Q: What devices can I purchase with Affirm?

Once you visit our Phones page , you will be able to see that some of the devices available have the Affirm logo underneath. All you need to do is to check if you prequalify for the loan directly on the phone's page and proceed with your selected device to checkout.

Question 1

When does my billing cycle start and renew?

Accepted Answer

Your billing cycle starts from the time you've activated the service.
In case you purchase a SIM card or a phone from our website, your service will start when you receive the package and activate it online.
Your plan will be active for the following 30 days.

In case you purchased an eSIM, the billing cycle will start as soon as the order is placed and processed. This will allow you to immediately install the eSIM and use the service.

Tello plans last for 30 days only and automatic renewal will occur anytime between 5 AM EST and 11 AM EST on the 30th day. For example, if you activate the service on July 5th (anytime, morning or evening) that plan will automatically renew on August 4th anytime between 5 AM and 11 AM EST.

You can double check the time frame in which the renewal will happen exactly for your line on the Dashboard section, by hovering the mouse over the "Renewal Date".

Any changes you want to make to your active plan must be made at least 24 hours before the renewal date and can only be done directly from your online account.

Question 2

How can I cancel my service?

Accepted Answer

At Tello, we don’t require contracts, so you can cancel your service at any time (though we hope you won't!).

For security reasons, you must cancel your service yourself from your online account—our Customer Support team cannot cancel services on your behalf.

Step 1: Decide on Your Tello Phone Number
If you want to keep your Tello phone number, you have the option to purchase a new plan once your current one expires, or port out to another carrier during this billing cycle.
Find your Port Out information at the bottom of the "Porting" page.

Any remaining balances in your Tello account (Plan, PAYG, & Tello Dollars) will be forfeited and cannot be refunded once you start the port out process.
If you cancel your service without porting out during the current billing cycle, your number may be permanently lost and cannot be retrieved.
We'll notify you 7 days before your Tello number expires.

Step 2: Cancel Active Subscriptions
To avoid being billed again:

Cancel any active subscriptions at least 24 hours before your next plan renewal date.
Go to the Dashboard of your online account.
In the "My Plan" box on the right, click on "Cancel Plan" at the bottom and follow the prompts.

*Note: Your service will continue until the end date of the current billing cycle or the completion of your port out process, whichever comes first. If you have PAYG, remember to turn off Auto-Recharge in "My Settings".

If you also wish to delete your Tello account:

Complete the steps above first.
Then, email our Customer Support team from your online account to request account deletion.

Question 3

When will my phone number expire?

Accepted Answer

If you no longer have an active Plan - you canceled or your automatic billing failed - you have 5 days from the end of the last billing cycle to decide what to do with your number.
If no action is taken within the week after that, your number will be permanently expired and it will not be retrievable.

If you want to keep your number, you have 2 options:

initiate the port-out process from your online account as soon as your billing cycle ends, or
purchase a plan from us before your number expires.

Question 4

How can I buy more data?

Accepted Answer

If you're running low on data you have two options: you can purchase a Tello Data Add-On or you can completely renew your plan.

To purchase a Data Add-On or renew your plan, go to the Dashboard of your online account, click on the blue button which says "Add more data" or the "Renew Now" button and proceed to checkout.
You can also renew your plan or purchase a Data Add-on through SMS, by texting "ADD1GB", "ADD3GB", "ADD5GB" or "RENEW" to 800.

Please note the Data Add-Ons will expire at the same time as your current prepaid plan and any unused Data Add-On balance will not rollover.

Question 5

Can I change my plan today to take effect on the next billing cycle?

Accepted Answer

No. That is not an option we have right now.
If you change or renew your plan today, your existing plan will be canceled immediately and replaced with the plan you just chose.
You will be charged today for the new plan and renewal will be in 30 days' time.

If you want a new plan to take effect toward the end of this billing cycle, you need to change your plan yourself at least 24 hours before your next due billing date.

Question 6

Why did my plan not renew automatically as I expected?

Accepted Answer

If your plan or Pay As You Go did not renew automatically on the due date it means that the payment method you chose (card or PayPal) has declined the charges and so we were unable to process the payment.

The most common reasons for declining charges include:

You received a new/updated card recently or your current card expired.
The card or PayPal account has insufficient credit to accept the charge.
Your financial institution has placed a temporary restriction on your payment method (and refuses to authorize the requested amount) until they can speak directly with you to verify activity on your account.

