India mobile recharge via AI agent: Airtel, Jio, Vi data bundles from anywhere
Recharge any Indian mobile — Airtel, Jio, Vi, BSNL — from anywhere in the world with one prompt. Prompt cartapi from Claude Desktop, get a Stripe URL, pay in USD, recharge lands in seconds. India's aggressive number portability means the prefix doesn't identify the operator — cartapi auto-detects the actual serving carrier via Reloadly before minting the checkout. Full plan catalog including day packs, validity packs, and unlimited-call add-ons.
You're in San Francisco, Berlin, or Sydney. Your parents' Airtel number in Chennai just ran out of data. You're not going to log into Airtel's website, deal with an OTP that can only reach the Indian number, and pay in INR via a Mumbai bank card you don't have.
One prompt fixes it.
The 60-second flow
claude mcp add --transport http cartapi https://mcp.cartapi.io/mcpusing cartapi, recharge +9198xxxxxxxx with the 28-day 1.5GB/day Jio plan.
The agent calls create_topup_checkout. That single tool:
- Runs a Reloadly operator lookup — critical in India where +91 98 could be Airtel, Jio, or Vi depending on port history.
- Finds the matching plan SKU on the correct operator.
- Mints a Stripe checkout URL.
- Returns the URL.
You click. You pay ~$4 in USD. Reloadly delivers the recharge. Parents' data reactivates. They call you to ask when you're coming home.
The plan-shape crash course
Indian carriers structure prepaid plans differently from Western markets. The building blocks:
| Plan type | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Day pack | Rs 299: 1.5GB/day × 28 days | Data quota resets daily; unused data expires nightly |
| Validity pack | Rs 79: Rs 64 talktime + 28 days validity | Buys airtime and extends line validity |
| Data-only pack | Rs 19: 1GB one-time | Adds to existing data pool without extending validity |
| Long-validity pack | Rs 3499: 2.5GB/day × 365 days | Year-long plan, popular with elderly parents |
| Roaming pack | Rs 5000+: international roaming add-on | Adds outbound roaming on top of base plan |
| Talktime top-up | Rs 500: full talk value | Just adds airtime, no data |
When you say "recharge with about ₹300", cartapi surfaces the closest exact denomination for the resolved operator. When you say "1.5GB/day 28-day plan", cartapi finds the specific day-pack SKU.
Common Indian recharge scenarios
| Use case | Prompt |
|---|---|
| Monthly data for parents | "recharge +9198xxxxxxxx with the Rs 299 28-day 1.5GB/day plan" |
| Emergency top-up | "recharge +9198xxxxxxxx with about Rs 100 of airtime" |
| Yearly plan for the elderly relative | "recharge +9198xxxxxxxx with a 12-month validity plan" |
| Data-only for spouse abroad | "add 5GB one-time to +9198xxxxxxxx" |
| Verify operator first | "detect the operator for +9198xxxxxxxx" — returns Airtel/Jio/Vi |
Why this beats the alternatives
- vs Airtel.in / Jio.com direct: Indian carrier websites require Indian OTP verification. Not usable from a US or European number.
- vs Amazon Pay / PhonePe: needs an Indian bank card. Foreign cards mostly rejected.
- vs Recharge.com / Ding: works, but requires a per-service signup with your card. AI-agent flow skips the account creation.
- vs asking a relative to do it: they may not know which operator you're on either. Cartapi's operator lookup handles it.
What still doesn't work
- Postpaid Airtel/Jio bill pay: not on Reloadly's catalog. Prepaid recharge only.
- DTH recharge (Tata Sky, Dish, Airtel Digital TV): not currently supported.
- Data-card / broadband recharge: Reloadly covers mobile numbers only.
- OTT bundle add-ons (Netflix / Prime as add-on to Jio plan): the base plan works, the OTT add-on has to be triggered from the operator's app by the account holder.
Prompts that work
using cartapi, recharge +9198xxxxxxxx with the Rs 299 28-day 1.5GB/day plan
using cartapi, top up +9187xxxxxxxx with about Rs 100 of Airtel airtime
using cartapi, what year-long plans are available for +9198xxxxxxxx?
using cartapi, detect the operator for +9198xxxxxxxx before recharging
using cartapi, list Jio prepaid plans available for India recharge
Frequently asked questions
Can I recharge an Indian mobile from another country using an AI agent?
Yes. Add cartapi's MCP server. Prompt with the number + desired plan. Agent detects operator, finds SKU, returns Stripe URL. Recharge lands in seconds.
Which Indian operators does cartapi support?
Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vi (Vodafone Idea), and BSNL. Full plan catalog including day packs, validity packs, top-ups.
How does number portability affect the recharge?
India has heavy porting; the prefix doesn't identify the operator. cartapi runs a fresh operator lookup on every purchase to resolve the actual current carrier.
Do Jio and Airtel prepaid plans work the same way?
Similar structure, different bundles. Jio bundles JioTV/JioCinema; Airtel bundles Xstream; Vi bundles WynkMusic. Agent surfaces exact package before commit.
What about postpaid bill payment?
Not supported — cartapi handles prepaid recharge only. Postpaid bills need account access.