Following in the footsteps of Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and Airtel have now enabled mobile recharges via ATMs in India. The new service is a useful addition for those who don’t have internet connectivity on their phones and need recharges frequently. Both Airtel and Vodafone Idea have tied up with leading banks, which we will list below, to make the facility possible. Also, Airtel has partnered with a few grocery stores and pharmacies to make offline recharges even more convenient.
For Airtel, below are the banks whose ATMs can be used for recharges: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank. Airtel Customers can also visit Big Bazaar outlets and any Apollo Pharmacy to get the same recharge done.
Vodafone Idea: HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI, Axis Bank, Citi Bank, DCB Bank, IDBI Bank, and Standard Chartered.
Reliance Jio: State Bank of India, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank, CitiBank, DCB Bank, AUF Bank, Standard Chartered Bank.
The process to get the recharge done is pretty straight forward. The customer needs to have an ATM card, which, when inserted (in one of the above bank ATMs), will allow you to select the recharge option on the screen. Upon selecting the “recharge” option, the mobile number and the exact recharge amount has to be entered. Note that the recharge amount has to be one of the plans supported by the telecom operator. That’s it, all that is needed now is your ATM pin, and the recharge will be complete. Vodafone Idea, in particular, also support SMS recharges.
Type MOBILE<space>10 digit mobile number<space>Idea/Vodafone<space>Amount<space>Last 6 digits of your Axis Bank or ICICI Bank account number and send to either 9717000002 or 5676782
As part of initiatives to ease the lockdown period, both Vodafone Idea and Airtel extended the validity of their existing plans till April 17 for their customers. Also, they credited the accounts of low-income customers with Rs 10. Jio, on the other hand, announced 100 minutes calling and free SMS for JioPhone users.
