Tello Improved The Value Of Its Wireless Plans, But Some Redditors Are Upset

Tello Mobile has built its brand around budget‑friendly plans with mix‑and‑match options. For years the MVNO let subscribers pick a specific amount of data and pair it with 100, 300, 500 minutes or unlimited talk/text. The smallest plan cost $5 for 100 minutes and no data, while 1GB of data with unlimited talk and text cost $9, and there was a middle‑of‑the‑road 5GB plan at $14. Customers could even roll over unused data and minutes by renewing a day early. That flexibility helped Tello win a cult following in subreddits like r/Tello.

On March 19, 2026, Tello shook up that formula. The carrier simplified its lineup to four bundles and cut the price of its mid‑tier plan. The official blog post frames the changes as “upgraded plans, simplified lineup and lowered prices”. While heavy users may see a clear benefit, many Redditors say the changes punish low‑usage customers and to an extent, they have a point.

What Changed?

The new lineup gives a couple of plans more data than before at similar or lower price points.

• 10GB plan: Unlimited talk & text plus 10GB for $15/month, and depending on how you look at it, a price cut from $19/month or doubling the previous data allotment for $1 more. Tello previously offered 4GB for $14/mo.
• 20GB plan: Unlimited talk & text plus 20 GB for $20/month. This tier is new; the previous lineup offered 15GB for $24.

Tello eliminated several build‑your‑own options:

• The 1GB, 5GB and 15GB data tiers are gone. Under the old matrix, 1GB with unlimited talk & text cost $9, 5GB cost $14 and 15GB cost $24.
• Minute choices have been reduced. Instead of 100‑, 300‑ or 500‑minute tiers that started at $5/mo for 100 minutes, the new plans come with either unlimited talk or 300 minutes and start at $5/month.

It's mostly former plans between the $6 and $9 price points, and $11-$13 price points that have Redditors up in arms. The changes mean that customers on retired plans like the $6 plan (1GB of data + 100 minutes) must either keep it via auto‑renew and lose their rollover data, or move up to an $8 or $10 plan with more minutes and data to keep it. For moderate and heavy users the new lineup provides more data for the money: the 10GB plan is $4 cheaper than before and the 20GB plan offers 25% more data than the retired 15GB tier at a lower price.

Why Redditors Are Frustrated

The announcement thread on r/Tello quickly filled with complaints from low‑usage customers. One of the most up‑voted comments said the change was “not a price drop” and accused Tello of eliminating the lowest tiers; the commenter pointed out that customers who needed only 1GB and 100 minutes saw their $5–$6 plan replaced by a $8–$10 plan—a 20% increase.

Comment
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Loss of flexibility also drew ire. A long‑time customer wrote that Tello built its reputation on allowing subscribers to choose any combination of minutes and data, but “reducing plan options is not a consumer friendly move”. Another commenter noted that the plan matrix’s linear pricing, each extra gigabyte cost roughly the same regardless of how many minutes were included, has been replaced by non‑linear steps that penalize low‑usage customers. On a separate thread about non‑linearity, a user compared old and new price tables and concluded that each increase in minutes once cost $1 regardless of data but now costs up to $3.

However, an analysis of Tello's new plans show that not every low cost option is as dire as Redditors make it out to be. For instance, if you wanted a 300 minutes with unlimited text plan from Tello you had to pay $6/month before, now it's only $5/month. And a 10GB plan with 300 minutes was previously $17/month but is now $14/month. It's a handful of tweener plans that are all the difference though.

Data rollover, a beloved feature, may be going away for grandfathered plans. Under the old system, subscribers could renew a day early to carry over unused minutes and data. Tello’s retirement email explains that customers can keep their current plan only through automatic renewal; manual renewals are no longer supported. A user who accumulated 218GB of rollover data on the $5 plan complained that there is no way to keep rolling that balance unless they upgrade to the 2 GB/300‑minute plan. Others confirmed that texting “RENEW” to 800 no longer works.

Redditors with low‑usage lines feel they are subsidizing the cheaper 10GB plan. One person described the change as a “33.3% price increase for anyone on the lowest cost plan”, pointing out that staying on the $6 plan requires sacrificing rollover or paying for a $8 plan with more minutes they will never use. Another user wrote that Tello is “clearly trying to force low‑need users into higher profit plans”.

Not all feedback is negative. Several users acknowledge that the new $15 plan delivering 10GB of data is a solid value compared to offerings from other MVNOs. One commenter noted that after upgrading to the 2GB/300‑minute plan they’re “only paying like $9 after taxes” and still find it cheaper than competing plans. However, the overall tone in the subreddit is frustration toward the removal of low‑tier options and the handling of rollover.

Possible Reasons Behind Tello’s Move

Tello’s blog frames the changes as simplification and value, but Redditors have speculated about the motivations. The new lineup eliminates small increments of minutes and data, and the pricing steps vary depending on which data tier you choose. One user suggested this may be due to per‑device fees Tello pays its host network; they theorize that the carrier previously hid those fees in low‑end plans and now needs to recover them by increasing minute costs. Another speculation is that the 1GB and 5GB tiers simply weren’t popular enough to justify keeping them. For example, moving from 5GB ($14) to 10GB ($15) costs only $1 more, implying that many subscribers may opt for the bigger bucket. There is also the possibility that Tello is trying to improve margins amid rising costs or encourage customers into higher‑margin plans to fund the price cut on the 10GB tier.

Regardless of the reason, Tello clearly wants to streamline its catalog. The company’s email tells customers to avoid manual changes if they wish to keep their legacy plans and notes that any lapse will force them onto the new lineup. Switching to a new plan transfers any remaining balance but requires renewal just before the next billing cycle to preserve rollover.

Editor's Take

From a value perspective, Tello’s new lineup offers more data at several price points and an attractive mid‑tier option: 10GB for $15 is hard to beat among prepaid carriers. For customers who typically used 10GB or more or wanted unlimited talk and text with at least 2GB of data, the update is unquestionably positive. However, the revamp leaves low‑usage users feeling squeezed. Eliminating the 1GB and 5GB tiers and removing manual rollover means that those who depended on Tello’s ultra‑cheap plans must either pay more, lose rollover, or look elsewhere. Commenters call the messaging a price drop misleading because it hides price increases for the bottom tier.

Tello still offers some of the most affordable unlimited and mid‑data plans on the market, and existing customers can keep their old plans if they stick with auto‑renew. But anyone sitting on a mountain of rollover data should pay attention: once you change your plan or let it lapse, there’s no going back. The biggest drawback is how rollover data is handled. Customers who built up balances under the old system risk losing that benefit unless they move to a new plan. Allowing rollover to persist across plan changes would have preserved one of Tello’s most consumer-friendly features. The decision not to bring back unlimited 2G data on limited plans is another misstep.