Tello cell phone plans | February 2019 review with deals

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Build your own wireless plan with no contracts or long-term agreements.

Tello Wireless offers fully customizable plans starting at just $5 per month. Plans come with a firm no-fees policy, unlimited calling and texting, 4G LTE data (with free tethering) and no contract. Many wireless services now offer no contracts and no fees, but Tello’s “build-a-plan” feature is a new addition to the list of those you can mix and match when choosing a wireless provider.

What is Tello Wireless?

With Tello, pay as you go comes with the option to custom design your own plan. This smaller player in wireless offers calls, texts and 4G LTE data — including calls to Canada and Mexico — in custom packages you choose for yourself.

Don’t have a lot of people to speak to? You might want a plan with no call minutes. Prefer communicating through social media? Pick up a data-only plan. Despise social media and talking to people but don’t mind texting? You get the picture.

Plus, you have to appreciate Tello’s transparency: Its pay-as-you-go rates are posted right on its homepage.

What services does Tello Wireless offer?

Tello Wireless offers custom-designed pay-as-you-go wireless plans. That means that you pick and choose the elements to build your own plan. Or you can let Tello do the work by picking one of its ready-made deals.

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Build Your Own Plans

You combine call, text and data components to find a plan that works with your budget.

Ready-Made Deals

• Economy — $10 a month. 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB data.
• Value — $14 a month. Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB data.
• Smart — $24 a month. Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB data.
• Data — $39 a month. Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB data.

All plans come with unlimited data usage with the speed throttled down to 64kbps once the plan’s data amount is exceeded. All plans renew automatically every 30 days unless the plan is cancelled.

Are there any other features I should know about?

Tello Wireless offers a few features that are worth knowing about, but nothing out of the ordinary.

• Use your smartphone as a hotspot. Tello Wireless smartphones can be used as a hotspot with free tethering. That means that the plan’s data balance can be shared free of charge with other devices and/or people if you’re feeling like sharing.
• International calls included. Not ALL International calls are included, but calls to Mexico and Canada are included, and they do technically count.
• Auto-Renewal. All plans with Tello Wireless renew automatically every 30 days. This is listed as an advantage, but sadly, it may be seen as a disadvantage for many considering this type of no contract, no fee service.

What to watch out for

With Tello Wireless it can be easy to become distracted by “custom” wireless plans, but you do have other factors to consider.

• Limited speeds. Watch out for your plan’s data limit, with speeds that throttle down to 64kbps once you hit it.
• Potentially high international calling rates. Calls to Cuba are drastically more expensive than calls to other countries. With such widely varying international rates, monitor your use to avoid expending your balance mid-month.

Compare other cell phone plan providers

	Details	Features
T-Mobile	Plans: Single Lines and Shared Plans From: $45/month Min. contract: None T-Mobile One Prepaid plan gives you Unlimited Talk, Text and 4G LTE data for $75/month	If you switch to T-Mobile, they'll pay off your early termination fees Some prepaid plans include unlimited music streaming	Go to site More info
FreedomPop	Plans: Individual, Family, Business From: $0/month Min. contract: None The Basic 500 Plan gives you 200 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB data for $0/month	Offers a Free talk, text & data plan Data can rollover month to month Call other FreedomPop users for free	Go to site More info
UNREAL Mobile	Plans: Individual From: $10/month Min. contract: None Unlimited Plan gives you Unlimited talk, text and data with 1GB of 4G LTE data starting at $10/month	30-day money back guarantee Rollover unused data VPN and ad-blocker	Go to site
SIMPLE Mobile	Plans: Individual From: $25/month Min. contract: None The Truly Unlimited plan gives you Unlimited talk, text and data for $50/month	No contracts No credit check Unlimited international calling	Go to site More info
Total Wireless	Plans: Single Lines and Shared Family Plans From: $25/month Min. contract: None A Single Line plan gives you Unlimited Talk, Text and 5 GB of data for $35/month	A cheaper option for data using Verizon's network Transparent costs and no contracts	Go to site More info
U.S. Cellular Wireless	Plans: Individual, Family, Business, International, Messaging-Only From: $35/month Min. contract: None if you choose a Prepaid Plan The Unlimited Total Plan gives you Unlimited Talk, Text and Data for $70/month	Among the highest ranked networks in the US Messaging-only plans available	Go to site More info
Straight Talk Wireless	Plans: Individual, Family, Business & International From: $30/month Min. contract: None - Pay as you go The Unlimited 5G Plan gives you Unlimited Talk, Text and Data for just $45/month	No contract option for nationwide coverage. Unlimited international plan for $60 a month. Bring your own phone.	Go to site More info
Tello	Plans: Single Lines From: As low as $5 a month Min. contract: No contracts - it's prepaid The Value plan gives you Unlimited talk, text and 1GB data for $14/month	Build your own plan to meet your exact needs Use your phone as a hotspot - tethering is free	Go to site More info
NET10 Wireless	Plans: Data, Pay-As-You-Go, Home, Business, International From: $20/month Min. contract: None if you choose a Pay-As-You-Go The Mega Data User Plan gives you Unlimited nationwide talk and text plus 10GB high-speed data for $60/mo	Nationwide coverage with flexible prepaid plans for talk, text & data. Unlimited international talk for $65 a month. No credit checks, no activation fees.	Go to site More info
Mint Mobile Plans	Plans: Individual From: $15/month Min contract: None A 12 month, 2GB plan gives you Unlimited nationwide talk and text with 4G LTE data for $15/month	Bring your own phone and keep your number Free international calls to Mexico and Canada 7-day money back guarantee	Go to site

How do I sign up for Tello Wireless?

Visit Tello Wireless online and sign up with your credit card or PayPal. To register for a Ready-Made Deal, you’ll need to also create an online account or log in through Facebook.

Bottom line

Tello Wireless stands out from other options because of its “build-a-plan” option and low rates for data. Its use of the Nationwide Sprint® Network doesn’t hurt either. All in all, it’s a solid option for those considering more budget-friendly third parties.

Common questions about Tello Wireless

• Do my plan minutes, texts or data roll over from one month to the next?

  No, you’ll lose any unused minutes, texts and data every 30 days — at the point when your plan is automatically renewed. If you manually upgrade or downgrade your plan before the end of your current billing cycle, you may be able to avoid losing them.

• If I have a plan, how am I charged for calls to Mexico or Canada?

  If you have an active plan, you can call Mexico or Canada using the minutes available in your plan’s balance.

• Am I using minutes if the person I’m calling doesn’t pick up right away?

  No, the minute counter starts when the conversation starts. You don’t have to worry about wasting minutes just because your friends are busy people who don’t answer on the first ring.