T-Mobile Jump Explained: What Is It And How Does It Work?

When it comes to getting the latest and greatest flagship smartphone through your carrier, the usual way — if you're not wanting to pay the full price upfront — involves a contract and/or payment plan. In that scenario, you receive the device but pay for it over 24 or 36 months while pledging to keep the service active the whole time. Your carrier may also offer some kind of trade-in bonus for your old phone to lower the price, which can often be for hundreds of dollars more than they'd give you for it outside of that specific promotion. T-Mobile, however, in addition to the usual options, also has a different way of doing things.

That's JUMP!, T-Mobile's early upgrade program. This might suit you if the phone you're currently in the middle of paying off is past the return period and not lighting your world on fire the way you expected, or maybe if the features offered by the newest model have truly wowed you. It's an option for an early exit from your payment plan. Let's take a look at how it works and how it compares to similar options from the rival carriers, as well as T-Mobile's past upgrade options.

T-Mobile first introduced JUMP!, its early upgrade program, at a July 2013 media event. This was during the period it was ramping up its branding as America's Un-carrier to differentiate itself from the competition, theoretically ridding its customers of the red tape associated with others. "We say two years is just too long to wait," then-T-Mobile president and CEO John Legere said at the event according to a press release. "Now, customers never have to worry about being stuck with the wrong phone. And, yes — it's really as good as it sounds."

The gist of how JUMP! works now is broadly the same as it was when it launched. To be eligible for upgrades, you need to be signed up for T-Mobile's device protection plan, Protection 360. You can sign up for Protection 360 within 30 days of getting a new phone. To become eligible for a JUMP! upgrade, you have to reach the 50% mark of the money owed on your installment plan while being current on paying your T-Mobile bill. Once there, you can trade in the phone toward something new and have the second half of your payment plan waived. However, that 50% mark shouldn't simply be understood to mean 12 months out of a 24 month plan, though, as you also have the option of making a one time lump sum payment to get to 50% earlier than you would on schedule.

If you had a passing familiarity with T-Mobile's JUMP! program before reading this article, then that last section may have been different than what you were expecting. That's because there's also JUMP! On Demand, a separate but related upgrade program based around leasing your phones. JUMP! On Demand is explained on T-Mobile's website as not being available online, only by phone and in-store, but as of May 2024, that's not the only restriction. According to the T-Mobile customer service representative that we spoke to, it's no longer available for new sign-ups, just customers who had already signed up for it before.

For those who are still eligible, JUMP! On Demand offers 18 month leasing contracts where you can swap out your leased device every 30 days. At the end of the lease, you can choose to buy the phone at the Purchase Option Price, either in a lump sum or in a Purchase Option Installment Plan. If you don't do anything, the lump sum Purchase Option Price will be added to your next bill after 30 days have passed. Alternatively, at the end of the lease, if you're not keeping the phone, you can turn it in at a T-Mobile store. The device has to be in a reasonable working condition, meaning that there is no screen or liquid damage, the phone turns on, you've disabled any anti-theft features, and you haven't rooted or jailbroken the phone on the software side.