What’s wrong with my SIM?
Hey, there, smart spender!
Congrats on making the first step towards guaranteed savings, now that you’ve decided to switch to Tello. After feeling the difference in your pocket, month over month, we know you’d wish you’d switch sooner, but we’re so happy to have you on board, together with thousands of frugal-minded people. Welcome to wireless freedom!
💡 We know by now that you have a Tello compatible device – that was previously checked by entering that ESN on our site.
That is the stepping stone of our Bring Your Own Phone process.
If, for some reason, you found yourself in a bit of a pickle and received an “Oops” message when you entered the SIM code, no need to worry, we’re here with a bunch of solutions.
🤦 Frustrating right?
You know what they say: “better an *Ooops* than a *what if*” – yet in this case, we got you covered with extra details on why the SIM that you have is not accepted by Tello. We strive to give our customers a great online experience and this is why every small issue you might encounter is our primary concern.
Whether you have it for some time, or you’ve just purchased a Tello SIM kit from Amazon or another third party, here’s a bit more info about this so that you can take the next best course of action.
There are several possibilities why you are getting stuck here and these are the most common:
1. The SIM is not compatible with the device.
The SIM / Phone combination is not quite right and that SIM you entered cannot be used with that phone on Tello. We recommend that you buy a compatible SIM on the BYOD Page. For all GSM lines, a new Tello GSM SIM is required starting January 2021.
2. The SIM is already in use on another device.
Any SIM that was once activated will not be usable for a future Tello activation, not even when it was deactivated before attempting a second activation. If this is the case, you’ll have to get a new SIM from us.
Same goes for when you’re trying to add a new line to our service.
3. Misplaced Digit – The activation code is an 8-9 digit code for GSM, or the ICCID – a 20 digit code for CDMA SIMs
Enter the activation code in the field provided. You can usually find these on the top of the card the SIM arrived in.
Just double-check that you have typed the exact code into the field provided. Mis-typing the code or leaving the code a digit short is a common way of getting stuck, yet it happens to the best of us.
4. Amazon SIM Kit – Make sure you are choosing the correct SIM format from the SIM Kit package.
99% of devices are compatible with the SIM included in this kit (that comes with multiple cut-sizes), with no problems whatsoever. If this happened to you, we say it speaks wonders about your uniqueness :).
So, if you used the wrong cut, you can always mount back the right plastic frame to get the desired size and voila, problem solved!
📧 Need a double-check? Contact us anytime!
If you still think that this SIM should be accepted for the phone you want to bring, then please email us with the following device information:
- ICCID (20 digits)
- IMEI/MEID/ ESN of Phone
With such information, we will be able to investigate further and get back to you.
Remember you can always go back to the compatibility checker and give it another try.
How do you ‘deregister’ a SIM that was on a different phone ?
Thanks, Tello is great.
I ported my Tmo number that I’ve had for about 20 years to Tello on your site. It went well, no issues.
Davy, I’m not sure how to help with that, but please call our customer support since they have all the wisdom in such cases. Let me know how it goes, thanks!
@Davy,
How did you eventually deregister?
Hi Davy and/or Support –
Same situation – I’ve had a number with Verizon for 20 years. How do I “port” it to Tello? I just purchased a new SIM card from Tello this morning. Is that the same thing or different?
Thanks so much!
I bought this SIM card off this company and it was 4 this phone. Y not compatible.
Mariann, think I need more info on the issue, please.
Fell free to contact our Customer Support Team anytime and tell them exactly what seems to be the problem, thanks!
Was bought for a gal 8+. Is under motor. Now I have a new sim card, says it is not compatible
Please refer to this problem to our customer support team and provide all the details so they can help you, thanks!
how many different kind of sim card are there? which sim card would work for such and such device. i have an iphone and an android phone and the virgin mobile slider phone and i want to make sure they work before i order more sim card. how should i go about this?
Hi, Joseph, great question, thanks!
Each device requires a specific sim card number model. The correct/compatible SIM card is suggested on our website once the ESN passes the Bring your own device checks. So please go to this page: https://tello.com/bring_your_own_phone and check the IMEIs of your devices on the website to find out what type of SIM you need. Thanks and fingers crossed!
the kyocera verve is my priority right now to get it working. i need help on this. it is a virgin pay as you go phone.
Unable to use SIM card for my iPhone XR that I bought from Tello
do you have to buy the sim card link on amazon? i can’t to find them. thank you
Tiffany,
Sorry for the delay in answering, please know that you can get a SIM from our site directly, for now, thanks!
Happy holidays,
Maria
Hello, my son is a current Tello customer. He got a new phone for Christmas and we took the SIM card from the old phone to the new (required same type). It worked just fine for Tello service on the other iPhone. On the new one it says SIM card not compatible.
Abby, thanks for writing.
So nice of Santa to gift your son a new phone.
I’m sorry about the SIM issues, please contact one of my Customer Support colleagues and bring it up with them, I’m sure they can of service.
Thanks & Happy New Year!