Free Perplexity Pro With Airtel: How to Claim It (and What Happens Now)

Remember when every Airtel user in India suddenly got a year of Perplexity Pro for free? A tool that normally costs around $200 a year, handed out with your mobile plan. Millions of people jumped on it.

Here’s the catch. That free year is now running out. Early users lost Pro access around July 2026, and everyone else will follow over the next few months.

So if you’re searching for the Perplexity Airtel offer today, you probably fall into one of three groups:

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• You never claimed it and want to know if you still can.
• You claimed it and want to know when it ends.
• Your Pro access just stopped, or you got a “Paused” message, and you’re wondering what to do next.

This guide covers all three. You’ll see how the offer worked, how to check your expiry date, how to avoid surprise charges, and what your options are once the free ride ends.

What Was the Perplexity Airtel Offer?

In July 2025, Airtel partnered with Perplexity, the AI-powered answer engine. Every eligible Airtel customer could claim 12 months of Perplexity Pro at no extra cost. Airtel valued the subscription at about ₹17,000.

The offer was open to:

• Prepaid and postpaid mobile users
• Airtel broadband (Xstream Fiber) and DTH customers
• Business and enterprise Airtel customers, as long as the connection was active

It covered Perplexity Pro only. Enterprise Pro and Max plans were not included.

What did Perplexity Pro free actually give you?

Think of the free version of Perplexity as a smart search engine with a daily limit. Pro removes most of those limits. With Pro, users got:

• Far more Pro Searches per day for deeper, multi-step research
• A choice of advanced AI models from different providers
• File and PDF uploads for analysis
• Image generation
• Research-style reports that pull from many sources at once

For students, freelancers and small business owners, that’s a serious upgrade. If you’re comparing AI tools for work, our guide to the best AI tools for small business in India shows where Perplexity fits next to other options.

Can You Still Claim Free Perplexity Pro With Airtel?

Short answer: no.

The claim window closed in mid-January 2026. Perplexity’s own help page confirms the promotion ended on January 16, 2026, and can no longer be redeemed.

If you open the Airtel Thanks app today, you won’t find a working Perplexity Pro card for new claims. Be careful with videos or posts that still promise a “free Perplexity Pro Airtel trick.” The official route is gone.

What about people who claimed it before the deadline? They’re fine. Their 12 months run from their own activation date, not from the day the offer closed.

How Claiming Worked (So You Can Check Your Account)

Even though new claims are closed, it helps to know the steps. They tell you exactly where to look if you’re not sure whether you redeemed it.

Here’s how Airtel users claimed it:

1. Open the Airtel Thanks app and log in with your Airtel number.
2. Go to the Benefits section and tap “Claim OTTs and more.”
3. Find the Perplexity Pro card and tap “Claim.”
4. Sign up or log in to Perplexity using any email, Google or Apple account.
5. Look for a “Welcome to Pro” email from Perplexity.

A few people were also asked to add a credit card during sign-up. You weren’t charged during the free year. However, that saved card is the reason some users now face auto-renewal charges. More on that below.

Not sure if you claimed it?

Try this quick check:

• In the Airtel Thanks app, see if the Perplexity card shows as “Redeemed.”
• Log in to Perplexity and look for a Pro badge on your profile or home screen.
• Search your inbox for “Welcome to Pro” or “Perplexity Pro.”

If all three come up empty, you most likely never activated it.

When Does Your Free Perplexity Pro End?

Your free year ends 12 months after the day you activated it. There’s no single end date for everyone.

Here’s a rough timeline:

To see your exact date:

1. Log in to Perplexity on the web.
2. Click your profile icon and open Settings.
3. Go to the Subscription section.

You’ll see either a renewal date or an “ends on” date. Write it down or set a phone reminder a week before.

Why Does My Perplexity Pro Say “Paused”?

In July 2026, many users opened Perplexity and found their plan marked “Paused.” Naturally, a lot of people panicked.

Don’t worry. “Paused” doesn’t mean your account was deleted. It usually means one of two things:

• Your free 12 months are over, and Perplexity is waiting for you to choose a paid plan.
• No valid payment method is linked, or an old card on file has expired.

