T-Mobile is phasing out its JUMP! On Demand lease program, effectively ending one of the most aggressive device-swap offers in the U.S. market. Current members are being given one last chance to upgrade before the shutdown, and a rare bonus when the program wraps up: Once the lease program concludes, customers will keep whatever phone they’ve leased and have any remaining lease payments forgiven.
New enrollments already have been suspended, so the changes affect only current JUMP! On Demand customers. The Support documentation states that “Active leases will be completed early. Device in hand at time of closure becomes customer’s to keep.” The internal memos about the final upgrade opportunity were first reported by The Mobile Report.
What Changes for JOD Customers as Leasing Ends
If you’re on JUMP! On Demand, you get another opportunity to switch into a new phone before it ends. Once that window has passed, there will be no upgrades through the lease option available. The phone you’re leasing at shutdown is yours to keep, and T-Mobile promises — in this case it actually should mean promises — to forgive any remaining lease payments associated with the program.
There is no experience available for signing up (if you so desire), and all future upgrade options will follow the carrier’s normal EIP or trade-in promotions. Customers interested in exercising that last swap should call care or visit a retail store to begin the process and verify details like account status and device condition.
Why the Carrier Is Sunsetting Device Leasing
JUMP! On Demand made its debut in 2015 as a true lease: Pay a monthly fee, and trade up often — sometimes even monthly — without committing to ownership. It was designed with the early adopter in mind, the one who simply must have the latest Galaxy or Pixel or iPhone each cycle. But the wider U.S. market has shifted away from leasing and toward installment financing that comes with a trade-in.
Analysts have cited a couple reasons for that. First, upgrade cycles have been stretching out; firms like Counterpoint Research and others have charted replacement timeframes in the U.S. that now extend beyond three years on average, which makes monthly swaps less appealing. Second, carriers accept the residual value risk on leases, and values of used devices can fluctuate with every flagship refresh. Lastly, installment plans are simpler to explain and easier to account for, as well as match neatly with aggressive bill credits that are attached to trade-ins.
JUMP! On Demand served its purpose during the heyday of sprinting ahead as a point of difference. High-value trade-in credits and premium plan bundles are what carriers now use to inspire loyalty; not a rolling lease treadmill.
How It Compares to Today’s Upgrade Options
T-Mobile now emphasizes installment financing rather than leasing, with promotions that forgive remaining balances when a customer trades in for a new device. What they probably didn’t do is cool the market as much as get it used to a dizzying burst of 18-months-proven-pricing plans designed to accommodate regular upgrades without involving leases and have been at the center of recent flagship launches like Go5G Next and Go5G Plus.
Rivals have taken similar paths. AT&T’s Next Up add-on and Verizon’s early-upgrade plans are both based on paying off part of the phone while trading it in, not returning a leased unit. It’s a cleaner model: You finance the device, you are allowed to own it and then you determine when you want to trade in for credits.
Customers’ Next Steps Before JOD Lease Program Ends
If you want to upgrade to a different phone before the promotion ends, make this final upgrade during the specified promotional window. It’s the final chance to take advantage of the lease’s quick-swap perk. Choose a device you won’t mind holding onto — after the lease is up, it’s now yours.
- Prior to exchanging, make a backup of your old device, unpair wearables, and discuss any physical damage considerations that might impact in-store inspections.
- Find out from a rep how your bill will be affected once the lease is canceled, and if coverage for your device protection plan or accessories will move over to a financed agreement.
If you like your current phone, you have nothing to do. If the program closes, your JUMP! On Demand ends, and you retain the device with no buyout required, according to carrier support materials.
The Bigger Picture for T-Mobile’s Device Leasing Exit
For a small but devoted band, JUMP! On Demand was an unprecedentedly malleable way to live on the bleeding edge of mobile hardware. Its sunset is indicative of where U.S. wireless has ended up: fewer leases, more financing, heavier trade-in incentives and upgrade timing that’s about promotions as opposed to monthly swap allowances.
If you are among the remaining participants, the silver lining is abnormally big: one more upgrade, and then a smooth handoff to ownership. It’s a tidy way to bring a pioneering program to an end, in a market where nothing is truly free.