Airtel Discontinues ₹299, ₹319 and Other Prepaid Plans in India: What Changes for Users

Airtel has removed several prepaid recharge options from its portfolio, including the widely used ₹299 plan, pushing some customers toward higher-priced alternatives. The changes affect plans in the ₹299 to ₹799 range, although availability is not identical across every telecom circle.

The biggest change for most customers is at the lower end of Airtel's daily-data portfolio. The ₹299 plan is no longer being offered in the affected markets, while the ₹349 plan now serves as the main entry point for Airtel's 28-day daily-data option.

The company has also removed the ₹319, ₹649 and ₹799 plans. The ₹579 and ₹619 packs have been reported as unavailable in some circles, including Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Which Airtel prepaid plans have been removed?

Here is the current picture based on Airtel's plan availability and reports published on August 12 and 13, 2026:

Plan	Current status	What users need to know
₹299	Removed	The previous lower-priced daily-data option has been replaced by higher-priced alternatives
₹319	Removed	No longer part of the affected prepaid portfolio
₹579	Removed in some circles	Availability can vary by telecom circle
₹619	Removed in some circles	Availability can vary by telecom circle
₹649	Removed	One of Airtel's mid-range daily-data options
₹799	Removed	The older long-validity option is no longer available

The important distinction is that not every plan has necessarily disappeared nationwide at the same time. Airtel has historically maintained circle-specific prepaid offerings, and its own terms page also lists certain price points with service-area restrictions. Customers should therefore check the Airtel Thanks app or Airtel's recharge page for their own number before assuming that a plan is unavailable everywhere.

The ₹299 plan is the change most customers will notice

The ₹299 recharge was one of Airtel's familiar entry-level unlimited plans.

Its removal means customers who previously spent ₹299 on a 28-day recharge now have to move to a different option if they want a comparable daily-data package. The ₹349 plan has become the important replacement at this price level. It costs ₹50 more per recharge, which works out to a 16.7% increase over ₹299.

That calculation is straightforward:

₹349 − ₹299 = ₹50

₹50 ÷ ₹299 × 100 ≈ 16.7%

There is an important clarification - the ₹349 plan is not simply the old ₹299 plan with ₹50 added to the price. It provides a different benefit package, including 2GB of daily data and Unlimited 5G for eligible customers. That makes the change more complicated than calling it a straight 16.7% price hike.

For someone who needs the additional data and can use Airtel's 5G service, the higher-priced plan may offer more value. Someone who mainly used the ₹299 pack because it was the cheapest practical daily-data option has a different problem: the cheaper choice has disappeared.

What happened to the ₹319 plan?

Airtel has also removed the ₹319 prepaid option from the affected portfolio. The plan was positioned as a monthly recharge and was useful for customers who preferred a longer validity period than Airtel's basic 28-day options.

Its removal further reduces the number of price points available to customers who want to keep their monthly recharge spending relatively low. That is one reason the latest changes matter beyond the ₹299 plan. Airtel is removing several individual choices rather than simply changing one recharge.

₹579 and ₹619 plans are a slightly different case

The ₹579 and ₹619 plans should not be described as universally discontinued without qualification.

Reports indicate that these packs have disappeared in certain circles, including Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Airtel's prepaid catalogue can differ by service area, so customers elsewhere may see a different set of options.

This is important to point out because screenshots and third-party recharge lists can quickly become misleading when telecom operators change their catalogues. If a plan appears in an old article but does not appear in the Airtel Thanks app for a particular number, the current Airtel listing should take precedence.

The ₹649 and ₹799 plans are also gone

The ₹649 and ₹799 options have also been removed from Airtel's portfolio. The ₹799 plan is particularly notable because Airtel had already been changing its longer-validity pricing earlier this year. In April 2026, Airtel moved an 84-day plan from ₹859 to ₹899 while keeping its core benefits unchanged. Airtel had also discontinued the ₹799 plan at that time.

The latest changes therefore continue a pattern that has been visible in Airtel's prepaid portfolio for some time: fewer individual recharge options and greater emphasis on higher-priced plans.

Is Airtel actually increasing prices?

For some customers, the answer is effectively yes. But the situation is more nuanced than a blanket tariff hike. The clearest example is the ₹299 plan. A customer who previously needed the ₹299 recharge and now has to select ₹349 is paying ₹50 more for each recharge. If the customer makes roughly one recharge every 28 days, that difference adds up to about ₹650 over 13 recharge cycles.