Your chat history and saved threads stay in your account. You simply drop back to the free plan until you decide whether to pay.

How to Avoid Surprise Charges After the Airtel Offer

This is the part that matters most. If you added a card during sign-up, your Pro plan may renew automatically at the regular price once the free year ends.

Ask yourself one simple question: do you actually use Pro enough to pay for it? If the answer is no, cancel before your renewal date.

How to cancel Perplexity Pro auto-renewal

On the web (desktop or mobile browser):

1. Go to perplexity.ai and log in with the account you used for the Airtel offer.
2. Click your profile icon and open Settings.
3. Open Subscription and select Manage Subscription.
4. Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
5. Recheck the page. It should now show that your plan ends on a date rather than renewing.

Good news: cancelling doesn’t cut you off early. You keep Pro until your free period ends, and then the account drops to the free plan without charging you.

Paid through Apple or Google?

If you were already a paying subscriber through the App Store or Google Play before the Airtel offer, billing is handled there. In that case, cancel from your Apple ID subscriptions or the Google Play Subscriptions page, not inside Perplexity.

Never added a card?

Then you don’t need to do anything. Your account will simply move back to the free plan when the year ends.

Should You Pay for Perplexity Pro After the Free Year?

Perplexity Pro costs $20 per month, or about $200 per year on the annual plan. Prices in India can vary slightly depending on where you subscribe, so check the app before you pay.

So, is it worth it? Here’s an easy way to decide.

Paying makes sense if you:

• Use deep research or long reports several times a week
• Upload PDFs, contracts or reports for quick summaries
• Need answers with clear sources for client work or studies
• Like switching between different AI models in one place

The free plan is probably enough if you:

• Mainly ask quick, everyday questions
• Used Pro only because it was free
• Already pay for another AI tool like ChatGPT or Gemini

Think of it like a gym membership. If you went daily during the free year, renew. If you went twice, save your money.

Free Alternatives Once Your Airtel Perplexity Pro Ends

Losing Pro doesn’t mean losing AI help. Here are a few options worth a look:

• Perplexity’s free plan: Still handy for sourced answers and a limited number of Pro Searches per day.
• Google AI Pro through Jio: Jio users on eligible 5G plans have been offered 18 months of Google’s premium AI plan. Check the MyJio app to see if it’s still available for you.

• ChatGPT free plan: Good for writing, brainstorming and everyday tasks.
• Gemini free plan: Useful for long documents and Google Workspace users.

A smart habit is to squeeze the most out of free tiers before paying for anything. We follow the same approach for marketing tools. For example, see what you get on the Semrush free plan or with Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, both of which cost nothing.

Put Perplexity to Work for Your Business

Whether you stay on Pro or switch to free, Perplexity can save real hours. Here are a few practical uses for small businesses:

• Keyword and topic research: Ask it to list common questions people ask about your product. Then pair that with a proper SEO tool from our list of the best SEO tools for small businesses.
• Competitor checks: Get a quick summary of a rival’s pricing or features before a deeper look. Our Semrush vs Ahrefs comparison shows which tools go further.
• Marketing planning: Draft campaign ideas, then run them through the platforms in our guide to the best marketing software for small businesses in India.
• Online store research: Compare store builders and payment options before you launch. Start with our roundup of the best ecommerce platforms in India.

Conclusion: Check Your Date Before It’s Too Late

The Perplexity Airtel deal was one of the best free AI offers India has seen. But it’s winding down, and the details matter.

Here’s a quick recap:

• New claims closed in mid-January 2026. You can’t claim it anymore.
• Your free year lasts 12 months from your own activation date.
• “Paused” usually means your free period ended or no valid card is linked.
• Added a card? Cancel auto-renewal before your end date if you don’t want to pay.
• Didn’t add a card? You’ll move back to the free plan with nothing to do.

Your next step takes two minutes. Log in to Perplexity, open Settings, and check your subscription date today. Then decide whether Pro earns its place in your budget, or whether free tools will do the job.

Want more AI tools that won’t cost a rupee? Browse our guide to the best AI tools for small business in India and build a smarter, low-cost toolkit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: Airtel blog announcement and Perplexity Help Center.