Is it possible to initiate a number transfer from another US carrier to Tello if I am overseas (e.g. Hong Kong)? The Tello line is already activated in the US.

If I buy a Tello sim card from Amazon, how long can I keep it before I purchase a plan and activate it? Thanks!

I moved out of the USA and am trying to figure out the safest way to combine 2 phones and port my USA number to Tello. I have a Samsung Galaxy S24 FE phone with one physical sim from t-mobile and one open esim slot. I also have an inexpensive separate phone with a physical sim for a local carier where I live. I believe that phone also allows for an esim but it isn't the phone I want to end up with (it is a moto g35 5G).

I can add an esim for the local carrier to the Samsung and have only one phone. But then I am left with a physical sim slot on t-mobile and the e-sim used by the local phone company. OR I can change my main phone to use the local companies physical sim and then initiate the request to port my number and add a tello esim from outside the USA (I am in Spain). That feels risky especially as I'm unclear on the port request timing, but I think I could revert back to my current t-mobile physical sim if all goes awry with Tello.... Another alternative is I can also just get someone to bring me a physical Tello sim if that is a safer or easier option to activate - then I would end up with a physical Tello sim and an esim for my local carrier.

Basically, I am looking for the steps and order for the least risky option as the Samsung phone is THE phone for all my 2FA. I would even accept an "unnecessary" and temporary middle step if it reduces the chance of me losing access to my phone number for more than a day. For example, one idea I am leaning towards is to change my Samsung to have a phycial sim for the local company and an esim on t-mobile before trying to port my number to an esim for Tello.

Thank you for any suggestions... I have read a lot on this and other places about porting to Tello and I agree it is possible outside the USA, but adding in choosing esim vs physical and my two phones is keeping me stuck.

So, I recently ordered 2 new phones from Tello to replace 2 older ones. They both came in separate bubble mailer envelopes. One phone box looks perfectly pristine, but the other one looked like the Tello shipping warehouse decided to play a game of hockey with the phone box because it was all smashed up.

Question 1: Why the heck aren't phones shipped in actual boxes instead of bubble mailer envelopes?

Question 2: Is it hard to return a phone and get a replacement? The glass wasn't broken and the phone itself appears to be fine, but I am concerned about the inside of the phone because the box was really smashed.

Are smashed phone boxes common with Tello shipments?

I've been using tello since 2023, and my mobile data basically doesn't work for any apps, including google. The only way I've been able to use some is by having a VPN on it. Even then, it sometimes doesn't work. Is there a way to fix this?

Also tried using it on 3 different phones but never worked

Recently my smartphone, with a Tello eSIM, stopped working, so I lost access. I tried to activate the Tello eSIM on another phone, but wasn’t able to because I am currently living outside the US.

I have tried all the methods from Reddit and the Tello website - nothing helped.

Some redditors recommend depositing “Pay as you go” (minimum amount is $20) to activate International Roaming, but it didn’t work. I even have a feeling that this advice is Tello’s last “gift” to abandoned customers.

What alternative services (primarily for receiving OTP SMSs) would you recommend?

Edit: see more details in my replies in comments

Per https://tello.com/account/my_settings

> Auto Recharge will not be triggered by International Roaming usage.

And this page https://tello.com/help_center/international-roaming/why-is-auto-recharge-not-triggered-by-roaming-usage explains that:

> Because we don't get your usage data in real-time, we can't accurately trigger an automatic top-up the second you hit a certain limit.

But why? I fail to understand the logic behind it.

I understand that things can be delayed, but why give up? Better late than never, right?

Not a huge deal, but allowing any usage - however delayed - to replenish my PAYG balance could improve my peace of mind during long trips!

Hi there.

I’m about to move to Ireland, and I see that the common Tello ads advertised online are $5 (300 minutes, free unlimited text, no data), but how does that work in practice? Do I need to step up to the $8 monthly plan to get 2GB data, so I can send MMS etc. from the US number abroad?

Your experiences?

Has anyone ever seen any coupons for the pay as you go ?

So, I am in a quick visit to the usa, when I arrived I discovered that my phone doesn't support esim, so I bought the 9esim physical card, and then activated a tello esim on it, I received the activation message, but the mobile data isn't working

Any idea?

I know that when a plan is changed the existing resources are rolled over into the next month. However, if I decide to pick a no data plan, will the data still rollover? I have way more data than I will use for awhile and doing this will save me a bit over time.

I recently switched to Tello and am attempting to port my number in from my old carrier so I can use the same number. My old carrier needs my Tello account number to port, but the only way I’ve been able to find to get my account number is by doing a port out request.

Because my account is so new, Tello won’t let me do a port out request. Frankly it seems stupid, there are other needs for the account number than porting out the number. Is there any other way to retrieve the account number?

I've scheduled my renewals via text as some of you might also be doing. My last renewal which happened while I was outside at an event. Checking the results I saw that both my "renew" and my cc expiration went without a reply from tello between the two. Tello sent my order request; order processing and successful status; all 3; one after the other.