To resolve this, simply call the number at the back of your card and the card-issuing bank can confirm the reason for the decline and lift the restriction on your account so that you can place a new order.
Then go to the Payment section of your online account to ensure that a valid payment method is saved for your subscription.
We will try to charge the saved payment method again within the following 24 hours and if the payment can not be processed successfully, your plan will be suspended.
To reactivate a suspended plan, you need to log in to your online account and purchase a new plan.

Question 7

Do you offer any buy now pay later programs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do. Some of our Tello phones can be purchased via Affirm. First, you need to check if you prequalify for a loan, then you can proceed to checkout where you will be redirected to Affirm.
You can make or schedule payments at affirm.com or via the Affirm app for iOS or Android. Affirm will send you email and text reminders before your payments are due.

Question 8

How can I update my payment method?

Accepted Answer

To update your payment method please follow these simple steps:

Firstly, register a new card.

Go to the Payments tab of your online account
Under the "Payment Methods" section, click the "Add New Card" button
Enter the new card details and
By default the new Card will be linked to all active subscriptions, to modify this check or uncheck the " Linkes subscriptions" box for each line
And then click "Save"

Alternatively, you can also modify the registered payment method for each subscription later on.

Go to the "Subscription Payment Options" section on the same page.
Your new card now appears in the drop-down under the "Billed From" field.
Simply select that new payment method you wish to be charged from.
Click "Save".

You can now delete the old payment method from your account.

To add Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, you first need to place a successful order using these payment methods and ensure you save them in the checkout process.
You will then see that these options appear under the "Billed From" field.
You won't be able to save Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay as a payment method until you've successfully used them to place an order.

Question 9

What devices can I purchase with Affirm?

Accepted Answer

Once you visit our Phones page, you will be able to see that some of the devices available have the Affirm logo underneath. All you need to do is to check if you prequalify for the loan directly on the phone's page and proceed with your selected device to checkout.

Question 10

Can I pay off my purchase early if I pay with Affirm?

Accepted Answer

Sure you can! There’s no penalty for paying early. You can manage your payment and even pay off your device earlier from your Affirm account.

Question 11

Can I return a device I bought with Affirm?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can return any device purchased with Affirm by initiating the standard Tello return process.

Question 12

Does checking my eligibility for Affirm affect my credit score?

Accepted Answer

No. Your credit score won’t be affected when you create an Affirm account or check your eligibility. A purchase made with Affirm may impact your credit score, you can find more information about this in Affirm’s Help Center.

Question 13

Do I need a mobile number to use Affirm?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you’ll need a mobile phone number from the U.S. or U.S. territories. This helps Affirm verify it’s really you who is creating the account. Plus the mobile number will be used for any future security verifications.
If you change your phone number with a new one from Tello, you’ll need to update it before you can sign in to Affirm. More details on Affirm help center. Still, this doesn't apply if you choose to port in your number to Tello.

Question 14

How can I manage or cancel the account of a deceased family member?

Accepted Answer

Losing a loved one is never easy. We want to help you make changes to their account as quickly as possible, so you can attend to other matters.
The process is the same whether you want to close the account or continue service with the same mobile number and device previously owned by the family member that passed away.

Call Tello Customer Service at 1-866-377-0294.

For quick assistance, we recommend having the following information before calling:

Name & Email of the person on the account. Their relationship to you, and your contact phone number & email address.
Their Tello phone number.

Once the account is verified, you might need to provide one of the following documents:

Death Certificate (Original or Copy, certified or non-certified)
Letters Testamentary document that certifies you as the executor (Original or Copy).

Question 15

How can I delete my payment method?

Accepted Answer

Please be advised that before you delete a payment method, you need to first ensure that any existing subscriptions have a valid payment method (credit card, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay or Google Pay) from which to be billed.

To delete a payment method please follow these simple steps:

Go to the Payment tab of your online account
Find the payment method you want to delete and click "Remove".
If the "Remove" button does not act, it means that this payment method is already in use for an existing subscription. To rectify this you first need to register a new payment method by clicking "Add New Card" or placing a new order with other payment methods, such as PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Then save that new payment method for your existing subscription(s).
Once you replace the old payment method with the new payment method, click on the "Remove" button and it will delete the old payment method from your account.

Question 16

What forms of payment do you accept?

Accepted Answer

The payment can be made with any of these credit/debit cards: American Express, Diners, Discover, Japanese Credit Bank, Maestro, Mastercard, Visa, Visa Electron and, of course, with PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Some Tello devices can also be purchased through the Buy Now Pay Later solution - Affirm.

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