prime and Airtel Xstream App |
| Airtel Black 1098 Plan | ₹1,098 | 75 GB data, Unlimited calls | Unlimited internet upto 100 Mbps, Unlimited calls | - | 1 year of Amazon Prime |
| Airtel Black 1099 Plan | ₹1,099 | - | Unlimited internet upto 200 Mbps, Unlimited calls | ₹350 worth of TV channels | 1 year of Amazon Prime and Airtel Xstream App |
| Airtel Black 1598 Plan | ₹1,598 | 2 connections, 105 GB data, Unlimited calls | Unlimited internet upto 200 Mbps, Unlimited calls | - | 1 year of Amazon Prime and Airtel Xstream App |
| Airtel Black 2099 Plan | ₹2,099 | 3 connections, 260 GB data, Unlimited calls | Unlimited internet upto 200 Mbps, Unlimited calls | ₹424 worth of TV channels | 1 year of Amazon Prime and Airtel Xstream App |
Jio Postpaid Plus
Jio postpaid plans are divided into two main categories: Regular and Postpaid Plus. The ‘regular’ postpaid plan includes the ₹199 plan whereas all the other plans are a part of the Jio PostpaidPlus Plans, the details of which have been mentioned in the ‘Jio Postpaid plans’ section above.
Vi RedX postpaid plan
Vi also has a premium postpaid plan known as REDX. It is a premium experience offered by the company starting from ₹1,099 onwards.
| Price (monthly) | No. of Members | Data | Calls | SMS | Entertainment Benefits | Other Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹1,099 | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited within India | 100 per month | Netflix annual membership, Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscription for 1 year, Vi Movies & TV | International Roaming for 1 week, Airport lounge access, Premier service, Cheap ISD calls to US & Canada @50 p/min. |
| ₹1,699 | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited within India | 3000 per month | Netflix annual membership, Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscription for 1 year, Vi Movies & TV | International Roaming for 1 week, Airport lounge access, Premier service |
| ₹2,299 | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited within India | 100 per month | Netflix annual membership, Amazon Prime subscription, Disney+ Hotstar Mobile subscription for 1 year, Vi Movies & TV | International Roaming for 1 week, Airport lounge access, Premier service |
NOTE: The ₹1,699 and ₹2,299 plan comes with a lock-in period for the first 6 months. In case you change your mind to any other postpaid plan or port your Vi number to any other network within 6 months of activating REDX, then you will be charged a one-time exit fee of ₹3,000
CONCLUSION:
Less than a decade ago, postpaid plans were an expensive deal. Customers would have to pay around ₹1,200 for a 1 GB data plan whereas today, due to the stiff competition between telecom operators, the starting price of a postpaid plan has gone as low as ₹199 and that too offers 25 GB of data. That’s literally six times less the price and twenty-five times more mobile data compared to a postpaid plan of a few years ago.
Switcheroo suggests that now is the best time to own a postpaid connection than ever before and that too so many good options to choose from!
FAQ
Which is the best postpaid plan of BSNL?
BSNL offers a list of various plans, which can cater to different requirements. For example, if one plan offers more data, the other offers better-calling plans. To find the right BSNL plan for you, it’s important to consider multiple factors like your budget and usage patterns.
What documents are required for getting a Jio PostPaid Plus SIM?
In terms of documents required, you need to have standard KYC documents as prescribed by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) to buy a postpaid SIM. Following original documents can be shown as Proof of Identity (POI) and Proof of Address (POA): Aadhaar, Voter ID, Passport, Driving licence.
How to port a postpaid number?
In order to port your number, you have to send the following text message - PORT followed by your 10-digit mobile number to TRAI's central number for mobile number portability - 1900. For example: Send 'PORT 98xxxxxx98' to 1900. You'll receive an SMS with a port out code which will remain valid for only 15 days for you to take further action.
How does a postpaid plan work?
A postpaid plan is a mobile network service in which subscribers are billed at the end of every month. For a postpaid account, you will get a monthly net bill based on a predefined amount, which might vary based on your monthly usage.
Updated on 8 Jun, 2022
Fateem Ahmed
Energy Specialist & Copywriter
Born in India, raised in Dubai and now working with us in Barcelona, Fateem is the latest addition to our team at Papernest. He has been a part of the Switcheroo project from day one and ensures to provide you with all the latest information on the mobile and broadband internet updates in India.
Born in India, raised in Dubai and now working with us in Barcelona, Fateem is the latest addition to our team at Papernest. He has been a part of the Switcheroo project from day one and ensures to provide you with all the latest information on the mobile and broadband internet updates in India.
