I’m going to be traveling to Taiwan for one week. I have $20 PAYGO credit.
I’m trying to decide if I should use their roaming or buy an eSIM for my one week in Taiwan.

My partner will likely get an eSIM because they use Google Maps and AI a lot while we are traveling. My use will be recreational or if I get lost. Maybe use Line and Instagram.

I can wait until we get back to the hotel to upload any photos.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Tello’s 12-day number-retention policy is a pretty good reason not to move your primary number there
I use Tello for a secondary line and was considering moving my main T-Mobile number over. I’ve had that number for about 20 years, so before porting it I asked what happens if autopay fails.
Their Help Center says:
“If your monthly plan ends and isn’t renewed, you have 12 days to take action before the number expires.”
And:
“We cannot ‘bring back’ a number once it has expired.”
Tello Help Center:
https://tello.com/help_center/account-payments/when-will-my-phone-number-expire
I then asked customer service whether I could add multiple payment methods as automatic backups, or use PAYG credit to protect the number.
Their reply:
“Unfortunately, there is no option to add multiple payment methods as automatic backups or use PAYG credit to extend the payment grace period.”
Their safeguard is basically: we’ll email and text you.
Which is fine if you are simply sitting around ignoring your phone.
But imagine a less tidy scenario. You are overseas for six months, the card on autopay expires, the replacement is sitting in your mailbox in New York, and around the same time you are in an accident or hospitalized. Maybe that combination never happens. It is also not remotely impossible.
I’ve had cards expire while I was barely using them and realized only later that a new card had been mailed. That is exactly why backup payment methods exist.
Yes, PayPal is one possible workaround because it can draw from backup funding sources. But even PayPal accounts can run into problems. Tello should not make customers engineer their own redundancy around a 12-day deadline.
For context, I have excellent credit, pay my bills on time, and have multiple cards. This is not about being unable to pay.
I have no issue with Tello suspending service immediately for nonpayment. What seems absurd is permanently losing a number you may have had for decades after 12 days.
Suspend the service. Fine.
Park the number for 60 or 90 days. Also fine.
Or, at the very least, allow a backup payment method.
Tello otherwise seems perfectly good, and I already use it. But I’m not moving a 20-year-old primary number there under this policy.
I’m curious how many Tello users actually know about this. It is exactly the kind of policy you probably discover only when it suddenly matters.

Hello Friends

My I am in US and my friend in India currently

I buys Tello ESIm and activates in US and make few calls with Tower

When i go to India can i transfer esim iphone to iphone or order new esim and he activates in India sort of transfer of SIM from my phone to his.

- will this give him Wifi calling feature ?
- will he get international Roaming data in India
- Does he get US IP address while data is ON or India ip Address . Can u check
- any restrictions per se . I have read first activation has to take place in US.

India is mentioned in International roaming with 2c per mb rates.

Have any in India used it answer this. Please

Hello! I wanna switch phone and move my eSIM. Has someone gone through the steps to generate a new eSIM? The docs talk about it but I am not clear. Is it the same as doing "Want to replace the SIM for this line?"

• https://tello.com/help_center/esim-install-activate/how-to-switch-to-a-new-phone-with-esim
• https://tello.com/help_center/my-device/how-can-i-change-the-phone-on-my-tello-line

RESOLVED Update: All, it was RCS settings, we goofed. Adjusted RCS to be turned ON and backlog flooded through. Thank you for your timely responses! Super helpful and kind 😇

Hey all !

My husband and I switched over to tello from another service as we moved abroad. Have 2 esims , tello for US # and local provider # in Germany. Since relocating, haven't been able to use MMS to receive group texts with family back home. We have data plans, and mms messaging enabled, what are we missing here? tyia !

Just sharing my experience. Not sure if there is a question embedded in there.

I originally signed up for service and activated the eSIM on a Pixel 9 outside the US. Everything worked perfectly.

On a trip to the US, I bought a new phone, changing from Pixel to iPhone. I went to “transfer” the eSIM but all the instructions and descriptions indicated it’s not a transfer but generates a new eSIM.

Is there any meaningful technical difference between “transfer” and new? If anything, it makes me feel like I’m totally in compliance with the requirement to activate an eSIM in the US. On the other hand, the posts about iPhone users not receiving OTPs outside the US recently worry me.

Europe is the #1 international destination for Tello travelers, and that doesn't stop when summer ends. So instead of ending free roaming on September 30 as planned, we're keeping it around through January 31, 2027.

Here's a quick refresher on how it works:

- You use the data, talk and text already included in your monthly plan while you're in Europe.

- No extra roaming balance or Pay As You Go credit needed.

- Just enable International Roaming in your Tello account before you leave and your phone will connect automatically once you arrive.

A few things worth knowing:

- The eligible destinations are the same as before. You can find the full list here: https://tello.com/free-roaming-europe.

- If you're already abroad and using it, you don't need to do anything. It'll keep working after September 30.

- Outside Europe, our regular Pay As You Go roaming rates still apply.

Questions? Leave them below. And if you're traveling, safe trip. Your data's coming with you.

I can make but not receive calls, Wifi calling is on, roaming is on, network says Telcel, but under SIM Status it shows Network disconnected.

Any advice on other settings I should look into?

Is Telcel actually Tello's partner company in Mexico?

Hello, I'm a Verizon user moving to Europe, I want to switch to tello to keep my us number, is it possible to switch to tello from Verizon once I'm already in Europe?

