Mobile Recharge Retailer Commission: Your Margin

If you’ve typed “recharge retailer commission” into a search box, you probably want one number. How much will I get per recharge? It’s a reasonable thing to want. But there isn’t one number that fits every retailer, and anyone who gives you one without asking about your operators and your mix is guessing.

What you can do is build the number yourself, from your own counts and the margins your provider gives you in writing. That’s what this post helps with.

First, some words. “Margin” here means the rupee amount you keep on each recharge. “Commission” in a search box means the same thing. A “provider” is the company you recharge through, and an “operator” is the telecom brand, like the mobile network or DTH company. On SiOnline’s Mobile & DTH recharge page, as of 17 October 2026, the team says it gives the current margins for your account on a call.

What are the five steps of the formula?

It’s all multiplication and subtraction. Nothing fancy.

1. Count. Take one typical month. For each operator, and for DTH, count the recharges that went through successfully. Use your own records or your wallet history. Don’t use the number you wish were true.
2. Margin per recharge. For each operator and plan group, get the margin from the provider in writing, in rupees per recharge. If the chart gives a percentage of the recharge value, convert it into rupees for the amounts your customers actually buy.
3. Multiply and add. For each line, multiply the count by the margin. Add the lines up. That’s your gross margin for the month.
4. Subtract what you carry. Take away the monthly costs of running the service. If there’s a one-off start cost, divide it by the months you expect to run recharge, and include that share.
5. Divide, if you want a per-visit view. Divide the result by the number of customer visits that included a recharge. That shows what one visit is worth to the counter.

What does the worksheet look like?

Copy this table onto paper. Leave every cell blank until you have a source for it. A blank cell is honest. A guessed number is how people end up with a plan that doesn’t work.

Your table needs as many lines as your account covers. The exact operator list is confirmed at onboarding, so don’t build rows for operators you haven’t been told about.

How does it work in letters?

I’m using letters here, not rupees, because any real numbers would be made up. Suppose your recharges fall into two groups. Group one has a recharges, and you keep p rupees on each. Group two has b recharges, and you keep q rupees on each.

• Gross margin = (a × p) + (b × q).
• Average margin per recharge = ((a × p) + (b × q)) ÷ (a + b).

In plain steps: multiply each group’s count by its margin, add the groups, then divide by the total number of recharges.

The Result line on your worksheet is your monthly rupee figure. If it comes out negative, recharge costs you more than it brings in at your current mix. Two things stay true whatever your numbers are.

First, the average sits closer to the larger group. If most of your recharges are in group two, your average stays near q, even if p is higher. So the top row of a margin chart tells you very little. Your own mix sets your average.

Second, volume can make up for a small margin only up to what your counter can handle in a day. Past that, more recharges don’t help.

How many recharges cover your costs?

Once you know your monthly costs and your average margin, the break-even count is one line:

Break-even recharges per month = monthly costs ÷ average margin per recharge.

Use the costs from your written quote, and the average from the worksheet. If the answer is more recharges than your counter can plausibly handle in a month, recharge will not pay for itself on its own. If the result is small or negative, it’s much better to find that out on paper than in month two.

Which costs are not on any chart?

A margin chart shows what comes in. These go on the other side, and each one is worth asking about.

• Registration and monthly charges. The cost of starting and any monthly charge are confirmed on enquiry. Ask for the figures for your case before you pay. SiOnline’s pricing page has the wider picture.
• Wallet balance. You fund a wallet before you can recharge, and money in it is tied up until you spend it. If a deposit doesn’t show up, see the payment deposit request guide.
• Time on failed recharges. Count the minutes you spend chasing them. Failed transactions are reconciled. If a reversal hasn’t reached your wallet, contact support on +91 91091 35959.
• Data and device. You need a smartphone and an internet connection steady enough to confirm a recharge while the customer waits. If your counter depends on a data plan, count it as a cost.

What mistakes make the sum wrong?

The sum itself is easy. The inputs are where it goes wrong.

• Counting failed recharges. Only count the ones that went through. Use the wallet history, not your memory.
• Mixing a percentage and a rupee amount. If a chart gives a percentage, convert it for the recharge amounts your customers actually buy. Then put rupees in column B.
• Using one operator’s margin for all. Each operator and each plan group may have its own margin. Ask for each.
• Using last year’s chart. Margins can change. Write the date next to every chart, and redo the sum when a new one arrives.
• Leaving out small costs. A data plan or a bit of maintenance looks tiny in one month. Over a year it isn’t.
• Forgetting your mix changes. A festival month and a quiet month give different averages. Try the sum for both.

How do you read the result?

Look at the three lines that matter most: Result, Average margin and Break-even. They each answer a different question.

Result tells you whether the month left something after costs. Average margin tells you how much one typical recharge is worth to you. Break-even tells you how many recharges you need before the month stops costing you money.

If Result is negative, don’t panic and don’t hide it. Ask which line is the problem. Is the margin low, is the count low, or is a cost heavier than you thought? Change one input at a time on paper and see what moves. You’ll learn more from that than from a fresh guess at the total.

Then compare the break-even count with what your counter really handles in a month. If the two don’t meet, you have your answer. If they do, you still haven’t been promised anything. You’ve just learned that the plan can work on paper, and the next step is to ask the provider for the figures in writing and check them against your sheet.

Redo the table when anything changes: a new chart, a new operator, a different mix, or a cost that moved. A worksheet from three months ago isn’t a worksheet any more. It’s a record of what you believed then.

What should you ask the provider?

Put these questions in a message, and keep the answers:

• What’s the margin per recharge for each operator and plan group, and what’s the date of the chart?
• Is the margin a flat rupee amount or a percentage of the recharge value?
• How and when does the margin reach me, and how is a change announced?
• Which operators and DTH brands does my account cover today?
• What does it cost to start, does any charge repeat monthly, and does any minimum balance apply to this service?
• How are failed recharges handled, and when should I contact support?

Ask for the answers in writing, so your worksheet has a dated source. And remember what the worksheet can’t do. It can’t tell you what you’ll make. A margin chart can change after you’ve finished the sums, so redo the table when your chart, your mix or your costs change.

If you also plan to add other services at the counter, SiOnline’s retailer page describes one login and one wallet balance across several services.

Questions retailers ask

How much commission is there on a recharge?

It depends on the operator and the plan. Ask the provider for a dated chart, then enter it in the worksheet.

Does the same worksheet work for DTH?

Yes, as a separate line. DTH margins may differ from mobile margins, so ask for the DTH chart separately and enter it on its own row.

Where do I get margins for my account?

From the provider you recharge through. As of 17 October 2026, SiOnline says its team gives the current margins for your account on a call, on +91 91091 35959. Phone support runs 24 hours, 7 days. To see what the service involves, read the Mobile & DTH recharge for agents page.

Sources

SiOnline’s pages on recharge, pricing, becoming a retailer and deposit requests, as of 17 October 2026. Margins, costs and coverage change, so confirm them with the provider in writing before you act.