Best answer: Tello technically has just one plan, but it can be customized to your liking using the company's Build Your Own Plan tool. You're able to choose how much 4G LTE data and minutes you want (texting is included for free), and you can adjust your plan at any time should your needs change. No matter how you customize your plan, you'll get free calling to Canada, Mexico, and China, in addition to mobile hotspot access.
- Affordable wireless: Tello (From $5/month at Tello)
- Works like a charm: Google Pixel 3a ($399 at Amazon)
You get to build your Tello plan exactly how you want
One of the reasons we're such big fans of Tello is how it handles wireless plans. Instead of making you choose between a handful of different options, Tello has a Build Your Own Plan feature that enables you to fully customize a plan to your exact liking.
By default, all Tello customers get a few things for free — including unlimited texting, calling to Canada, Mexico, and China, and hotspot access. No matter how you customize your plan, you get these things all for free.
The two main factors you need to choose are how much 4G LTE data and minutes you plan on using. Data starts at 500Mb and goes all the way up to 12GB, with minutes starting at 100 and going up to unlimited. Don't talk on the phone a lot but use a fair amount of data? You could get a plan with 300 minutes and 6GB of data for $22/month. Want to go all out with unlimited minutes and 12GB of data? It'll cost $39/month.
Should you happen to go through all of your available data during the month, you'll be downgraded to 2G speeds until your next billing cycle.
There are pre-made options if you need some inspiration
If you're feeling a little overwhelmed with having to build your own plan, Tello has a few pre-made options for you to choose from. These are designed to offer the best features and value right out of the box, making it easy for you to find something you like in no time at all.
These plans work out as follows:
- Economy — 1GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts, $10/month
- Value — 2GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts, $14/month
- Smart — 4GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts, $19/month
- Data — 12GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts, $39/month
So, which one should you get?
Everyone has different wants/needs, and as such, there's not necessarily one Tello plan that is overwhelmingly better than the others.
Being able to get 12GB of LTE data and unlimited talk/text for a mere $39/month is a stupendous deal that's hard to ignore, but if you don't use your phone that much, there's no sense in spending money for service you won't fully use.
Play around with the Build Your Own Plan tool, think about how much you really use your phone during the month, and it should be easy to figure out which setup will work best. Plus, since Tello doesn't mess with contracts and allows you to reconfigure your plan at any time, you can add or remove things as you see fit until you find something that's perfect.
A customizable plan that starts at just $5 per month
One of the big draws to Tello is its Build Your Own Plan tool that allows you to fine-tune your service to be just how you like it. You can choose how much LTE data and minutes you want, with unlimited texting being included by default. You also get calls to Canada, Mexico, and China, along with hotspot access at no additional cost.
One of the best Tello-compatible phones
If you decide to join Tello, the Pixel 3a is one of the best phones that's compatible with the service. The 3a has an incredible camera, the polycarbonate design feels very sturdy, and having guaranteed software updates through May 2022, it'll keep on working without a hitch for years to come.
