Insights At a Glance:
- Airtel introduces Smarta Weekly Bundles at KES 300 and KES 500 with generous data, minutes, and free WhatsApp.
- But they’re weekly, not monthly, going against user requests for a cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle at KES 500/month.
- While it’s a step forward, users now pay more overall — KES 1,200–2,000/month — instead of the affordable KES 500/month they wanted.
If you’ve ever rooted for a cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle, then you’ll probably feel a mix of excitement and confusion this week. Airtel Kenya has unveiled two new Smarta Weekly Bundles priced at KES 300 and KES 500, but with a twist: they’re, well, weekly and not monthly.
Just weeks ago, we published an article asking Airtel to introduce a monthly Smarta 500 Bundle, one that mirrors what Safaricom already offers at KES 500 per month, but with a better package. Over 92% of our readers agreed that it was time for Airtel to step up with a monthly plan that speaks to affordability.
Enter Airtel Smarta Weekly Bundles
Airtel’s response? They gave us KES 500 Smart Bundle and even topped it up with another KES 300 Smarta Bundle. But not the cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle we envisioned.
Here’s What Airtel is Now Offering
As per their latest promotion, the new Smarta Weekly Bundles are as follows:
- Smarta Weekly 300
- 7GB Data or 1GB per day
- 100 All-Network Minutes
- 100 Airtel to Airtel Minutes
- 500 SMS
- Free WhatsApp
- Valid for 7 Days
- Smarta Weekly 500
- 14GB Data or 2GB per day
- 225 All-Network Minutes
- 100 Airtel to Airtel Voice Minutes
- 1250 SMS
- Free WhatsApp
- Valid for 7 Days
To activate, dial *544# or use the My Airtel app. Simple enough, right? But here’s the catch.
A Weekly Plan Is Not a Monthly Solution
If you’re paying KES 500 every week, that’s KES 2,000 per month. Even the “cheaper” KES 300 plan totals KES 1,200 per month. That’s a far cry from the KES 500 per month bundle readers requested and voted for in our opinion poll.
The idea was to make Smarta bundles accessible to more users, especially those who can’t afford to drop KES 1,000 or more at once. Safaricom recognized this need and introduced its All-in-One KES 500 Monthly Bundle, albeit with a mediocre data package of just 2GB. Airtel has historically positioned itself as the affordable alternative, so this felt like the perfect opportunity to reclaim that space.
Instead, users are now expected to settle for the Smarta Weekly Bundles that require topping up every week, making the bundles more expensive over time, not less.
What a Truly Cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle Could Look Like
In our original piece, we proposed a no-brainer version of the Smarta 500 Monthly Bundle:
- 22GB of data (about 750MB per day)
- 200 All-Network Minutes
- At least 500 Airtel-to-Airtel minutes
- 1,000 SMS
- Free WhatsApp
- Valid for 30 Days
Now that’s a cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle worth celebrating.
A Step Forward, but in the Wrong Direction
We’ll give Airtel some credit because it’s clear they’re listening. These new bundles are part of a broader attempt to give users more control and value. The added free WhatsApp access is a nice touch, and the data allocations are generous compared to the market. But this isn’t what we were asking for.
We know Airtel has what it takes to be the champion of the budget-savvy Kenyan. The Smarta 300 and 500 weekly bundles are a step in the right direction. But to truly win hearts and wallets, Airtel needs to go the full mile and bring us the cheaper Airtel Smarta Bundle that we asked for. The real monthly one.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Do you want Airtel to launch a true KES 500 or even KES 300 monthly Smarta Bundle? Or is weekly just good enough for now?
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