Question 1

What's included in my Tello plan?

Accepted Answer

International Calling
All Tello plans (except for data-only plans) include calls to more than 60 countries as well as the US... at no extra cost! So, for example, if you make a 20-minute call to Canada, that 20 minutes come out of your monthly minutes' balance. Overseas freephone numbers may not be available.

5G
5G is available to anyone with a Tello plan, a 5G-capable phone and located in an area that provides 5G coverage (see our Coverage map). Your service will switch seamlessly between 5G and 4G/LTE, whichever signal is stronger.

Hotspot
Our plans also include the mobile Hotspot feature at no extra charge. The data you use via Hotspot just pulls from your monthly Data balance. All you need is a Hotspot-capable phone.
When your data plan balance runs out and your Pay As You Go balance falls below $0.50, hotspot is automatically disabled.
When using the Unlimited Data plan, you have 10 GB of hotspot included.

Travel Options
We have quite a few travel options for calling and texting when you are traveling abroad:

Roaming -- With Tello you can benefit from international roaming in 200+ countries and territories. Roaming calls, texting, and data costs are charged from your Pay As You Go balance, so you need a minimum of $5 Pay As You Go credit in order to activate international roaming. This can be done from your account - My Settings page.
Wi-Fi Calling & Text -- This is a feature available on the vast majority of Tello-compatible phones and you can check your phone settings to confirm. It allows for calling & texting via the closest available Wi-Fi network which could be at a hotel, your office, at home, or even a Wi-Fi Hotspot. For more details check out our blog.
"My Tello" App --You also have the option of using our free "My Tello" app to make calls through Wi-Fi. You can not receive calls via the App and texting is also not available via the App - this can only be used to make calls. The "My Tello" app is a free download for iOS and Android users.

3-Way Calling
3-Way calling is available and allows you to add a third party to a call so that all three parties may talk to each other simultaneously.

Visual Voicemail
Visual Voicemail is only available for Android users on our network at the moment. If your Android phone does not natively support Visual Voicemail, you can download and use a third-party app available in Google Play Store.

Toll-Free Calls
Calls to all Toll-Free Numbers in the USA are charged from your voice balance as normal.

2FA
Shortcodes and 2-factor authentication messages can be received on your Tello line.

Note:
Tello does not provide a 411 directory assistance service.

Question 2

Why is my bill higher than my plan price, and how can I see the taxes?

Accepted Answer

All purchases, including those for accounts with multiple lines, are subject to regulatory sales taxes.
You will be able to see the taxes on the checkout page before finalizing the order.
Simply choose the Plan or PAYG amount, proceed to the checkout page and enter your billing information.
Click the "Calculate Taxes" button near the bottom of the page.
The blue box on the right will show you the initial Plan/PAYG cost, the taxes & surcharges amount, and the total amount to pay.
Before you proceed with the payment you will know exactly how much you'll be charged.

Question 3

When do autopay & plan renewal occur?

Accepted Answer

Monthly Plans last for 30 days only and autopay will occur anytime between 5 AM EST and 11 AM EST on the 30th day.
For example, if you purchase a plan on July 5th (anytime, morning or evening) that plan will automatically renew on August 4th anytime between 5 AM and 11 AM EST.

Any changes you want to make to your active plan must be made at least 24 hours before the autopay date.
Please note our Customer Support team will not add back balances to your account if you forgot to manually renew/change your plan or the 48-hour notification failed or your billing failed.

Question 4

Will unused service carry over to the next month?

Accepted Answer

Unused services from your Tello plan do not roll over to the following month, except in the cases outlined below:

Unused service WILL roll over ONLY if you manually renew or change your plan at least 24 hours before the end of your current billing cycle and ONLY if the new plan contains all the services that you previously had.
For example, the minutes & data of your current plan will roll over if the new plan has minutes & data. However, if you decide to buy data only, the minutes will not roll over.
- Manually changing or renewing a plan can only be done by customers from their online accounts.
- Our Customer Support team will not add back balances to your account if you forgot to manually renew/change your plan or the 48-hour notification failed or your billing failed.
- Early renewal and changing of your plan may also void any promotion or plan discount that you initially started with.

The Data Rollover feature available for the Unlimited plans allows you to roll over your unused high-speed data from one month to the next. Still, in order to benefit from this feature you need to be a Tello customer for a minimum of 12 months and to have been on an Unlimited plan for your last 6 billing cycles.
More info on how the feature works is available here: What is Data Rollover?

Question 5

Can I avail of a tax exemption?

Accepted Answer

You can submit a request via email to our Customer Support team with the following information:

A description of your request
Your full name and contact information
Billing address
In case you are part of an organization, please provide more information (link of your organization, name and a brief description of your work).

Question 6

How does Pay As You Go work?

Accepted Answer

Pay As You Go is prepaid credit for your national and international calls, texts, and data at affordable rates.
Open a free account, buy credit, bring your own phone or buy one from us and you're ready to go.

You can use data from your PAYG balance as long as you have balance available and Pay As You Go data is turned ON in your online account.
Once your Pay As You Go balance goes below $0.50, your data is disabled and you won't have Hotspot capability.
Unlimited data only applies to active data plans, not to Pay As You Go.

