Airtel has brought back its popular ₹299 prepaid recharge plan, offering customers a more affordable option for 28-day validity. The telecom operator had discontinued this plan around three months ago, forcing users to choose more expensive recharges to enjoy similar benefits.

However, the returning plan comes with a significant change. While customers previously received 1.5GB of high-speed data per day, the relaunched ₹299 recharge now offers only 1GB of daily data. The price remains unchanged, but the data allowance has been reduced.

The move comes at a time when Airtel is facing slower growth in its mobile subscriber base. The company may be looking to retain existing customers and discourage them from switching to competing telecom operators by bringing back a lower-priced recharge option.

What Benefits Does Airtel's ₹299 Plan Offer Now?

The relaunched Airtel ₹299 prepaid plan comes with a validity of 28 days and offers the following benefits:

• Daily data: 1GB of high-speed internet

• Total data: 28GB over 28 days

• Calling: Unlimited voice calls

• SMS: 100 messages per day

• Validity: 28 days

Earlier, the same recharge offered 1.5GB of data every day, amounting to 42GB over the entire validity period. With the revised benefits, customers will now receive 14GB less data while paying the same amount.

This change could particularly affect users who regularly stream videos, browse social media or consume large amounts of mobile data. Customers exceeding the daily 1GB limit may have to purchase additional data packs or upgrade to a more expensive recharge.

Therefore, although Airtel has restored the ₹299 plan, it has not brought back all its earlier benefits.

Why Did Airtel Discontinue the ₹299 Recharge Earlier?

Airtel revised several prepaid recharge options in August 2026. During this exercise, the company discontinued multiple plans, including ₹299, ₹319, ₹579, ₹619 and ₹649.

These plans offered daily data benefits along with unlimited voice calling. After the ₹299 recharge was withdrawn, customers looking for 28-day validity and daily data increasingly had to consider the ₹349 plan.

The ₹349 recharge offered 1.5GB of daily data, unlimited calling and unlimited 5G access, making it an alternative for customers who previously relied on the ₹299 option.

As a result, customers who had earlier paid ₹299 had to spend ₹50 more to get the same 1.5GB daily data benefit. This represented an increase of approximately 16.7% in their recharge expenditure.

Is Airtel's New ₹299 Plan Worth It?

The return of the ₹299 recharge gives budget-conscious customers another option, particularly those who primarily use their phones for calling, messaging and light internet browsing.

However, users who regularly consume more than 1GB of data per day may find the revised benefits insufficient. They should compare the available recharge options before choosing a plan.

For customers who want to keep their monthly mobile expenses low, the restored ₹299 plan could be useful. However, those who need higher daily data allowances may still find a more expensive recharge better suited to their requirements.