Searches like "ChatGPT free for Airtel users", "Airtel recharge with ChatGPT subscription" and "ChatGPT free on which SIM" keep bringing readers to this site. The honest answer as of 15 October 2026: no Indian mobile operator includes ChatGPT with a recharge. We found no such plan from Airtel, Jio or Vi, and OpenAI hasn't announced a telecom partnership in India.
What does exist is a set of different AI deals that are easy to mix up. Airtel's was Perplexity, Jio's is Google's Gemini, and the free ChatGPT year came straight from OpenAI for everyone, regardless of SIM. Here's where each one stands.
Airtel: Perplexity Pro, not ChatGPT — and it's closed
Airtel's AI offer, launched in July 2025, gave its mobile, broadband and DTH customers 12 months of Perplexity Pro, which Airtel valued at ₹17,000. It was claimed from the Airtel Thanks app. Perplexity's help centre says the promotion ended on 16 January 2026, so new Airtel customers can't claim it now.
Perplexity is an AI search assistant. Its Pro plan lets you pick from several leading AI models for answers, so some posts described the offer as "free ChatGPT with Airtel". It isn't: it's a Perplexity subscription, and you use it in the Perplexity app, not in ChatGPT.
If you claimed Perplexity Pro through Airtel, check your renewal
Your 12 months run from your own activation date, so anyone who claimed it in October or November 2025 is reaching the end of the free year now. The earliest claims from July 2025 have already ended.
There's a detail worth knowing here. Business Today reported in January 2026 that Perplexity asked Airtel users partway through their free year to add a credit or debit card to keep access, and that Perplexity's email said the subscription "will renew automatically unless cancelled beforehand". Airtel told the publication that its commercial terms hadn't changed and users wouldn't be charged by default. With the two companies saying different things, don't rely on either. If you added a card, open Perplexity's account settings, check your end date and whether renewal is on, and cancel before the end date if you don't want to pay. Perplexity Pro costs $17 a month or $167 a year (around ₹15,000).
Jio: Google AI Pro with ₹349+ 5G plans
Jio is the only one of the three operators with a live free AI offer: 18 months of Google AI Pro, which Jio values at ₹35,100, for users aged 18 and above on an unlimited 5G plan of ₹349 or more. It's claimed from the MyJio app and you must stay on an eligible plan for the full 18 months. It gives you Gemini, not ChatGPT, but for writing, summarising and everyday questions it does the same job. Our post on the Jio ChatGPT offer covers this in detail.
Vi: no AI bundle we could find
We found no ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity bundle on Vi recharges. Vi's plan extras are mostly OTT streaming subscriptions. If a page claims "free AI with Vi recharge", check the Vi app or myvi.in before believing it.
The free ChatGPT year was from OpenAI, and it's over
The offer people usually remember is OpenAI's: from November 2025, anyone in India could claim 12 months of ChatGPT Go free, on any SIM, by adding a card or UPI. OpenAI's release notes say that promotion ended on 21 January 2026. Those who claimed early reach their renewal in November 2026, when the saved payment method is charged unless they cancel from Manage plan in ChatGPT.
So which SIM gives free ChatGPT?
None. ChatGPT's own free plan works on every network, and that is the only free ChatGPT available. If you want more, OpenAI's pricing page for India listed ChatGPT Go at ₹399 a month and ChatGPT Plus at ₹1,999 a month when checked in late September 2026. The SIM you use doesn't change these prices.
If you want the most AI for the least money: Jio users on a ₹349+ 5G plan should claim Google AI Pro. Airtel and Vi users can use ChatGPT's free plan, try Google's AI Plus plan (launched in India at ₹199 a month for the first six months, then ₹399), or pay for ChatGPT Go if they keep hitting the free limits.
Avoid fake "recharge with ChatGPT" offers
Because so many people search for this, expect WhatsApp forwards and websites promising a ChatGPT plan with your recharge. Genuine operator offers appear inside the Airtel Thanks, MyJio or Vi apps; genuine ChatGPT plans are bought in the ChatGPT app or at chatgpt.com. Never enter an OTP, card number or UPI PIN on any other page that promises free ChatGPT. Offer terms here are as published by Airtel, Perplexity, Jio, OpenAI and Google, and as reported, up to 15 October 2026.