T-Mobile is launching a new version of its JUMP device upgrade program, called “JUMP On Demand,” that gives customers the option to lease a smartphone with the ability to upgrade to a new device whenever they want, up to three times a year.
It’s part of a new initiative called “Un-carrier Amped” in which T-Mobile is revisiting and revamping some of its original “Un-carrier” announcements. T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced the program this morning in a video that includes his trademark jabs at T-Mobile competitors Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and their “bulls—” attempts to knock off T-Mobile’s moves, in his words.
T-Mobile is launching the JUMP On Demand program with a promotional offer to lease an iPhone 6 for $15/month, including upgrade rights, under the new JUMP On Demand program. The normal cost for an iPhone 6 would be $27.08/month without the promotion. That’s in the same ballpark as the monthly lease for other “superphones” under the new T-Mobile program.
The original JUMP program remains an option for customers. It costs $10/month for upgrade rights and device insurance, and works in conjunction with T-Mobile’s program for paying off a smartphone over time with separate monthly Equipment Installation Plan payments.
T-Mobile says the total monthly payment under the new JUMP On Demand lease program will be about the same as the cost of using the original JUMP program with a regular Equipment Installation Plan. The new program has the added bonus of more frequent upgrades, although device insurance is not included in JUMP On Demand, offered instead through an additional, optional $8/month payment.
The company says existing JUMP customers can switch to the new JUMP On Demand at their next upgrade. The company says more than 10 million people have signed up for the original JUMP program.
Customers who lease a device under the new JUMP On Demand program can later opt to purchase the device, applying their past lease payments to the cost of the device when they do.