Jio, Airtel, Vodafone increase Tariffs; here’s how you can still avoid high rates

Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have decided to charge consumers more this week. The three largest telecom companies in India announced the hikes last week and will hike prices between 10% and 27% for their prepaid and postpaid plans. Reliance Jio and Airtel tariff hikes will be effective July 3, while Vodafone's will be effective July 4.

Reliance Jio’s prices will increase by 12-25%. For instance, the ₹239 monthly plan with 1.5GB daily data will now cost ₹299, representing a 25% increase. Airtel's prices will rise by 11-21%, and Vodafone Idea will raise its tariffs by 10-21%.

Additionally, Airtel has revised its entry-level criteria for free unlimited 5G access. Previously, users could access 5G on more affordable plans, but now only plans offering 2GB of data per day or more will include this benefit. While Jio has also removed some popular plans that offer unlimited 5G data.

There are still some ways customers can avoid the full impact of these price hikes, at least in the short term.

For prepaid customers:

Recharge with annual plans before the hike. Both Jio and Airtel have already seen many customers rushing to recharge with annual plans before the price hike takes effect. Vodafone Idea's annual unlimited plan is increasing from ₹2,899 to ₹3,499.

For postpaid customers:

Postpaid users still have some time to review. While they cannot avoid the price hike immediately, since billing happens at the end of the month, they can review their data usage and possibly switch to a lower-priced plan for the next billing cycle.

For example, Airtel postpaid users can switch from a 75GB plan costing ₹499 to a 40GB plan at ₹399 to save ₹100 per month. Similarly, Jio postpaid users can move from the 75GB plan at ₹499 to the 40GB plan at ₹399.

Telecom companies say the price hikes are necessary to maintain profit margins and invest in new technologies like 5G. Airtel mentioned that the new prices will help improve quality and coverage. Jio’s increases are part of its plan to make money from 5G services and increase average revenue per user (ARPU).

Shares of Bharti Airtel closed 0.19% higher at ₹1,421 apiece on the NSE, while Reliance Industries share closed at ₹3,109 apiece, down 0.68%. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea shares closed 2.64% higher at ₹17.47 apiece.