If your monthly budget for a prepaid plan is Rs 500 and you are confused about choosing the best 5G mobile service, this is exactly what you have been looking for. India’s three major telecom operators — Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) — have beefed up their rivalry, focusing on competitive prepaid plans for less than Rs 500. In 2025, a sub-Rs 500 plan is going to offer at most a 28-day validity, but there’s a lot more to gain.
Unlike the previous days, these plans are no longer just about basic talk and text benefits – they now offer a complete package for the modern consumer. These modern prepaid plans now offer third-party streaming subscriptions, exclusive data benefits, and, most importantly, the promise of ‘Unlimited 5G data.’
We dug around to find the best prepaid plans for under Rs 500 and found a couple of lucrative ones to recommend:
– Reliance Jio at Rs 445
– Airtel at Rs 449
– Vi at Rs 469.
Here’s an in-depth look at what these plans have to offer.
Jio Rs 445 plan
Jio’s prepaid plan is priced at Rs 445 and comes with a pack validity of 28 days. For daily usage, the plan provides 2 GB/day of high-speed data, totaling 56GB of 4G data over the validity period. Additionally, subscribers get unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. Since this is a True 5G plan, users with a 5G-enabled device in a Jio 5G coverage area are also eligible for the unlimited 5G data benefit offered by Jio, thereby making the data consumption beyond 2 GB irrelevant.
The highlight of the Rs 445 plan is the bundle of 10 OTT subscriptions that come included at no extra cost. This list of platforms includes popular services such as Sony LIV, ZEE5, Lionsgate Play, Discovery+, Sun NXT, Kanchhaa Lannka, Planet Marathi, and Chaupal. Furthermore, users get access to Hoichoi, along with FanCode and essential utility apps JioTV and JioAICLoud. Consumers under the age of 25 years also get free access to Google AI Pro for 18 months.
Airtel Rs 449 plan
The Airtel prepaid plan, which is priced at Rs 449, also offers a suite of connectivity and digital benefits for a 28-day validity period. As part of the benefits, you get up to 4GB of 4G data per day and unlimited 5G data in areas where 5G is available. You also get unlimited local, STD, and roaming calls, and 100 SMS/day.
As part of the deals and freebies, subscribers gain 28 days of full access to Airtel Xstream Play Premium, which bundles over 20 OTT platforms, including Sony LIV, Lionsgate Play, Aha, Chaupal, and Hoichoi. Additionally, the plan includes a subscription to Apple Music, offering streaming access to over 100 million songs ad-free. You also get a free 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro AI, a benefit stated to be worth Rs 17,000.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) Rs 469 plan
The Vi prepaid plan is priced at Rs 469 and offers a validity and service validity of 28 days. The core connectivity benefits include a daily data allowance of 2.5GB/day, which is paired with truly unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS/day. The ‘Half day unlimited data’ grants unlimited high-speed data access from 12 AM to 12 PM (noon), and the ‘Weekend data rollover’ feature allows users to carry over any unused daily data between Monday to Friday into Saturday and Sunday.
As part of the benefits, it includes a 3-month JioHotstar Mobile subscription only. The ‘Data delights’ feature provides up to 2 GB of backup data every month at no extra cost. The unlimited 5G offer will be available in only areas where Vi’s 5G service is available.
Conclusion
Jio’s Rs 445 plan offers a better multi-platform entertainment package with 10 OTT subscriptions and standard 2 GB/day data. The Airtel Rs 449 plan is a good choice for a premium digital user, combining high daily data with high-value subscriptions like Apple Music and the exclusive Perplexity Pro AI annual subscription.
However, for the heavy data user and night owls, the Vi Rs 469 plan provides the most value with 2.5 GB/day, plus unlimited data from 12 AM to 12 PM, along with the Weekend Data Rollover.
