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Carrier T-Mobile Jump! On Demand Pricing for iPhone 6s 64gb

M

mvnjpy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 9, 2011
20
2
Hey guys, I just went to the T-Mobile store in my area (New Jersey) to get the new iPhone on their supposed Jump! On Demand pricing, and I just received the contract I'm supposed to sign via e-mail. I ordered the iPhone 6s 64gb gold colored version. Looking over the contract, these are the fees that they will charge me:
  • 99$ + 6$ tax = 107$ initial down
  • 27.82$ for 18 months
  • 182$ for purchase the device after the lease is over
If you do the math for that amount, you end up paying more than 750$, which is the retail cost of an unlocked iPhone 6s 64gb. I specifically said and confirmed with the person at the T-Mobile store that it should be 19$/mo for the lease. The contract in the PDF also says "Jump! On Demand Lease Agreement". I'm waiting for a call back from T-Mobile to clarify this, but has anyone had this same thing happen? Is it supposed to be 27.82$, or is this a mess up somewhere, or was this promotional pricing a scam to begin with?

I've been with a T-Mobile phone plan for a long time now (4 lines), and it's been great, but I was pretty skeptical of this 20$/mo for an iPhone 6s thing since the beginning. Has anyone had it work well for them?
 
mvnjpy said:
Hey guys, I just went to the T-Mobile store in my area (New Jersey) to get the new iPhone on their supposed Jump! On Demand pricing, and I just received the contract I'm supposed to sign via e-mail. I ordered the iPhone 6s 64gb gold colored version. Looking over the contract, these are the fees that they will charge me:
  • 99$ + 6$ tax = 107$ initial down
  • 27.82$ for 18 months
  • 182$ for purchase the device after the lease is over
If you do the math for that amount, you end up paying more than 750$, which is the retail cost of an unlocked iPhone 6s 64gb. I specifically said and confirmed with the person at the T-Mobile store that it should be 19$/mo for the lease. The contract in the PDF also says "Jump! On Demand Lease Agreement". I'm waiting for a call back from T-Mobile to clarify this, but has anyone had this same thing happen? Is it supposed to be 27.82$, or is this a mess up somewhere, or was this promotional pricing a scam to begin with?

I've been with a T-Mobile phone plan for a long time now (4 lines), and it's been great, but I was pretty skeptical of this 20$/mo for an iPhone 6s thing since the beginning. Has anyone had it work well for them?
Click to expand...

So, after being on hold for over an hour, they first tried to convince me that it was only for people who trade in a phone. Then, I had to show them this link, which clearly states the rates with no trade-in:
https://explore.t-mobile.com/iphone-6s-and-iphone-6s-plus/why-t-mobile

They then said that this offer was for new customers only (which it says nowhere on that site), which I'm pretty sure is total bs. They said I can try to go back to the store and argue with them but they couldn't do anything from T-Mobile support. Ridiculous. I'm probably just going to cancel my order.
 
ross1998 said:
They give you a credit on every bill to bring down the cost to 19$ a month, T-mobile isn't allowed to discount the iPhone directly so they add a credit to your bill every month for 18 months
Click to expand...

This.

I got 4 new iPhones on my account now that the 6S is out and it's like that for all of them. The lease agreement is for the full non promo price and then credits adjust your bill.

Previously I also got the free data for life and I get charged $10 a month for my iPad which is also offset by a credit.

It's a strange way of doing this but the numbers add up. I would not cancel my order! Wait for the first bill and do the numbers yourself and you'll see you're getting it properly.
 
You will get a credit of $8.82 each month for 18 months.

Here is the correct math

  • $99 + $6 tax = 107$ initial down
  • $27.82 for 18 months - $8.82 credit = $342
  • $182 for purchase the device after the lease is over
  • Total cost of the iPhone 6s+ will be $631 so you are saving over $288 if you were not buying from Apple and their installment plan at 24 months. Yes Apple does 24 months as well without Applecare+
 
Last edited:
The information already given is accurate. I just wanted to add that the taxes are also broken up in the monthly increments. That is why the initial number crunch came up "over retail".
 
aziatiklover said:
You will get a credit of $8.82 each month for 18 months.

Here is the correct math

  • $99 + $6 tax = 107$ initial down
  • $27.82 for 18 months - $8.82 credit = $342
  • $182 for purchase the device after the lease is over
  • Total cost of the iPhone 6s+ will be $631 so you are saving over $288 if you were not buying from Apple and their installment plan at 24 months. Yes Apple does 24 months as well without Applecare+
Click to expand...


Wait a second...

