How to Save Money on Mobile Recharge

When mobile phones were first introduced in India, incoming calls were chargeable. Then came a time when mobile operators offered lifetime validity. You could continue receiving incoming calls despite having no mobile balance. Now, even though incoming calls are free, you must recharge your mobile plan at regular intervals to keep it active. With each mobile recharge plan, you get a limited validity, after which you cannot make outgoing calls and incoming calls will also stop after a week. The mobile data will also stop working once the validity of the plan is over.

In such a scenario, you must find a plan that delivers the maximum value at the minimum cost.

How to Save Money on Mobile Recharge?

Do you still remember the first handsets in the early 2000s that supported only calls and text messages? Later came the concept of MMS to share images and videos. Now, you can do almost anything using your smartphone device, including video calls, online video streaming, playing games, making conference calls, sending e-mails, online chatting, listening to music, downloading HD music and pictures, etc. However, these activities consume data and you must choose a recharge plan that caters to your requirements.

Tips to Save Money on Mobile Recharge

Choose One Mobile Operator for All Family Members

All the family members should choose the same telecom service operator and enjoy reduced tariffs for family packages. Some operators also allow free calls within the network. Look out for Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) that offer free or cheaper calls to the contacts whom you frequently call or text. Moreover, look for plans that allow free or low-cost calls at night or during particular hours of the day.

Nowadays, many mobile operators offer unlimited phone calls during the validity period. Although these plans may be a little costlier, they can help you save money if you frequently call people and talk for a long duration.

Select the Right Mobile Recharge Plan

Since the requirements vary for different customers, selecting the right recharge plan is crucial to meet their needs. For instance, some use their mobile more for calls while others are more comfortable texting. Some use data for internet browsing, chatting, video streaming, downloading, listening to music, etc.

If you make more phone calls, choose a plan with unlimited calls. For STD or international calls, choose a plan with reduced call rates. For more data usage, pick a plan with sufficient data per day. However, if you use little data or have Wi-Fi at home and office, a mobile recharge plan with a low data limit will be enough. If you run out of data before the validity expires, you can buy an extra data pack to get a top-up without validity.

Tweak Your Mobile Settings

Mobile applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram use excess data. Default settings on WhatsApp are on auto-download for media. Therefore, change your mobile settings to stop media auto-download. By doing that, any media you receive will not be downloaded automatically. You can manually download any image or video that you want to see. Apart from saving your mobile data, this setting also helps in saving mobile storage space and keeps the gallery junk-free.

Recharge with ICICI Bank Digital Platform

ICICI Bank’s digital platforms like iMobile Pay allow mobile recharges quickly, conveniently and digitally. With instant registration, you get multiple payment options to recharge your mobile number with the desired plan.

You get timely reminders so you can recharge in time and remain connected. The zero convenience fee makes ICICI Bank’s digital apps the preferred payment option for mobile recharges.

Plan for the Long Term

Although monthly plans seem cheaper due to their smaller recharge amounts, plan for the long term and recharge for longer durations. Eventually, you should recharge your phone to keep it active. So, why not recharge it once a year rather than monthly and save money?

Recharge plans with longer validity periods are cheaper than monthly recharges. Moreover, they save you from the hassle of recharging the phone frequently. So, compare your mobile operator's various long-term recharge plans and choose the one that best suits your calling or mobile data needs.

Use Wi-Fi

Rather than using your mobile data wherever you go, keep your Wi-Fi on and connect it at home or office. You may also ask for a Wi-Fi password whenever you visit a friend or relative. Even in public places, try to connect to the Wi-Fi to make video calls or browse the internet. However, be safe when using public Wi-Fi and avoid carrying out any financial transactions on these networks. This way, you will need less mobile data and low-cost packs with less data will be sufficient. You will also save money on frequent top-ups before the validity expires.

Use these simple tips to save money on mobile recharge plans and get further discounts by recharging using ICICI Bank’s digital apps. Look out for the special offers and discounts on recharge plans and avail them to save money.