Reliance Jio charges up to Rs 1,150 security deposits on postpaid schemes; here’s why

Key Highlights:

• Jio is charging Rs 400 as onetime security deposit on its Rs 309 plan.
• For changing tariff plans and joining as a postpaid subscriber, customers will have to pay the deposit.
• Highest security deposit amounts to Rs 1,150 for Jio's Rs 999 plan.

When you go to the Reliance Jio website and click on ‘plans’ you will notice that under postpaid schemes information about ‘security deposits’ is displayed.

Jio’s postpaid plans that are only applicable for its Prime subscribers (those who paid Rs 99 for membership) range from Rs 309 to Rs 999. The data offered on these plans range from 30GB per month to 60GB respectively.

The cheapest postpaid plan under Jio for Rs 309 entails a onetime security deposit of Rs 400. The higher priced plans include a higher security deposit.

Tariff plans of Rs 409, Rs 509 and Rs 799 include deposits of Rs 500, Rs 600 and Rs 950 respectively.

While Jio’s highest priced postpaid plan of Rs 999 includes a security deposit of Rs 1,150, its website reads.

These security deposits, Zeebiz learnt were onetime payments made by subscribers which needed to be paid while susbcribing to postpaid or a new plan.

“The security deposit needs to be deposited in advance and it will become refundable (in case of service termination and after clearing all dues) only on payment of the first monthly bill,” Jio’s website said.

The fine print of incumbent telecom operator’s postpaid plans include similar ontime refundable security deposits.

Most telcos do this to limit outstanding payments by customers.

In its quarterly report on existing tariff plans as on March 2017, Vodafone was charging its postpaid customers a onetime security deposit of Rs 300 for its Rs 399 plan. The company’s RED Rs 499 plan that is still active entailed a security deposit of Rs 500.

Similarly Airtel charged its postpaid customers. “The credit limit for a customer is fixed basis his or her paid up security deposit, average monthly usage, payment track record and the number of months on Airtel network.”