T-Mobile is planning to implement some changes to its "Jump" early upgrade program, according to TmoNews. The company has plans to nix the six month waiting period and eliminate limits on how often customers can upgrade their devices, but there's a caveat – under the new terms, customers must pay off 50% of their existing device costs before being allowed to upgrade. As with the existing program, device trade-in is also required.
Previously, customers could upgrade their phone twice per year after a six month waiting period, without a specific number of payments made on a device. T-Mobile would then cover the cost of the remaining payments, whereas now, the company will only cover 50% of the cost as outlined by a T-Mobile representative.
Whenever you're ready to upgrade, trade in your device and T-Mobile will pay your remaining device payments up to 50% of the device cost. There is no more waiting period or limit to the number of times you can upgrade per year.
For the entry-level 16GB iPhone 5s, a T-Mobile customer must pay either $648 or $27 a month with a $0 downpayment. Under the existing program, a customer could initially upgrade to a new phone after six months of payments, or $162. A subsequent, second yearly update could be even cheaper for the customer depending on the gap between updates.
Under the plan's new terms, customers will only be able to upgrade their phones after paying half of the cost of the iPhone 5s, or $324, the equivalent of 12 payments. To upgrade more frequently than once a year, customers will need to shell out additional cash to reach 50% of the device cost.
T-Mobile is allowing current Jump customers to be grandfathered in to the existing plan, which means they will be able to upgrade before paying off half of the device costs.
Along with implementing some changes to the way Jump works, T-Mobile is also adding tablets to the plan.
The changes to Jump will go into effect on February 23.
Top Rated Comments
Well, T-Mo must be giving up on the whole uncarrier thing. This is exactly like AT&T and Veri$on's plans.
LOL! Always nice to see some comedy in the forums....
Just trade in your next phone towards the purchase of your previous phone, pay 37% the fair market value on the regulated Phone.prices site, divide the amount of data that you want by your region code to compute your monthly payment. If you prepay the taxes on your current phone that you pay for on your next upgrade, then you get an 11% discount off any extra lines that you add to your ring of circles. You get 1.5 circles per line, up to 7. If today is a Thursday, add a $57.10 processing fee. If you purchase more than 3 devices, pay a 13% electromagnetic environmental protection fee. If upgrading from 5G to 6G service, take the number of circles you have times $42 and only pay 31% fair market value for your device.
Don't forget to add ridiculous names to each plan and constantly point out how much money they're (not) saving now.
I'm on T-Mobile (I took advantage of their switch plan to pay off my EFT and left Verizon). The main reason I switched was to separate the phone cost from the service cost. I own both my iPhones, so my question is this:
What's to stop me from buying new phones whenever I want? Why would I pay TMo $10 a month to 'upgrade early' when, as far as I understand, I'm only paying for service and can upgrade whenever I feel like it?
Anyway... on the previous JUMP plan, you were better off buying the phone and selling it on Craigslist 11 months later.
Essentially you're dropping $37 a month (27 for iPhone and 10 for Jump) which equals out to $407 in 11 months. Just to give the phone back to them... or you could sell it for around 450-500 if you time it right. $715 (CA tax is $65 + $650) - 500 = $215 so you're not out nearly as much as giving them the phone back.
Don't like any of these "programs" at all.
It's even worse now as you'll need to pay X amount of months at $10 + $325. Going by 11 months again it's now $435 to upgrade after 11 months.
Blah, why waste my time?