Airtel Hikes Postpaid Plans: Monthly Bills Go Up, Free International Roaming Offered in Return

Telecom major Airtel has announced a hike in its postpaid mobile plans, a move that will increase the monthly out-of-pocket expenses for its subscribers. With a ₹50 increase in monthly tariffs, users will effectively pay around ₹600 extra annually. However, to sweeten the deal, the telecom operator has bundled a major perk into these revised plans: free annual international roaming.

Details of Revised Plans and Free Roaming Benefit

Under the revised tariff structure, Airtel's base single-user postpaid plan now starts at ₹499, offering unlimited calling, high-speed data, spam and fraud protection, along with subscriptions like Google One and Xstream Play Premium. Family plans ranging from ₹749 to ₹1,799 offer multiple SIM cards bundled with popular OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar.

The standout feature of the new rollout is the complimentary 5-day international roaming pack provided once a year per SIM card. This pack includes 5GB of mobile data, 60 minutes of voice calls, and free outgoing and incoming SMS. Users can choose to activate this benefit flexibly during their actual foreign trips rather than immediately.

Impact on Existing and Family Subscribers

Existing postpaid customers will also be transitioned to the new revised plans in due course. While frequent flyers might find the ₹50 monthly hike justified due to the ₹2,000 value of the international roaming benefit, budget-conscious users who never travel abroad will effectively see an increase in their standard monthly communication costs.