Without a recharge, prepaid SIMs from Jio, Airtel, and Vi remain active for a maximum of 90 days. Airtel offers an additional grace period of 15 days, while Jio and Vi deactivate the number after 90 days.
Sim Validity Rules: The number of mobile users in India is rapidly increasing, and the use of dual SIMs in a single phone has become very common these days. Many people keep one SIM active for calls/data, while the other SIM is used only when needed. But do you know how long your prepaid number can remain active (Active) without a recharge? The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has clear guidelines regarding this, and the country's major telecom companies — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) — operate according to these rules.
What does TRAI's rule say?
According to TRAI, if a user does not recharge their number for a long time, telecom companies can deactivate that number after a fixed period. This period is usually 90 days (three months). After this, the companies can allocate that number to a new customer.
Reliance Jio Rules
- If you are a Jio user and do not recharge, your SIM is considered active in the system for 90 days.
- You may get the facility of incoming calls for the first few days, but it depends on the previous plan validity.
- If there is no recharge after 90 days, your number will be removed from the company's database.
- After this, the same number can be allotted to another customer.
Therefore, if you use a Jio number only as a secondary SIM, be sure to do a minimum recharge every 2-3 months.
Airtel Rules
Airtel also gives a period of 90 days, but it has a special feature — a grace period.
- After 90 days, Airtel users get an additional 15 days.
- If a recharge is done during this time, the number becomes active again immediately.
- If a recharge is not done even in the grace period, the number will be permanently closed and a new user can take it.
Because of this, Airtel users have a little more time for recharge compared to Jio and Vi.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) Rules
The 90-day rule also applies to Vi users.
- During this time, the number remains active in the system, but when incoming and outgoing services will be stopped depends on your previous recharge.
- After 90 days, the number will be deactivated without a recharge.
- After deactivation, the number can be transferred to a new customer.
What should users do?
- If you have two SIMs in the same phone and use one of them less, keep the following in mind:
- Do at least a minimum recharge every 2-3 months (such as ₹99 or the company's minimum plan).
- If your number is linked to a bank account, UPI, or OTP, be sure to recharge it before it is closed.
- Note the recharge date or set a reminder so that the number is not accidentally closed.
According to TRAI's rules and the companies' policies, the SIM in Jio, Airtel, and Vi—all three remains active for a maximum of 90 days without recharge, although Airtel also gets an additional grace period of 15 days. Therefore, if you want to save your number, recharging on time is the best way.
