One-Upping Our Own Industry-Leading Upgrade Program

By Mike SievertFebruary 24, 2014

Last summer, T-Mobile led the revolt against the wildly unpopular device upgrade restrictions that have been driving wireless customers crazy for years. Now we’re one-upping ourselves with a bunch of enhancements to our pioneering JUMP!™ upgrade program.

And today I can finally confirm the rumors you may have heard.

The improvements to JUMP!™ that were soft launched over the weekend (Sunday, February 23rd) brought another US industry first with an early upgrade program offering virtually complete coverage for tablets – as well as effectively removing all remaining limits to when and how often you’re able to upgrade your phone or tablet.

As of the end of December and 3.6 million subscribers after launching JUMP!, we’re folding everything we’ve learned about customer needs and wants into these new program innovations …

  • First, among national wireless providers, T-Mobile is now the only company to offer this type of upgrade program for tablets. Whether you’re looking to upgrade to the new iPad Air or Mini or the latest Android tablet, these devices are now included. That’s not the case with AT&T or Verizon’s more limited programs.
  • Second, we’ve eliminated the six-month waiting period before you’re eligible to upgrade.  There’s no more waiting to upgrade. Period.
  • Third, there are no longer any limits on the number of times you can upgrade. That’ll be music to a lot of early adopters’ ears.
     

When you’re ready to upgrade, simply trade in your eligible device and get full credit on all remaining payments on the old phone or tablet – up to half of the original cost of the device.  Most of the time, this will mean an upgrade with little or nothing more to pay on the old device. You can then purchase your new phone or tablet on our easy Equipment Installment Plan (EIP).

I want to emphasize that we’ll pay what your device is worth. If your trade-in is worth more than what we would otherwise pay under the program, then we’ll credit you the difference. Not true with Verizon’s Edge program.

JUMP! is also still the only upgrade program from a major national carrier to offer virtually complete protection for devices. Since device protection and mobile security are both automatically included in the program, there’s no need to worry about theft, loss, mechanical breakdown, or accidental damage.

We’ve done the hard work to make JUMP! an even simpler, sweeter deal for customers. Just $10 a month gets you complete coverage for your phone or tablet. Done.

Meanwhile, the competitions’ me-too programs are falling even further behind the curve. Both with AT&T’s Next and Verizon Edge, the bottom line is you pay more and get a whole lot less than with T-Mobile1.

And good luck figuring out the other guys’ programs, which are full of hidden complexities and gotchas, including tiered pricing based on your rate plan and their calculations of how valuable you are to them.

But, hey, at least they’re paying attention!

Being way out front with our revolutionary upgrade program has given us the awesome advantage of taking everything we’ve learned since launching JUMP!, and rolling that forward into the program’s ongoing evolution, providing you with even more fairness and freedom.

Because, at the end of the day, that’s what our Un-carrier Promise is really all about.

Feature Comparison

  • Includes handset protection and mobile security : T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next No Verizon Edge No
  • Upgrade a damaged/lost or stolen device+ T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next No Verizon Edge No
  • Program available for tablets T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next No Verizon Edge No
  • Same program features and benefits for all T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next No – tiered benefits Verizon Edge No – tiered benefits
  • Minimum waiting period to upgrade T-Mobile JUMP! No wait AT&T Next No – 12 months 18 months Verizon Edge No – 30 days
  • Upgrade frequencye T-Mobile JUMP! Unlimited AT&T Next No – 1 per 12 months 1 per 18 months Verizon Edge No – Unlimited
  • Pays out  any additional value for your device at trade-in T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next No Verizon Edge No
  • Pays off remaining balance at upgrade T-Mobile JUMP! Yes AT&T Next Yes Verizon Edge Yes

?+Deductible may apply; up to 2 insurance claims in 12 months. *Up to 50% of the original device cost NOTE: Sprint currently does not offer an upgrade program for its customers.

Qualifying service and trade-in of an eligible device in good working order required. Pay 50% of your device cost to be eligible for upgrades. See www.T-Mobile.com for pricing and other details.

[1] Based on iPhone 5s on T-Mobile Simple Choice plan (4G data) with JUMP! vs. the same device on comparable AT&T & Verizon plans (6GB data) with Next and Edge at 6/mos. Taxes and promotional offers not included.