Bharti Airtel is currently facing heavy criticism from subscribers over changes to its much talked about Perplexity Pro AI benefit. The issue is not that the free offer has reached its deadline; most users already knew it came with a validity period. What has really unsettled people is what they see as a sudden shift in how the ‘free’ subscription works. The offer was originally promoted as a no-strings-attached perk that did not require any payment details. Now, many users say they are being asked to add card information to continue using something they signed up for in good faith. The situation has sparked a larger conversation about trust, transparency and how telecom perks are marketed in the age of AI.
Airtel stopped fresh activations for the Perplexity Pro AI offer on 16 January, sticking to its earlier announcement that the benefit would only be valid until 16 January 2026. On paper, the telecom company has not broken the timeline it shared at the start, as the offer was always positioned as a limited-time offer. The Pro subscription from Perplexity AI, valued at Rs 17,000, was marketed as a temporary benefit rather than a permanent addition to Airtel plans.
Users who redeemed the subscription before the cut-off date are still eligible to use the service for one year from the day they activated it. That detail is important because the expiry itself is not what triggered the backlash. Instead, the controversy has grown around how the ‘free’ subscription now functions and what users are being asked to do to keep access.
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For many subscribers, the offer initially felt like a straightforward bonus tied to their existing Airtel connection. It tapped into the growing curiosity around AI tools and gave users a chance to try a premium service without committing financially. That context is what makes the recent change feel more personal to those affected.
Airtel and Perplexity have made it compulsory for users to add credit or debit card details to continue using the free Pro trial. According to the companies, the move is meant to prevent misuse and ensure that only genuine users benefit from the offer. They have also clarified that cards will not be charged during the free period and that users can cancel before any paid renewal begins.
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Even so, the explanation has not fully reassured subscribers, largely because the issue now centres on trust rather than pricing. When the benefit was first introduced, the biggest selling point was that it did not require any payment method. That detail helped many users feel comfortable trying an AI service they might otherwise have avoided. Now, people are asking a simple question: if card verification was always necessary, why wasn’t it introduced from day one?
The change has created a sense that the rules evolved after sign-ups were already secured. In the world of digital subscriptions, where auto-renewals and hidden charges are a common fear, even small policy tweaks can feel much bigger than they are.
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Customers have been vocal about their disappointment, with some going as far as calling the move unfair or misleading. Their main concern is that they signed up for a benefit that promised zero financial details, only to be asked for sensitive card information later. Students, freelancers and small business owners who had started relying on Perplexity Pro for research, writing and daily work say the disruption has affected their routines. A few users claim their access was paused until card details were added, leaving them unsure about what to do next.
Many believe Airtel leaned heavily on the rising popularity of AI tools to build goodwill, only to change direction later. For them, the issue is no longer just about one subscription or one offer. It has turned into a larger conversation about how much faith users can place in telecom perks that arrive with big promises. And while the Pro subscription itself may be temporary, the debate around transparency and customer trust is likely to linger much longer.
