India SIM cards advice
Oct 17, 2023, 10:33 am
#46
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,632
I've now gotten Airtel SIM cards two ways:
1. Airtel corporate store in Kolkata. I needed my passport. They gave me a 1 month SIM for around rs300. I then added money to the SIM on AIrtel's website to keep the SIM active for a year, but after 3 months service ended (even though it was pre-paid for a year). Airtel claims this is a government requirement.
1. Airtel corporate store in Kolkata. I needed my passport. They gave me a 1 month SIM for around rs300. I then added money to the SIM on AIrtel's website to keep the SIM active for a year, but after 3 months service ended (even though it was pre-paid for a year). Airtel claims this is a government requirement.
The problem is that they took your money for one year anyway. They will never ever give it back. But if you had read previous posts in this thread, you would have known about the finite life.
Quoting prices isn't informative if we don't know what you got for it. One pays for a plan that typically includes unlimited calls and essentially unlimited texts, but varying amounts of data. The plans last for various periods, which in this case was presumably 28 days.
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Last edited by SeeBuyFly; Oct 17, 2023 at 2:48 pm
Oct 23, 2023, 12:28 pm
#47
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 398
Unfortunately when I arrived (~5am) they were changing staff shifts and asked me to come back in an hour. Fine, as I had a long layover before a domestic flight from T1 on a separate booking, so I went outside of the terminal to have a cigarette.
Big mistake!!! As I was then not allowed back inside the terminal despite clearly having a boarding pass showing I had just arrived! Eventually an Airtel employee happened to walk past so I collared him and asked if he could help. He was extremely helpful and sorted everything out, coming back in and out of the terminal to see me at various points (as he had airport ID, he could come and go, it was just me who was stuck outside!)
Having to hand over my passport & iPhone to essentially a complete stranger was not ideal, but at least I could literally see the Airtel desk from just outside the doors. I was putting the SIM in a mobile Wi-Fi device, but he had to temporarily put it in my phone first to register it and receive some SMS messages. Once in the mobile WiFi device, it then worked immediately, no waiting around at all for activation etc.
So all in all very impressed with their service. The price is cheap compared to where I’m from (UK) and the coverage/speeds have been good. The one day I went over 1.5Gb it was easy to top up via Amazon Pay. The SIM did not work at all in Kashmir, but was already expecting that having researched this prior to travelling. Everywhere else it has worked fine.
All I needed to register it was my passport and the Airtel guy took a photo of me on his camera phone. No visa or any other documents required.
Last edited by Nikko5; Oct 23, 2023 at 12:33 pm
Jan 31, 2024, 11:23 am
#48
Join Date: May 2013
Location: London
Programs: British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 184
Airtel no longer available for foreigners?
I have read on another forum that as of 1st January a new law that requires a reference and an OTP from an Indian Citizen when buying Sim cards. The person reported that the Airtel stall at Delhi airport refused to sell them a Sim card without this reference?
Given I'm arriving at around midnight, I don't want to be stuck without a Sim card. Can anyone advise if this is correct and also is there any workaround I can do? I don't really want to buy an eSim from Airalo because they're so much more expensive.
Given I'm arriving at around midnight, I don't want to be stuck without a Sim card. Can anyone advise if this is correct and also is there any workaround I can do? I don't really want to buy an eSim from Airalo because they're so much more expensive.
Feb 1, 2024, 2:32 am
#49
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,187
The 2012 procedures were completely revised in late 2023 and went into effect on Dec 1:
https://dot.gov.in/access-services/s...r-verification
Under the new rules the KYC has to be verified using the UIDAI system, which of course doesn't work for visitors. Back in 2018 the 2012 process was updated to include the needs of visitors, so I suppose the outcry of NRI/OCI will force an amendment soon.
https://dot.gov.in/access-services/s...r-verification
Under the new rules the KYC has to be verified using the UIDAI system, which of course doesn't work for visitors. Back in 2018 the 2012 process was updated to include the needs of visitors, so I suppose the outcry of NRI/OCI will force an amendment soon.
Feb 1, 2024, 5:17 am
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,682
Implications of Airalo / Holafly ban in India?
