Jio launches Rs 259 'calendar month validity' prepaid plan: Details here

India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio has launched Rs 259 plan that comes with a calendar month (30 days) validity following a directive from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The plan will help prepaid users remember just one recharge date every month.

Jio is the first in the industry to launch the 'calendar month validity' prepaid plan after TRAI's directive. Till now, the telco had been offering a prepaid plan with 28 days of service validity.

In January, the telecom regulator had directed telecom operators to launch prepaid plans with a 30-day validity as most plans offer a validity of 28 days, forcing customers to recharge their number 13 times a year. It had directed telcos to offer “at least one plan voucher, one special tariff voucher and one combo voucher” with 30-day validity, which shall be renewable on the same date every month.

As per information on Jio's website, Rs 259 plan comes bundled with 1.5 GB daily data and unlimited calling along with other benefits on the validity of exactly one calendar month - irrespective of whether a month has 30 or 31 days.

Accordingly, the number of recharges will be only 12, in a year.

The plan will recur on the same date every month. So, if a user recharges with the new Rs 259 monthly plan on, say March 5, then the next recurring recharge dates would be on the fifth of subsequent months (April 5, May 5, June 5 and so on).

Like other Jio prepaid plans, Rs 259 plan can be recharged multiple times at one go. The advance recharged plan goes into a queue and automatically becomes active on the date of expiry of the current active plan, thus offering convenience to users.

The plan is available to both new and existing users through all online and offline channels, the telco stated.

(With PTI inputs)