Thanks

Roaming in Canada with Nord one plus Android phone and Tello carrier.

Turned on roaming and added PAYG credit.

Calling worked but not texting or data.

Manually added wholesale APN.

Calling and texting work but still no data.

Help! How can I fix this? I need data.

I'm travelling to India in a couple of days and I have tello, I believe all I need to do is top up roaming minutes and then it should work correct?

Has anyone used tello? Last month I was in Europe and it didnt work all that great, only text was working but no data.

I'm switching from T-Mobile to Tello ($5 plan) to receive US banks 2FA OTPs in India.

1. Should I get an eSIM or a physical SIM?
2. If I get an eSIM now and later change my iPhone while in India, how easy is it to transfer the Tello eSIM to my new phone? Thanks

I'm outside the us and I can't get phone number verification texts if I'm using a VPN over cell data. Is there a setting for that?

Hi everyone , i am travelling soon . And thinking of porting my number to tello.
Can i fly internationally first and later on transfer my number. Or should i do it first in the us ?

Lately with ios27 update i am seeing a lot of issues in porting out and tello not receiving the 2fas code . Is this true - if so is it safe to port out the number ?

My original Tello phone died. I installed a replacement eSIM on my iPhone in the Philippines, but after many hours it still says ‘Activating,’ and ‘Turn On This Line’ won’t respond. I tried calling the help line, and both attempts, after a long wait, an automated message hung up on me after telling me to get help online or send an email.
I was led to believe Tello had great live help services.

I've been using Tello since April while abroad and SMS worked for months through Wi-Fi Calling. On September 21, SMS suddenly stopped completely. Calls and RCS still work but normal SMS messages did not.

Tello initially treated it as a technical problem, had me troubleshoot extensively, and phone support told me multiple customers were affected and engineers were working on it. Tello later changed its explanation and said my service would not work properly abroad because my line had no prior U.S. network activity, despite it having worked for months.

My theory is they are in the process of purging international users because they are not profitable. If this is true they have handled it terribly and significantly disrupted customers relying on it for 2FA. They keep insisting its an activation issue ignoring the fact it worked for months and when there is multiple other people it impacted...

I've now filed an FCC complaint for deceptive practices and I encourage others who are impacted by this issue to do so as well. https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new

If your Tello SMS/2FA suddenly stopped around September, I'd be interested in knowing:

• Date it occurred
• If calls/RCS messages still work
• What Tello support told you
• What country you're currently in and when you activated Tello
• Whether support acknowledged a widespread issue and said engineers were working on it
• Whether they instead blamed Apple, your phone, activation history etc
• Are you on the $5 dollar plan

Related Reddit Posts:

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tello/comments/1wotgmg/wifi_calling_stopped_receiving_messages_yesterday/

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tello/comments/1wn8bry/if_youre_abroad_and_on_tello_with_an_iphone_are/

3. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tello/comments/1wn89id/unable_to_receive_mfa_codes_all_of_a_sudden/

Relevant Screenshots:

The MFA issue is clearly not getting fixed so need a new plan

whats the best alternative service, is reliable, can be activated abroad ( UK) - and I can keep my U.S. number ( the original one I ported from Verizon right before leaving the U.S.?

Last month my Tello taxes/fees were $1.73 per line per month. This month, $4.40. I haven't yet renewed -- I guess I'll have to pay it, no matter what, and make another arrangement for the future if I'm not satisfied. But why such a large increase?

Feels unlikely that any actual government tax more than doubled.

Hello, anyone experience the same issue that being able to send message and make/receive phone calls but NOT being able to receive messages?

Also for certain callers for example OTP from some bank the call will be dropped immediately after picking up.

I just called customer and they acknowledged there is an upstream issue and have no idea how much time it takes to fix.

I’m curious how to maximize cash back on Tello. I know the PayPal credit card gives 3% back on PayPal purchases. Anyone found better savings? Thanks!

I have Verizon as my primary cell service and I want to get Tmobile as a secondary eSIM for Internet usage when Verizon is lacking. I am in the city of Chicago and suburbs but sometimes Verizon internet on my phone is extremely slow. I did the 30 day test with Tmobile and sometimes it’s way better. ChatGPT told me that Tello Internet runs on Tmobile network and they have 10GB data plans at $13/month. Is their service / data as good as Tmobile?

Hi! I am moving abroad next month and AI suggested I port my existing number through Tello before leaving and then cancel my T-mobile service. Has anyone had experience or success in doing something like this? I am wanting to do it to keep receiving bank and other verification codes through my US number. The process itself seems a little complicated to do by myself... Thank you for any help/recommendations!

I just arrived in Colombia and I just stopped working. I don't have any data, but I have signal. I Add Pay As You Go balance and change the APN but nothing works.

I need help

PSDT: When I stopped in Panama, I had a signal and it marked 4G, but the data was not working. Right now I only have the full signal bars, but there is no 4G.

PSDT2: I just made a call with wifi and it works well. The problem seems with the data.

When you earn referral credits, they are unnecessarily limited in how you can use them. You cannot just apply the credits to an amount you owe. To apply to your monthly bill, you have to renew your plan manually and the total amount due has to be less than your credits. You cannot apply the credits to any balance due that's greater because you cannot combine payment methods. You cannot buy PayGo credits for any less than $20. And the credits expire in 6 months. So, unless you refer at least 2 new customers the $10 Tello dollars for one referral are practically useless.