MintMobile to Tello switch
Switching Phone Plans: My Experience of moving from MintMobile to Tello
These days, traditional phone services are becoming less popular. Most people rely on messaging and video conferencing apps instead. It’s time for me to renew my Mint Mobile plan, but after seeing the $203.49 charge for a 5GB and unlimited talk/text plan, I realized I only use about 1GB of data per month, thanks to WiFi.
Shopping for Options
I decided to explore other options. The Prepaid Compare website gave me several choices. My key criteria were:
- Prepaid plan
- Ability to change the plan anytime
- Flexibility to adjust GB or minutes as needed
- Cost-effectiveness
- Ability to use data as a hotspot
Since T-Mobile’s network works well in my area, I decided to try Tello.
Signup Process
A quick search on Reddit revealed that you can get $10 of credits by using a referral code when signing up. I found a random code, and it worked. Unfortunately, none of the discount codes I tried at checkout worked, probably because I chose the cheapest plan ($6 per month for 100 minutes, unlimited text, and 1GB of data). Here are some codes in case they work for you:
- TPO: 50% off
- 30NEW: 30% off
- SWITCH: 30% off
- 15OFFAFF: 15% off
Tello also charged $3 for the eSIM, which my phone supports. My total charge for the first month was $10.80.
Steps to Get Started
- Use a referral (link) or code
P3DNZ2QQto sign up and get $10 in credits. - Add a credit card.
- Purchase a plan.
- Activate the eSIM on your phone.
- Port your number (it took about 15-30 minutes for me).
- Set up WiFi calling, etc.
Porting My Phone Number
My number was with Mint Mobile. To port it, I contacted Mint Support via their website (Mint Mobile) and chatted with a representative. Be ready to provide your name, email address and have a phone close to receive SMS. The goal of the chat with the support to get: Account Number and transfer PIN, which you can use on the Tello portal for the porting process.
Bonus Tello Tip
If you manually renew your plan one day before it expires, all unused minutes and data will roll over to the next month. Enjoy!