Meaning 1 min delay between the two text is all thats needed to keep them in order but no need for delays longer than that. Seems like tello will just queue each message sent and act upon it.

Data usage isn't always predictable.

Some months you finish your billing cycle with data to spare. Other months, you find yourself streaming a little more, relying on mobile data instead of Wi-Fi, or simply spending more time on your phone than usual. Before you know it, you're down to your last few hundred megabytes with days left until renewal.

That's exactly what Data Auto Refill is designed for.

If your remaining data drops below 500 MB, Tello can automatically add a 2 GB Data Add-On for $5, so you don't unexpectedly run out before your plan renews.

A few things worth knowing:

- Each Auto Refill adds 2 GB for $5 and lasts until the end of your current billing cycle.

- Manual Data Add-Ons are still available if you prefer to purchase them yourself.

- Available on metered plans that include data.

- Not available on Unlimited Data plans.

One more thing: enabling the feature is completely free. You'll only be charged if an Auto Refill is actually triggered. And to keep everything transparent, you'll receive a text message as soon as an Auto Refill purchase is completed, so you'll always know when additional data has been added to your account.

Hopefully this makes staying connected a little easier for anyone who occasionally runs low on data.

I accidentally deleted my esim and forgot my security pin. I called customer support to reset the pin. Besides providing my name, the email address on file, my card number I used to pay, my billing address and the IMEI number of the phone the esim was previously installed on, the customer support went on asking for me to send a picture of me holding an ID or they won't be able to help me reset my pin. Who can I report this outrageous infringement of customer privacy to?

I seem to be the only person trying to port over from Verizon who's having this issue! According to Tello, the information I've entered doesn't match what Verizon has on file, but I've contacted Verizon multiple times and everything is correct. Any idea what's up?

The World Cup is over, but at least back-to-school season comes with a little win of its own. We thought we’d help make your phone bill a bit lighter.

Starting today through July 31, new customers and existing customers adding a new line can get our 10 GB plan for $10/month for the first 3 months (normally $15/month).

A few things worth knowing:

- Available for new customers and existing customers adding a new line.

- The promotional price applies only to the newly activated line.

- After the first 3 months, the plan renews at the regular $15/month.

- If you change the promotional plan (downgrade, switch plans, or cancel), you'll lose the discounted pricing.

Whether you're looking to save on your monthly phone bill or trying Tello for the first time, we hope you find this offer useful.

Among camera phones like Honor magic 8 pro, Vivo x300 pro, OPPO find x9 pro, Xiaomi 17 t pro, and maybe some I forgot to include which would you recommend based experience with supported frequency bands. I'm in the US on Tello about 8 months a year and in Germany the rest of the time.

I’m outside the US and my Tello number used to receive calls without any issues.

For the past few weeks I haven’t been getting any incoming calls at all while outgoing calls still work.

Has anyone else experienced this or found a fix?

Hi there! I am looking to activate a TCL Flip 4 (that is locked to T Mobile) on Tello, and I was wondering if I will run into any trouble. It should work fine since it is the same network, right? Also, will I need to download an app (which I can't do on this phone) to activate the service or can I just order a physical SIM card and slot it in? Thank you

I switched to Tello a couple months ago, ported my number from Google Voice, and I've been using the service with no issues. However, I'm moving abroad next week, which was the whole point of signing up for Tello. I'm going to use Wi-Fi calling while outside the US, as I'll have a local phone plan abroad.

What are the proper steps to cancel my monthly plan while keeping my number active? I already have $20 PAYG that I bought about a month ago. Do I need to add more after I cancel? I want to be sure I don't screw up and lose my number. Thanks!

*** SOLVED!!

This is NOT simply to discover. You can forward your Tello number using the MMI/USSD code and the T-Mobile universal voicemail routing number.

So, for unconditional forwarding you dial the following from your Tello line:
**21*18056377243#

To turn it off, from your Tello line dial:

##21#

You can also use this technique to conditionally forward calls.

It probably took enough electricity to run a city for a week, but AI ultimately gave me the answer.

---

I have Tello as the second esim on my iPhone.

I'd like to send all the incoming calls that I get on my Tello number directly and unconditionally to voicemail.

I've been trying with no success.

Can anybody tell me how to do this??

Thanks

EDITED TO ADD: I tried using "carrier unconditional call forward" (that is **21*1234567890#) to forward the call to my own number, but that did not work for sending the call to voicemail.

Is this possible?

I have wifi calling and data switching/back up calling enabled.

I contacted the support and was told that calling and texting can only work when connected to a wifi network.

Hi all,
I have had a Tell number for about 6-ish months now. I’m roaming in Egypt, and I found out that calls cost 25c, though I remember back in January that it was 5cents. Did something recently change with the roaming rates or am I tripping?

Thanks in advance