1. Dialling the ‘Balance Inquiry’ number informed me that there was just about Rs 3 left in my card and that would hardly allow me to make one call. Time to head for the corner store
Time taken 5 minutes
2. There’s a lot of choice available in the amount to choose to recharge and the higher the value of the voucher, the more talktime you get. After a quick look at my options, I chose for the Rs 400 voucher gave me about Rs 225 worth of talktime.
Time taken 10 minutes
3. Handing over the cash, I pulled out the voucher and scratched the code hidden behind the strip on the card and punched it into my phone. Then, I sent it as an SMS to the service provider and my account was topped up.
Time taken 15 minutes
4. A quick check on the balance inquiry and I knew the account had been topped up. Who should I call?
5. Total Time Taken: 30 minutes
Total Cost: Rs 400
Topping up the E-Way!
Thankfully, the service I use gives me a balance report after every call I make. So I know when I need to top up my card. This was one such time!
Time taken 0 minutes
I realised I would need at least Rs 300 to get any value for the recharge and my choice, for long, has been the Rs 400 recharge voucher that offers nearly Rs 225 in talktime. So I headed to the nearest ATM to recharge my wallet and my phone!
Time taken 10 minutes
Once at the ATM, I had to wait my turn. Soon enough, I slid in my card, put in the details and chose the prepaid recharge option. I entered the recharge value I wanted and that’s that! I’m done!
Time taken 15 minutes
I received an SMS confirming the recharge and a subsequent check rid me of any further doubts!
Total Time Taken: 25 minutes
Total Cost: Rs 400
And The Winner Is…
The tech way wins but only narrowly. While costs incurred are the same, shorter queues at the ATM or the shop could change the equation. One thing that tilts the equation in favour of the tech way, is the fact that you know where your ATM is while you might have to look around a while for a shop and pray he has the voucher in the denomination of your choice. No such hassles with the ATM. In the end, it’s about convenience and using either mode could be just as easy or difficult!