T-Mobile Announces 'Jump' Phone Upgrade Program

At an event in Manhattan today, T-Mobile USA announced a new phone upgrade program called "Jump," which is designed to allow subscribers to upgrade their phones at regular intervals.

tmobile

With Jump, customers will pay the same subsidized amount that a new customer pays, without the need to wait to qualify for an upgrade. Jump requires T-Mobile customers to pay a $10 monthly fee for the service and trade-in old devices, but it offers up to two phone upgrades per year after a six month waiting period. T-Mobile CEO John Legere spoke to AllThingsD about the new program:

"This is one of those things that annoys customers so much," CEO John Legere said in an interview ahead of a New York press event. Legere said that the company wanted to address this issue when it first did away with two-year contracts back in March, but needed a little more time to work out the details.

This is a significant policy change that sets T-Mobile apart from other carriers, which often require contracts to expire before upgrade pricing on a new device is available. Both Verizon and AT&T, for example, have recently implemented policies that only allow customers to upgrade after 24 months have passed.

T-Mobile's policy change comes three months after it announced both the iPhone 5 and its "Uncarrier" policies, which allow customers to purchase a phone without a monthly contract. Instead, T-Mobile requires a down payment of $150 along with a $20 monthly device fee for the iPhone 5.

At today's event, T-Mobile also announced that it plans to create a new family plan for customers without enough credit to quality for traditional phone contracts and plans to expand its LTE network in the near future.

T-Mobile has published a series of ads on the new Jump feature, with the slogan "Upgrade when you want, not when you're told."

Top Rated Comments

Sky Blue Avatar
127 months ago
So... You're paying $10 a month and you have to give up your old device?

If you want the latest iPhone, on top of the cost of the phone, you're paying $120 a year extra and losing out on the $$$ from selling you're old phone.

Pretty crap deal.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F123D Avatar
127 months ago
I'm going back to a land line, dial up internet, and a pager and not deal with any of this.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brand Avatar
127 months ago
Not sure if AT&T does this, but with Verizon, while you do sign a 2 year contract, you are able to upgrade within 6 months of your contract expiring. So really you are only locked in for 18 months. I don't see the need to continuously update your device unless you just have to have the best thing that's out. Which is fine, just would rather save that money to spend on something else.

My personal preference. To each their own of course!

That is now misinformation.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrisbru Avatar
127 months ago
So you buy a device on a payment plan, decide hafway thru paying for it you want a newer device, upgrade on another payment plan and still pay off the old payment plan PLUS $120 extra dollars a year?

SEEMS LEGIT.

The way I understand it is this (for example):
10/1/2013: Pay downpayment on iPhone 5S (is this $200? I don't know)
Oct 2013-Sept 2014: Pay $20/month payment on phone, plus $10/month jump fee
10/1/2014: Pay downpayment on iPhone 6, surrender half-paid-for iPhone 5S
Oct 2014-Sept 2015: Pay $20/month payment on phone, plus $10/month jump fee


Anyone else see it this way? In this sense, you are paying $560/year to have the latest and greatest device. T-Mobile then re-sells your one generation old device to someone who wants a lower downpayment/monthly payment/etc.

The other scenario is:
10/1/2013: Pay $649 for unlocked iPhone 5S
10/1/2014: Pay $649 for unlocked iPhone 6
10/?/2014: Sell iPhone 5S for ~$450.

In this scenario, you have a greater initial investment ($649 in year one instead of $560) but only about a $200 cost in the years going forward.

This seems like a good way for T-Mobile to make money off of customers who want the ease of just paying a set monthly price for their device and not deal with the hassle of buying and selling phones each year.

It's almost like leasing a car.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
127 months ago
So you buy a device on a payment plan, decide hafway thru paying for it you want a newer device, upgrade on another payment plan and still pay off the old payment plan PLUS $120 extra dollars a year?

SEEMS LEGIT.

You no longer continue to pay for the old device, you trade it in and then pay the device fee on the new device. You're not paying two device fees at once.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BJMRamage Avatar
127 months ago
Does this mean you can pay the $10 monthly if you buy a phone that is close to a new phone release date, THEN when the new phone comes out, upgrade and then drop the $10 monthly?

seems good, i suppose , if you are a super regular upgraded...i am not, still on iphonr 4
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
TMobile Sprint

Apple Stops Allowing Sprint iPhone Activations, Removes Sprint References From Online Store

Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store. When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
airpodsd 3 purple 4

iOS 16.4 Seemingly References New AirPods and AirPods Case

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:43 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968. There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...