T-Mobile was the first to allow you to upgrade your phone to a new model far ahead of what was until the release of T-Mobile’s Jump Trade in program a 2 year phone upgrade cycle. But with the release of the Jump program, that all has changed and many other smartphone carriers offer trade in programs for your old smartphone where you can upgrade your smartphone far ahead of the 2 year contract.

The T-Mobile Jump program differs from other upgrade programs due to the fact that you pay an extra fee monthly in addition to the monthly phone payment  (which of course, doesn’t exist if you buy your T-mobile smartphone outright) and this monthly payment allows you to upgrade your phone twice per year with the first eligible upgrade for a new phone possible after just 6 months.

For an example, let’s say you’re interested in the Samsung Galaxy S4 on T-Mobile – a very popular phone.

You pick a plan, pay the down payment for the phone, (if any) and add the Jump program. At the six month mark, trade in your phone for a new one if you choose to.

Assuming you choose the unlimited plan on T-mobile at $70.00 a month and $21.00 per month for the phone over 2 years. Add the Jump program at ten bucks a month and  you can upgrade the Samsung at six months if you choose to and after that you’re allowed  2 upgrades per year.

On a Samsung Galaxy S4, you will have paid the  $99.99 down payment, $21 x 6 = $126.00, and $60.00 for the Jump program so in total you have paid $285.99 at the six month mark. This allows you to turn in your phone and get a new phone if you wish due to the fact you’ve paid real close to half price of the Samsung Galaxy S4 at the six month mark, allowing T-Mobile to resell your old phone as a refurbished phone.

Is the T-Mobile Jump Upgrade Program a Good Deal?

If you want to get into a new phone after the first six months then yes this phone upgrade program is a good deal. The bad part is you will always be making a phone payment. The upside is you will get 2 new phones per year for the $120.00 it will cost you to use the Jump program. If you need the latest and greatest phone or just like to upgrade the phone often then yes, this is a good deal.

But if you could care less about the latest and greatest you’d be better off saving the $120 a year the Jump program costs and using it to pay your T-mobile bill. Depending on the plan you get you could use the Jump Upgrade funds to pay for almost 3 months of T-Mobile service. The only reason to consider  the Jump program – even if you don’t want to upgrade your phone every so often is the fact that the Jump program offers a warranty as well to protect against loss or damage too – and with the high cost  of mobile phones this is something to consider even if you don’t ever plan on using the upgrade feature of the Jump plan.

The T-Mobile Upgrade plan offers a good deal for those that want to upgrade their phone more than every 2 years and offers the peace of mind of protection of your device too. If you’re due for a new phone you should consider T-Mobile and the Jump Upgrade plan.