Jio revives Prime at ₹299 as Airtel raises entry prepaid tariff

Reliance Jio has reintroduced its Prime membership, bundling up to ₹600 in cashback on select JioHome, JioPC and new-SIM connections, plus early access and priority support. The move follows Airtel’s withdrawal of its ₹299 prepaid plan and shift to a ₹349 entry unlimited pack.

— Source published Mon, 17 Aug, 2026, 18:06 IST · First seen Wed, 19 Aug, 2026, 00:14 IST · Source NDTV Profit

What happened

Reliance Jio has reintroduced Prime membership at Rs 300, offering Rs 600 in connection-related cashback, early product access and priority support. The move

Key facts

  • Rs 300 Prime membership price
  • Price guaranteed until Sept. 5, 2027
  • Rs 600 cashback vouchers
  • Rs 300 JioHome or JioPC connection cashback
  • Rs 300 new Jio SIM cashback
  • Airtel Rs 299 prepaid plan discontinued
  • Airtel entry unlimited plan raised to Rs 349
  • 16.7% increase
  • 1GB daily data for 28 days under former Airtel plan
  • 1.5GB daily data under new Airtel plan
  • Airtel net profit Rs 8,167 crore, up 11.5% sequentially
  • Airtel revenue Rs 58,539 crore, up 5.7%
  • Airtel ARPU Rs 264 versus Rs 261 estimate
  • Jio net profit Rs 7,764 crore versus Rs 7,317 crore in March quarter
  • Jio ARPU Rs 215.6 versus Rs 214

Why this matters

Jio’s bundled Prime benefits strengthen its ecosystem-led acquisition model, making partnerships in home broadband, devices and digital services more strategically valuable.

What to watch

  • Jio publishes the exact cashback redemption rules, qualifying plans, partner merchants and validity period for Prime.
  • Changes in Jio and Airtel gross adds, mobile number portability inflows and prepaid recharge churn over the next two quarters.
  • Whether Jio introduces a comparable increase in its entry unlimited prepaid tariff or keeps a visible price gap versus Airtel.
  • JioHome, AirFiber and JioPC connection volumes, especially Prime-member conversion and multi-service attachment rates.
  • Airtel commentary on ARPU, tariff repair, low-end-plan rationalization and retention after the ₹299 withdrawal.
  • Competitor responses from Vodafone Idea, including promotional pricing, device bundles or differentiated validity packs.
  • Jio expands Prime eligibility to additional JioAirFiber, JioHome, handset-finance or retail-device purchases.
  • Airtel reinforces its ₹349 floor with premium-data, content, broadband or family-plan incentives rather than restoring the ₹299 unlimited plan.
  • Jio retailers and digital channels promote Prime as a bundled household membership, increasing attachment of home connectivity and new SIMs.
  • Vodafone Idea selectively uses lower-priced packs or localized offers to capture price-sensitive users displaced by higher entry tariffs.
  • Operators increasingly segment prepaid customers: higher-value users receive loyalty perks, while low-usage plans become less generous.