You can top up your PAYG credit by sending an SMS to 800 with the text "ADD10PAYG", "ADD20PAYG" or "ADD50PAYG".

Pay As You Go expiry period

If there is no active plan per line, Pay As You Go balance expires 3 months after purchase. Once the Pay As You Go credit expires, the Tello service will be disconnected and your number will be deleted permanently.
If there is an active plan, the Pay As You Go credit remains valid for as long as the plan is active.

Question 7

Will I be charged for calls to Toll-Free Numbers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, calls to all Toll-Free Numbers in the USA are charged from your voice balance as normal.
Toll-free numbers are only free of charge when called from a landline (no toll / long-distance charges), they are not free when called from a cell phone.
Toll-free numbers are NOT airtime-free numbers, they are numbers to which you are not charged long distance fee.
We only charge 1¢/minute PAYG credit or minutes included in your plan and no additional long-distance charges.

Question 8

What is Data Rollover?

Accepted Answer

Data Rollover allows the unused high-speed data balance of an Unlimited plan to carry over to the next billing month, with a maximum rollover of 50 GB per month.
This Data Rollover feature is available to customers who have had an active Tello line for at least 12 months and have been on an Unlimited plan for the last 6 billing cycles.

Good to know:

Any rolled-over data will be lost if the plan is downgraded, the service is suspended, or the account is terminated.
Once the Data Rollover feature resets, you’ll need to complete 6 consecutive billing cycles on an Unlimited plan to become eligible again. Previously accumulated rollover data will not be restored.
You can accumulate up to 100 GB of high-speed data in your monthly data allowance.

Question 9

How much data can I roll over each month?

Accepted Answer

The maximum amount you can roll over is 50 GB, and you can accumulate up to 100 GB of high-speed data in your monthly data allowance.

Question 10

What happens to the rolled-ever data if my plan is changed or the service is canceled?

Accepted Answer

Downgrading your plan, suspending service, or closing your account will forfeit any rolled-over data.

After the Data Rollover resets, you'll regain eligibility only after 6 consecutive billing cycles on an Unlimited plan. Past rollover data won't carry over.

Question 11

Where can I check my rollover data balance?

Accepted Answer

Once you’ve met the criteria to benefit from the Data Rollover feature (meaning you’ve been with Tello for 12 months and on an Unlimited plan for your last 6 billing cycles), you will be able to track the rolled-over data in My Account - Dashboard.

Question 12

Is Tello participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)?

Accepted Answer

Not at the moment. However, we've designed our Tello plans with everyone in mind, starting at just $5/month. All our plans comes with extra features such free Hotspot & Wi-Fi Calling and free international calls to 60+ countries.

Question 13

Can I pause my plan by parking my Tello number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can pause your Tello service by switching to the Park Number plan for $3/month.

Your number stays active, but you won’t be able to make calls, send texts, or use data. The plan renews every 30 days and can be canceled anytime. To resume service, simply purchase a regular Tello plan.

Activate the Park Number option in your Tello online account -> Dashboard → “Cancel Plan and Autopay” → “Yes, Park My Number” button. Follow the instructions.

Question 14

Can I still make or receive calls if my phone number is parked?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, no. The Park Number plan does not include any minutes, texts or data so you won't be able to make/receive calls or texts or use the internet while your number is parked. To resume your Tello service you can simply get one of our plans with text, minutes or data.

Question 15

How can I cancel my Park Number plan?

Accepted Answer

If you no longer wish to keep your number parked with Tello, you can cancel the Park Number plan from your online account. Please note that if you do so you'll need to purchase a new Tello plan with minutes, texts or data to keep your number active and avoid losing it, or to port out as soon as possible.

Question 16

How much is the unlimited plan?

Accepted Answer

Tello’s unlimited talk, text, and data plan is the most popular choice. There are frequent discounts, so check the current price here: Tello Unlimited Plan. The plan includes unlimited talk and text, unlimited data, 50 GB high-speed data, and 10 GB of Hotspot.

Question 17

Can I use Pay As You Go without a plan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. With PAYG credit can be topped up anytime via SMS (PAYG), you can use credit for calls, texts, and data without subscribing to a monthly plan. Just open a free account, buy PAYG credit, and bring your own phone or get one from Tello. You can use data as long as you have a PAYG balance and data is turned on in your online account. Once your balance drops below $0.50, data and hotspot will be disabled. PAYG credit can be topped up anytime via SMS or your online account.

Pay As You Go expiry period

If there is no active plan per line, Pay As You Go balance expires 3 months after purchase. Once the Pay As You Go credit expires, the Tello service will be disconnected and your number will be deleted permanently.
If there is an active plan, the Pay As You Go credit remains valid for as long as the plan is active.

Question 18

What happens when my plan minutes are over?

Accepted Answer

Once your Tello plan minutes are used up you cannot receive calls any more.

You have two options:

Renew your plan manually from your online account.
Add Pay As You Go credit.

Question 19

What’s the cheapest Tello plan?

Accepted Answer

Tello plans start from $5/month. You can build your own plan by choosing what you need (minutes, SMS, data). The most popular is the Unlimited Plan.

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