So T-mobile is selling iPhone 6s+ (64MB) for $631 with $107 initial down, 20bucks a month, and $182 after 18 months???? That's an amazing offer!

Where does internet fees and mobile phone charges come in??

How much are you guys paying a month in Cell Phone Charges??
 
James717 said:
Wait a second...

So T-mobile is selling iPhone 6s+ (64MB) for $631 with $107 initial down, 20bucks a month, and $182 after 18 months???? That's an amazing offer!

Where does internet fees and mobile phone charges come in??

How much are you guys paying a month in Cell Phone Charges??
Click to expand...

I am paying $80 + tax a month with 3 lines unlimited call, text, wifi calling so free roaming when I travel overseas and 1 gb of data, but I have that promotion from last year where I unlimited data for 1 whole year free.

lordofthereef said:
The information already given is accurate. I just wanted to add that the taxes are also broken up in the monthly increments. That is why the initial number crunch came up "over retail".
Click to expand...

Tax on the iphone 6s+ 64gb would have been $90 for me in Texas. So I am not sure where it is in the bill!?
 
aziatiklover said:
So extra $5 a month for 18 months? or included in the $19 flat for 18 months?
Click to expand...
It should be included in the flat value (babies what they do is adjust credits monthly to make that monthly value exactly how they advertise). They do it this way because some states require you to see the sales tax added to the things you purchase. So rather than promising you a bill of $20 per month, they bill you the full amount (tax included) and the. Just credit you what they've promised every month.

It's kind of confusing because nowhere in your agreement does it say anything about this. And sometimes it can take 1-2 bill cycles to show up.
 
Just to clarify, there's also the cost of participating in the "Jump" program. We were told that "Jump" costs an additional $10/line/month. So add $180 to whatever math is being done above.

So, the cost is the $99 up front payment + $19/month installment plan ($19 x 18= $342) + $182 payoff amount + $10/month Jump program payments ($10 x 18 = $180) = $803 in total for a phone without apple care. The 64gb 6s costs $749 retail, so you pay a bit more.

To compare it with Apple's program you would need to add the cost of apple care (now $129), making the cost $932 on T-Mobile's jump program. The cost on Apple's upgrade program with the same phone on apple care is $36.58 x 24, or $878.
 
iEmz said:
Just to clarify, there's also the cost of participating in the "Jump" program. We were told that "Jump" costs an additional $10/line/month. So add $180 to whatever math is being done above.

So, the cost is the $99 up front payment + $19/month installment plan ($19 x 18= $342) + $182 payoff amount + $10/month Jump program payments ($10 x 18 = $180) = $803 in total for a phone without apple care. The 64gb 6s costs $749 retail, so you pay a bit more.

To compare it with Apple's program you would need to add the cost of apple care (now $129), making the cost $932 on T-Mobile's jump program. The cost on Apple's upgrade program with the same phone on apple care is $36.58 x 24, or $878.
Click to expand...
You don't pay $10 a month for Jump! On demand. That $10 a month was for the original Jump! Program.
 
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phpmaven said:
You don't pay $10 a month for Jump! On demand. That $10 a month was for the original Jump! Program.
Click to expand...

Interesting...we were told differently yesterday. Maybe we did not ask the question correctly or misunderstood.
 
There's no sales tax at all unless you decide to buy it. At that point you pay all the taxes. So long as you keep swapping you don't pay a penny in sales tax. I paid the $99 fee to get 64GB and it came out on my CC as just $99, not 99 + tax.

The important number here is that after year one you have paid about $300 to have 6S plus 64GB. This is about the same or even less than you would lose if you paid for it outright and sold it after one year.

My iPhone 6 Plus 64Gb just sold for $500 on eBay, meaning I lost around $400 if you count tax and all. So I would have been better off leasing if that option existed a year ago. Well, better late than never!

Now I can get the new iPhone every year, lose less or the same as if I kept selling the old one to buy the new one, and I have no hassle of eBay, CL, or other crap as I can just return it to TMobile hassle-free. It is an Excellent deal.
 
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iEmz said:
Interesting...we were told differently yesterday. Maybe we did not ask the question correctly or misunderstood.
Click to expand...
They used to charge $10 a month mostly to cover the cost of handset insurance. They will now try and get you to pay for that separately, but it' not required. I seem to recall that the insurance was another $8 a month. It just sounds like you spoke to somebody who doesn't know what they're talking about. Certainly not uncommon with T-Mobile reps.
 
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iEmz said:
Just to clarify, there's also the cost of participating in the "Jump" program. We were told that "Jump" costs an additional $10/line/month. So add $180 to whatever math is being done above.

