NEW YORK — T-Mobile is revamping its phone-upgrade program by eliminating a $10-a-month charge for the most popular phones.
The wireless carrier shattered long-standing industry practices two years ago by eliminating two-year service contracts and letting customers upgrade phones before they are fully paid off.
Customers had to pay $10 a month to be eligible for the upgrade program, known as Jump. That’s on top of monthly installments to cover the costs of the phone.
AT&T and Verizon soon followed with their own programs — without the monthly fee.
T-Mobile’s new Jump On Demand program eliminates that $10 Jump fee. Customers will be able to upgrade up to three times a year, which is more frequent than what rivals or T-Mobile’s old program allow.
The program isn’t open yet to online orders or third-party retailers. Eligible phones are initially limited to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Samsung’s Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and Note 4 and LG’s G4. T-Mobile says these were chosen because customers of these phones tended to upgrade the most frequently.
Customers pay what they would have been charged previously under a monthly-installment plan. It’s the full retail price of the phone divided into 24 payments.
