Mobile users hoping to score the latest iPhone 6s or 6s Plus at T-Mobile these days without a device trade-in will notice an extra lucky seven added to their monthly bill – $7 that is.
In a move first noticed and reported by TmoNews on Monday, the carrier quietly added $7 to the cost of its JUMP! On Demand payment plans for customers without a device trade-in. The increases, which affect the cost of all new iPhones, mean customers will now pay $27 per month for a 16 GB iPhone 6s and $31 per month for a 16 GB iPhone 6s Plus. At launch, the devices were available for $20 and $24 per month, respectively, though those costs were labeled as “introductory.”
T-Mobile’s new JUMP! On Demand iPhone prices include a $7 increase for customers without a device trade-in.
T-Mobile has also increased the monthly payments for customers with device trade-ins, though less dramatically. According to the new payment chart, customers trading in an iPhone 5s or Galaxy S5 can expect to pay $15 per month for an iPhone 6s with any memory level or $19 per month for an iPhone 6s Plus with any memory level. The iPhone 6s previously started at $8 for the 128 GB model with the same trade-ins, while the 6s Plus previously started at $12 for the 128 GB model.
The Un-carrier has, however, retained its bottom-of-the-barrel $5 per month iPhone 6s lease offer with the trade-in of an iPhone 6 or other qualifying device.
Sprint, which engaged in a fierce competition with T-Mobile to offer the lowest iPhone rates during the device’s launch in September, appears to have held fast to its ultra-low pricing. As of Tuesday afternoon, the carrier was still offering the 16GB iPhone 6s for $1 per month with the trade in of an iPhone 6 or $10 per month with the trade in of an iPhone 5s on its iPhone Forever program. Those trading in any smartphone can also get the 16GB iPhone 6s for $15 per month or can opt to pay $22 per month with no device trade-in.
