Indian Telcos Allow Users to Recharge Other Prepaid Numbers

All these telcos are looking to help their prepaid users who’re unable to recharge because of the lockdown.

Indian telecom operators Vodafone Idea, Airtel and Reliance Jio are now letting their prepaid users help other users with mobile recharge, to help them stay connected during the lockdown.

This arrangement comes a few days after the country's telecom regulatory body asked all three telcos to support their prepaid users with free talk time and extended validity.

This new benefit will allow prepaid users on Vodafone Idea, Jio or Airtel to help with recharge (online) for other prepaid users on the network. Interestingly, all three telcos are enticing people to help others on their network, by offering recharge cashbacks to them.

This is what Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea are offering to the users.

Reliance Jio

Jio has launched a new app called JioPOS Lite, that is available on Android for now. The JioPOS Lite app requires you to sign in with the Jio mobile number, wait for the telco to verify your details and get you up and running.

It also seeks permission to access your phone’s contact list, storage and location. After that you create a four-digit MPIN to secure the app, making sure nobody else is able to use it recharge purpose.

However, it’s worth noting that JioPOS Lite requires users to upload some money in their account first, only then the recharge support will be enabled. Jio says that for every recharge worth Rs 100, the user will get Rs 4.166 in their account.

Vodafone Idea

In comparison to this, Vodafone or Idea users can do the recharge using the MyVodafone or My Idea app.

The feature is also limited to the prepaid users, who stand a chance to get cashback up to “6 percent on recharges done by an existing Vodafone or Idea customer for someone else through the aforementioned apps”, the company mentioned in its statement.

Vodafone Idea is offering this benefit till end of April, which is effectively seen as the deadline for lockdown in many parts of the country.

Airtel

Airtel is also doing a similar recharge program for its prepaid users, and this is available through the Airtel Thanks app. Prepaid users can help with balance for others, and for this, the telco is giving them 4 percent discount on the recharge amount which will be deducted during payment.

Telcos Feel the Pinch

So why are these companies rolling out new apps, and even offering cashbacks for people making recharges?

While the telecom regulatory body insisted that all prepaid users should be given free talktime and extended validity.

But it has been suggested that telcos with their existing financial stress (remember the AGR dues?), this is the best they can offer, especially when adding new subscribers has come to a halt because of the lockdown.