So, the cost is the $99 up front payment + $19/month installment plan ($19 x 18= $342) + $182 payoff amount + $10/month Jump program payments ($10 x 18 = $180) = $803 in total for a phone without apple care. The 64gb 6s costs $749 retail, so you pay a bit more.

To compare it with Apple's program you would need to add the cost of apple care (now $129), making the cost $932 on T-Mobile's jump program. The cost on Apple's upgrade program with the same phone on apple care is $36.58 x 24, or $878.
Click to expand...
Jump on demand dumps that cost. You're only required to pay towards the actual core value of the device now. There is no $10 fee.
 
Gregintosh said:
There's no sales tax at all unless you decide to buy it. At that point you pay all the taxes. So long as you keep swapping you don't pay a penny in sales tax. I paid the $99 fee to get 64GB and it came out on my CC as just $99, not 99 + tax.

The important number here is that after year one you have paid about $300 to have 6S plus 64GB. This is about the same or even less than you would lose if you paid for it outright and sold it after one year.

My iPhone 6 Plus 64Gb just sold for $500 on eBay, meaning I lost around $400 if you count tax and all. So I would have been better off leasing if that option existed a year ago. Well, better late than never!

Now I can get the new iPhone every year, lose less or the same as if I kept selling the old one to buy the new one, and I have no hassle of eBay, CL, or other crap as I can just return it to TMobile hassle-free. It is an Excellent deal.
Click to expand...
Actually, the real beauty of getting an iPhone on T-Mobile's payment plan (EIP) is that the payoff at the end of the year is always significantly less than the phone is worth. I just paid off the balance on my 64gb 6 Plus which was around $375 and sold it on swappa.com for $550. I just paid of 3 other iPhones on my account and got 3 new 6s and will sell the old ones on swappa and probably net about $300. Swappa.com is great and the fees are only $10.
 
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phpmaven said:
Actually, the real beauty of getting an iPhone on T-Mobile's payment plan (EIP) is that the payoff at the end of the year is always significantly less than the phone is worth. I just paid off the balance on my 64gb 6 Plus which was around $375 and sold it on swappa.com for $550. I just paid of 3 other iPhones on my account and got 3 new 6s and will sell the old ones on swappa and probably net about $300. Swappa.com is great and the fees are only $10.
Click to expand...
It took me some time and effort to figure this out. As much as T-Mobile has done for the industry they've done a pretty **** job letting the customers know wtf is going in with their lease options lol. Credits (not showing up on EIP) only adds to the confusion.
 
phpmaven said:
They used to charge $10 a month mostly to cover the cost of handset insurance. They will now try and get you to pay for that separately, but it' not required. I seem to recall that the insurance was another $8 a month. It just sounds like you spoke to somebody who doesn't know what they're talking about. Certainly not uncommon with T-Mobile reps.
Click to expand...

Talked with someone at T-Mobile again. You are correct. A rep said that Jump program is free and insurance is $10, but it took a little bit to tease that out.
 
phpmaven said:
Actually, the real beauty of getting an iPhone on T-Mobile's payment plan (EIP) is that the payoff at the end of the year is always significantly less than the phone is worth. I just paid off the balance on my 64gb 6 Plus which was around $375 and sold it on swappa.com for $550. I just paid of 3 other iPhones on my account and got 3 new 6s and will sell the old ones on swappa and probably net about $300. Swappa.com is great and the fees are only $10.
Click to expand...

Right... but you've been paying $20+ all along, meaning you still paid a lot more for that phone than its worth at the end.

The bottom line is this: If you want to change phones every year you're best off with the Jump on Demand program. You basically pay $300/year to have possession the latest iPhone and you never have to worry about selling it later.

If you upgrade every 2 years, you might as well just upgrade every year. Since by the end of year 2 your phone will have lost enough value that you're maybe saving peanuts compared to just having been on JOD all along with the latest phone. It just doesn't make sense to upgrade every 2 years anymore.

If you upgrade once every 3+ years then maybe owning your headset is the best. In that case it still makes sense to get Jump on Demand because you can buy the phone at a discounted rate that way. But instead of swapping just hold out the full 18 months, pay the buy out, and then don't get another phone for a while. The longer you hold out the more it makes sense.
 
Cheers to this thread and Gregintosh for the easy to understand explanations. That's how I understood the program too. It's a nobrainer for those with decent tmo service. Especially the part about the hassle of selling yr old phones.

The only thing cheaper is buying a used or refurbed iPhone - like a 5S. They're like 300 outright right now.
 
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