I got a tweet back from T-Mobile after replying to John's tweet lol. Here is what they said in case anyone else is curious:
"It can be combined with the ETF reimbursement offer but not the Carrier Freedom offer that pays of your device balance."
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T-Mobile's New 'Jump On Demand' Lease Program Allows Up to 3 Smartphone Upgrades Per Year
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I got a tweet back from T-Mobile after replying to John's tweet lol. Here is what they said in case anyone else is curious:
Yes, I talked to someone in store today. They also flat out told me I'm better off just bringing in an old flip phone to trade in for the $15/month iPhone 6 trade in deal and selling my current phone online. She said any phone is valid for the deal as long as it'll turn on and doesn't have water damage. Doesn't have to be a smartphone.
I have an Amazon Fire Phone (that I bought during their clearance sale) and I was told by a T-Mobile store manager that I could trade that phone in. I'm trying to decide if I want to do it now or wait until the 6s+ comes out.
Why would you wait? You can do it now and still get the 6S+ when it comes out and then two other phones after that...
Because I already have a 6+ that I'm using. I can do the trade in now and sell my 6+. I'm sure it's worth more now that it will when the 's models come out.
You are contradicting yourself. You said you weren't sure if you wanted to move to T-Mobile's jump plan now or wait until the 6S comes out. Then when I ask why you would wait, you reply that it is better to do it now than wait...
I meant my 6+ is worth more now (if I sell it on craigslist) than if I wait for the 6s plus.
I don't understand why either of you think you can't do this?
If you want to walk in to a T-Mobile store and purchase a phone outright, activate it on TMo and pay for the service you can absolutely do that.
$19 per month for the 16GB version. It's done as a bill credit each month, so the T-Mobile rep thought the discount should carry over to the 6S or whatever you upgrade for over the course of the 18 months but couldn't be sure until Sunday. She was fairly certain that someone that wanted a Galaxy or something instead could just do the deal for the iPhone 6 and then use one of their 3 upgrades immediately and get the bill credit applied proportionately to that phone.
Sure you still can, and I do. My complaint is that this whole "uncarrier" business started out as promotion to simplify cell phone purchase and use. These Jump plans strike me as a return to the bad old "carrier" days.
Old days:
- Paid a discounted price for phone up front. (You don't own the phone -- it's a down payment)
- Had contract that hid the remaining phone payments.
- At end of contract you get phone which you can sell and put the money toward a new phone. (Rinse and Repeat.)
New Jump days:
- Give them your current phone (effectively a down payment)
- Have lease for new phone. (Payments are now visible, a plus)
- At end of lease they get the phone back or you can buy it. (Residual value?) Rinse and repeat.
So basically one has gone from a purchase with time payments to a lease. Both cases make it advantageous to replace phones more frequently than is truly necessary.
Uncarrier is not only about simplifying the purchase and use, but also about giving customers choice and meeting their needs, being transparent, and doing away with unfavorable policies, like charging for text messages, 2-year contracts, etc.
Customers now have several options that all work in their favor:
• Buy your phone outright at full cost and pay ONLY for your plan costs (other carriers still charge you a subsidy)
• Pay for your phone over the course of 18 months in small payments plus your plan costs and own the phone after 18 months
• Lease your phone and pay for your plan costs and always have the latest and greatest devices
How is this complicated or a return to the old carrier days? I think you are overcomplicating the issue. How would you prefer they meet customer demand and provide simpler options?
Has anyone pre-ordered an iPhone with T-Mobile before? I just checked Apple's site and you can only buy the iPhone unlocked at full price for T-Mobile. It says you can do Jump, but only at an Apple Store. So, for those of us that switch to Jump today, will we not be able to pre-order the 6S/6S+ through Apple's site like we can with other carriers? Would we have to wait until a T-Mobile store has stock and then bring our 6/6+ in to upgrade at that time? Something to think about...
This is something I asked the T-Mobile rep about too. She said you can pre-order new iPhones through the T-Mobile store and do a "deferred upgrade", doing the full upgrade once you pick up the phone. She wasn't 100% positive this would work the same with Jump On Demand (though said she'd know on Sunday) and was doubtful you'd be able to get the phone from the Apple Store.
It's complicated because this is the 65th post in a thread mostly consisting of people trying to figure out exactly what the new plan means. I've been a T-Mobile customer for I guess about 10 years and I feel it's all messier now than it was then!
I can't wait to use this, because when the next iPhone comes out I'll HAVE to go 64GB. I wish they still had 32GB but this 16GB got to go.
I'm trying to figure something out about this plan; taxes.
No taxes are paid UP FRONT.
If the phone is bought/acquired/ signed for in a state with no sales tax, does the monthly cost go down? I'm not talking the $15 promo deal. Just in general.
All previous plans with all carriers had you pay the tax on msrp either up front or over the course of your payments. In trying to figure out if it's worth the trouble of avoiding a sales tax or not, frankly n
No taxes are paid UP FRONT.
If the phone is bought/acquired/ signed for in a state with no sales tax, does the monthly cost go down? I'm not talking the $15 promo deal. Just in general.
All previous plans with all carriers had you pay the tax on msrp either up front or over the course of your payments. In trying to figure out if it's worth the trouble of avoiding a sales tax or not, frankly n
Just as an FYI, there is a $100 deposit for the 64gb and $200 for the 128 currently, irregardless of credit score. It's a shame they can't just tack it onto the monthly payments, but such is life.
I am on this plan in a state without sales tax so I'm paying the straight up $19 a month for the phone (6+) on each bill. I'm not sure if sales tax is spread out in each payment in states that do have it.
Probably solely depends on state tax laws. It's not a purchase, but a lease. You never own the phone. So the question is -- are leases taxed? I'd expect the cellular provider would pay the sales tax on the phone, being the end customer.
Anyhow, no sales tax here, but I'm curious as to the answer. And I'd assume the price (exclusive of any tax) would be the same.
its a lease to own program. You're still paying off your principle balance with every payment and there is no interest in said balance. If you want to buy the phone out you just pay whatever the leftover msrp minus the monthly payments you have made towards said device is. But you bring up a good point. Every other program requires sales tax up front which is why I asked. I wasn't sure if tmo is just eating the sales tax or what.
$19 a month as part of their "after trade in promo", correct? If so you've answered my question; it doesn't matter if your state has sales tax, it is not calculated into the monthly rate.
Leases may also be taxed as a service. Depends on the State, I don't know the answer for all 50. Generally, that would be on top of whatever price you are quoted for the lease, just as tax on a normal purchase would be above the quoted price.
I enjoy the convenience of Jump. Fast no hassle way to accomplish the goal. No dealing with buyers. T-Mobile just keeps getting better.
Correct. I traded in a cheap phone that I didn't actually get any value for, but it gave me the promo. So I guess that does answer it then.