Feb 1, 2024, 5:50 am
#51
Join Date: May 2013
Location: London
Programs: British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 184
Thanks for reply both. So is there any way around it, or is it simply not possible for a tourist to use local data services there?
I saw that thread but it seems to suggest that eSims still work, just that they cannot be bought in the country?
In case you are planning on using Airalo then you may want to check this thread as well:
Implications of Airalo / Holafly ban in India?
Implications of Airalo / Holafly ban in India?
Feb 1, 2024, 5:55 am
#52
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
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Mar 1, 2024, 2:15 pm
#54
Join Date: May 2013
Location: London
Programs: British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 184
There were a lot of people huddling around the Airtel stall at T3 when l was there a few weeks ago, but they all looked very stressed so cannot say if they were sold one or not.
ln the end l bought a Simcard from the UK which included free roaming in lndia. lt was only GBP 6 so not much more than Airtel charge at the airport and avoided all the stress and queueing.
ln the end l bought a Simcard from the UK which included free roaming in lndia. lt was only GBP 6 so not much more than Airtel charge at the airport and avoided all the stress and queueing.
Mar 1, 2024, 8:54 pm
#55
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: LAX, SAN, ORD, MAA & COK
Programs: AA EXP 6+ MM, AC, DL (MM) & LT SC; All Airlines 10+MM, Hilton LT Diamond, Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 749
Please enlighten us as to the SIM provider, cost of data usage and calling rates when roaming. I once had a "free roaming" SIM but the data, SMS & voice calling rates when roaming were astronomical.
Mar 3, 2024, 12:01 pm
#56
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SJC
Programs: Does it matter any more?
Posts: 2,153
I talked to a Jio and Airtel store in the city.
Both were willing to process and issue a physical SIM under an Annual pre-paid plan. Without an Aadhar.
Unfortunately when we reached the payment step, both failed to accept US issued credit cards. I didn't have UPI or an India issued credit card to process the tx.
I ran out of time to chase this down, but it seems possible to get an Indian SIM without aadhar with an annual validity.
Mar 3, 2024, 12:19 pm
#57
Join Date: May 2013
Location: London
Programs: British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 184
Don't understand how it can be free roaming if it then charges you? In any case its Lycamobile which offers 12 GB (or less if your plan is for less than 12 GB) free data roaming in India. Non-data roaming is not included in India, but it does have free minutes to call lndia from the UK.
Mar 3, 2024, 1:10 pm
#58
Join Date: Feb 2023
Location: DC
Programs: AI Flying Returns Gold
Posts: 27
Yes, I ran into this "Catch-22" after arriving on the Dulles flight in early February. I did have a local friend who could get the OTP for me, but the OTP they sent never reached her.
I ended up going to an Airtel brick and mortar store with a local friend and buying a "permanent" Airtel pre-paid SIM.
Also, Airtel seems to no longer accept "international" credit cards (like AMEX) for payment on pre-paid SIM cards so I am not sure how to recharge the SIM each month apart from asking a local friend to use their UPI to do so.
It's a real headache for visitors because you need a cell phone for everything there.
I ended up going to an Airtel brick and mortar store with a local friend and buying a "permanent" Airtel pre-paid SIM.
Also, Airtel seems to no longer accept "international" credit cards (like AMEX) for payment on pre-paid SIM cards so I am not sure how to recharge the SIM each month apart from asking a local friend to use their UPI to do so.
It's a real headache for visitors because you need a cell phone for everything there.
Mar 4, 2024, 12:59 pm
#59
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,632
Usually accepts my amazon.com account Visa/MC with 2FA verification via PayU (also known as PayUp). However, it does not always work. AmEx always works.
Generally easier to pay for a year at a time.
Mar 5, 2024, 3:11 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
There were a lot of people huddling around the Airtel stall at T3 when l was there a few weeks ago, but they all looked very stressed so cannot say if they were sold one or not.
ln the end l bought a Simcard from the UK which included free roaming in lndia. lt was only GBP 6 so not much more than Airtel charge at the airport and avoided all the stress and queueing.
ln the end l bought a Simcard from the UK which included free roaming in lndia. lt was only GBP 6 so not much more than Airtel charge at the airport and avoided all the stress and queueing.
Slam in the SiM at BOM and summon an Uber sounds too good to be true
