By Arun Padmanabhan
Publication Date: 2026-01-12 11:41:00
When Bharti Airtel announced its partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) startup Perplexity AI in July 2025, the deal was positioned as one of the most aggressive consumer AI bundling moves in India.
All Airtel users, prepaid and postpaid, would get a full year of Perplexity Pro, the paid version of the AI service, completely free. With no requirement for a card. No conditions. Just activate through the Airtel Thanks app and start using it.
Six months later, that promise is starting to look very different.
Users who activated Perplexity Pro under the Airtel offer are now being asked to add credit or debit card details to continue using the service, despite being within the original 12-month free period promised by the telecom operator.
The change has blindsided users who signed up on the understanding that they were entitled to a full year of complimentary access. Perplexity Pro costs $17 a month or $167 annually (around Rs 15,000).
“Airtel advertised 1 year Perplexity Pro free with recharge. After just 3 months, Pro access is gone and payment is being demanded. This is not what was promised,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another user posted on Reddit: “Roughly six months have passed since I activated Perplexity Pro through Airtel. Now it’s asking me for card details to continue using it.”
While the Airtel app still reflects the original offer terms, with no mention of any card requirement, Perplexity has quietly changed its…
