Mobile Recharge Now vs. Then

Mobile/phones/Smartphones have become such an important part of our daily life. Our day begins with checking the phone and ends as well. There is so much that can be done on these smartphones nowadays. People do different things such as Internet surfing, chatting, Studying, Working, Social Media, Calls, SMS and much more.

And these Smartphones need to be recharged from time to time to use them. Not just battery charging, they need recharge(prepaid or postpaid) for mobile data, Talk time for calls, SMS etc. Nowadays, you can easily perform these recharges using mobile recharge apps like MobiKwik. But that wasn’t the scenario even a decade ago.

So, let’s talk about mobile recharge and how it has changed over the years.

What Is A Mobile Recharge?

In simple words, mobile recharge is paying money to use the internet(Mobile data) to make calls and SMS. It means an Airtel recharge will ensure that you can enjoy these facilities without any interruption.

There are many telecommunications companies today, but a few years ago, there were just 2-3 companies. Every company offers different packages, plans and tariffs.

Mobile Recharge (then)

In the earlier days, during the initial days of phones and mobiles, there were charges for incoming calls and outgoing calls, which means the person calling should have sufficient mobile balance for making the call, and the person receiving the call should have sufficient mobile balance to take the call.

Later this changed, and the incoming became free. So the person receiving the call need not have any mobile balance.

With time, Phones became common, and almost every house had a phone. The mobile recharge system was very different back then; there were recharge coupons available. These coupons were like scratch cards, and they were available for different prices like Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.60, Rs.75, Rs.100 etc. These coupon values had talk time offers. For example, a Rs.10 coupon offered talk  time worth Rs.9, and in those days(more than a decade ago), there was no mobile data and internet facility on phones.

After Smartphones came into the market, the internet became a common phone facility. And with this, recharge coupons for Mobile data were made available.

The problem with these recharge coupons was the supply and availability. With different telecommunications companies, many times, the shop/recharge coupon seller would not have the recharge coupons of your telecommunications company. And often, it would be the case that recharge coupons would be unavailable due to lack of supply, or they would be available but of different value, say you need a Rs.50 coupon, but the available coupon would be Rs.100.

Another problem was that these coupons would not be available/sold at any or every shop. Only a few dealers would be authorized sellers of these coupons. So in case the dealer has not opened the shop or is not available, you would have to wait for your mobile recharge to be done.

During these days, another way of recharge came into the market where the authorized dealer can recharge your mobile via his mobile. The telecommunications company would make his mobile number a way to recharge the mobile of customers. This way of recharge became most used because it would not be dependent on the supply of coupons or anything. The only problem with this method is that sometimes it would take a while for the recharge to be activated on your mobile number. Sometimes it would take 15 mins, 30 mins or even more.

Mobile Recharge (Now)

Mobile recharge methods nowadays are completely different and easier. In the present day, all mobile recharges are mostly done online. You don’t have to walk up to a shop or dealer to recharge your mobile; you can recharge your mobile online using websites and apps.

You can use the official application of the telecommunication company, say Airtel, or you can opt for recharge apps like MobiKwik to finish your Airtel recharge in a blink of an eye. It provides a simple, safe and rapid way to recharge your mobile. You can choose from different packs and plans. You have a wide range of offers and benefits, such as caller tunes, OTT subscriptions etc.