At the same time, the replacement plan provides more data and different benefits. Industry analysts have nevertheless viewed the move as a form of tariff rationalisation that could raise Airtel's average revenue per user. The Economic Times reported that analysts expected the broader changes to lift effective tariffs by around 3% to 4%, while the impact is considerably larger for customers moving specifically from ₹299 to ₹349.

JM Financial has separately estimated that the removal of entry-level plans could increase Airtel's ARPU by around 2%. That is an analyst estimate, not a figure announced by Airtel.

Why would Airtel remove these plans?

Airtel has not publicly provided a detailed explanation for every plan removed in this latest revision. The most reasonable explanation is portfolio rationalisation. Telecom operators accumulate a large number of recharge combinations over time. Some overlap in price, validity and data allowance. Removing selected plans allows Airtel to concentrate customers around fewer price points.

There is also a financial incentive. Airtel tracks ARPU closely and moving customers from a ₹299 recharge to a ₹349 recharge raises the amount paid by those customers. Even if only a portion of subscribers migrate to the higher-priced option, the change can have a measurable effect on revenue. Network investment is another part of the broader picture. Airtel continues to expand its 4G and 5G networks, and the company has previously linked tariff improvements with the need for sustainable investment in its network business.

That does not, however, mean Airtel has said that the removal of these specific plans was solely to pay for 5G expansion. That connection is an industry-level interpretation rather than an official explanation for this particular change.

Airtel is moving customers toward higher-value plans

The direction of Airtel's prepaid portfolio is becoming easier to see. The operator increasingly promotes plans with larger data allowances, longer validity or 5G benefits rather than maintaining a large number of inexpensive combinations.

The ₹349 plan illustrates that approach well. It is more expensive than the ₹299 plan, but it also gives users 2GB of daily data and access to Unlimited 5G where eligible.

For Airtel, that creates a straightforward upgrade path. For customers, it creates a trade-off. A heavy data user may get more from the new plan. A light user may simply end up paying more because the cheaper option they preferred is no longer available.

What should existing Airtel users do?

There is no need to change plans immediately if your current recharge is still active. When it expires, check the plans available for your number in the Airtel Thanks app or Airtel's official recharge interface. Do not rely solely on screenshots or old recharge tables posted online, particularly if you live in a circle where Airtel offers region-specific plans.

If you previously used ₹299, compare the ₹349 plan with Airtel's other current options rather than automatically choosing the first replacement shown. If you do not use much mobile data, a lower-data or voice-focused recharge may make more sense than paying for 2GB every day. If you use substantial 5G data and have compatible coverage and a supported device, the ₹349 plan may be more attractive because of its Unlimited 5G benefit.

The right replacement therefore depends on how you actually use the connection.

What this means for Airtel customers

Airtel's latest changes do not represent a single across-the-board price increase. They are a restructuring of the prepaid catalogue, with the largest immediate effect being the disappearance of the ₹299 entry-level option.

For users who relied on that recharge, the practical change is simple: the minimum price for a comparable 28-day daily-data option has moved from ₹299 to ₹349 in the affected portfolio. The other removals matter because they narrow the number of choices available at the ₹319, ₹579, ₹619, ₹649 and ₹799 price points. Airtel's own listings and recent reports also show why customers should check availability by circle. A plan being removed in one market does not necessarily mean every Airtel subscriber in India sees exactly the same catalogue.

For now, the main takeaway is the ₹299 change. Airtel customers who previously relied on that recharge should expect to spend more if they want the new ₹349 daily-data option and if Airtel continues to simplify its prepaid portfolio, more familiar price points could disappear in future revisions

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Frequently asked questions

Is Airtel's ₹299 recharge discontinued?

The ₹299 plan has been removed from Airtel's affected prepaid portfolio, with the ₹349 plan now serving as the key lower-priced daily-data option. Availability can vary by circle and number.

How much more does the ₹349 plan cost?

It costs ₹50 more than the old ₹299 plan. That is an increase of approximately 16.7%.

Which Airtel plans have been discontinued?

Recent reports identify the ₹299, ₹319, ₹649 and ₹799 plans as discontinued, while the ₹579 and ₹619 plans have also disappeared in some circles.

Is the ₹579 plan discontinued everywhere?

Not necessarily. Reports indicate circle-level differences, so customers should check the current Airtel catalogue for their number.

What replaced the ₹299 plan?

The ₹349 recharge is now the key entry-level daily-data option. It offers a different benefit package, including 2GB daily data and Unlimited 5G for eligible users.

Has Airtel officially announced a reason for removing all these plans?

Airtel has not provided a detailed public explanation for every individual plan removed in this latest portfolio change. Analysts have interpreted the move as part of prepaid portfolio rationalisation and a strategy that could improve ARPU.