Tello is one of the many MVNOs, or mobile virtual network providers, in the U.S. that offer cheap wireless service to people with smartphones. Tello seems to stand out because it is affordable and flexible, making it a good choice if you are on a tight monthly budget. But does Tello fit what you need?
Tello wants to get your business by offering a variety of pre-made plans, but some customers might also like the “build your own plan” option. You can choose exactly how much you'll pay each month based on how much data you use and how many talk minutes you get.
Tello has some of the best cheap cell phone deals in the US, whether you choose to make your own plan or pick one of the choices they give you.
Tello is flexible because you only have to sign up for a month. Tello also offers 5G service if you have a 5G phone that works with T-Mobile's network.
Tello may have the best prices and most options, but this comes at the cost of losing data. If you don't get Tello's unlimited data plan, you'll find that you can only use up to 8GB, and the best prices are between 1 and 2 GB.
So, is Tello the right choice for you, or will you be limited by data caps? Read on to learn more about this low-cost airline and decide if it's the right choice for you.
Tello Best Plans
Tello gives you two ways to choose a cell phone plan: you can choose from a list of deals, or you can make your own plan by changing how much data and talk time you get. (No matter what plan you choose, texting is free.)
From no data to endless data, you still have a lot of options. You can also pick no talk minutes, 100 minutes, 300 minutes, 500 minutes, or endless minutes.
- Custom Plan
- Economy
- Value
- Smart
- Data
1- Custom Plan:
You can make your own plan, or you can choose a plan that has already been made. The $10 Economy plan is the least expensive. It gives you 1GB of data and unlimited minutes and texts. It's cheap, but the 1GB cap will make it hard for many people to use.
2- Economy:
Value is exactly what it sounds like for $14/month, it gives you Tello's best total value. You'll get 2GB of data, and your minutes and texts will be endless. It's a little more expensive than the Economy plan above, but most people will need the extra data this plan offers.
3- Smart:
The Smart plan from Tello gives you twice as much data as the Value plan, bringing you up to a much more useful 4GB. For a $19 rate, you'll pay $5 more each month. The extra data will give you a little more room for streaming, social media, and other things that don't take up much space. You'll get endless minutes and calls, just like with the first two plans.
4- Data
Tello's most expensive cell phone plan, which costs $39, maybe the best one for a lot of people. Here, your bills will go up a lot, but you'll get endless calls, texts, and internet. But you'll only get 25GB of high-speed data. After that, you'll only be able to use 2GB of data per month.
| Plan | Economy | Value | Smart | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talk | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data | 1GB | 2GB | 4GB | Unlimited |
| Monthly Price | $10 | $14 | $19 | $39 |
Keep an eye out for Tello deals that sometimes lower the price of your first month of service. Most of the people who will benefit from that rise are new ones.
Tello Family Plans
Tello has family cell phone plans, but they are not really family plans. You will sign up as a family, and you will only need one email address and one site to handle all of the accounts.
But besides that, a Tello family plan doesn't offer much else. Each family member can pick their own plan, pay their own bill, and start their contract on a different day. Also, adding more lines doesn't get you a discount, which is usually the main reason people choose a family plan.
Aside from how easy it is to check your accounts and homepage, Tello's family plans are pretty much the same as getting individual accounts. On the other hand, Visible, a competitor, gives you savings per line as you add more lines to your account.
Why Choose Tello?
Tello has a lot of clear benefits, but the two biggest ones are the price and the way it can be used.
Every 30 days, Tello's plans all start over again. Not only does that mean you can stop whenever you want without any fees, but it also means you can change your plan every month if you need more data, want to pay less, or want to add more minutes.
You can also choose how much you want to pay because of this. Tello can get you some of the cheapest prices in the US, especially if you don't need much data. If you feel like you're paying too much, you can easily cut down your data and lower your bills at any time.
Tello's other perks include unlimited texts on all rates, free tethering with no limits, free calls to more than 60 countries, and the use of T-Mobile's network for 5G internet.
Is Tello an MVNO?
Tello is an MVNO, which means that, like most companies in the US, it doesn't have its own cell phone network. Tello is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) for T-Mobile, so it uses the T-Mobile network for speed, range, and 5G service. There aren't many problems with an MVNO that works almost the same as the service it uses.
That's good news for Tello users because T-Mobile has one of the best service ratings, especially for 5G. Testing company RootMetrics says that T-Mobile will have the best 5G speeds and access in 2022, which is good for Tello users.
Just know that if you use an MVNO for your service, your internet speeds could slow down if a network gets too busy. Carriers give priority to their own customers over MVNO partners, so a company like Tello could see slower speeds when T-Mobile users get more attention.
Even though this is annoying, it doesn't happen very often, and in return, you can use T-Mobile's service for much less than if you went straight through that carrier.
Bottom Line
Tello is a cheap and flexible MVNO in the US that lets smartphone users get cheap wireless service. Tello lets you choose from a number of pre-made plans or make your own. This gives you choices for different budgets and usage needs. There are plans with restricted data, plans with unlimited data, and plans with infinite talk and text. Tello works on the T-Mobile network, which means it has access to 5G and stable service. Some plans may have limits on how much data you can use, but Tello's prices and options make it a good choice for people on a tight monthly budget.
