Detailed by CNET yesterday, mobile service provider Sprint plans to follow in the steps of AT&T’s NEXT, Verizon’s Edge and T-Mobile’s Jump! programs with an early upgrade plan for Sprint customers that are unhappy with their current phone. Rolling out at the end of the week, Sprint customers enrolled in the ‘One Up’ program will be able to trade in their phone every twelve months for a new model. Using the example of a $650 smartphone, Sprint subscribers would pay for the device in 24 monthly installments of approximately $27.
Opposite from T-Mobile’s Jump! program, there’s no monthly fee to to qualify for the annual upgrade. This makes Sprint’s offering the most competitive on pricing due to less expensive service plans when compared to AT&T and Verizon as well as a $15 discount on the overall cost of the service plan when enrolled in One Up.
In order to receive the discounted upgrade on a new smartphone, the trade-in device must be in good shape and work normally. Current Sprint subscribers that have completed the first year of their existing smartphone contract can take advantage of the new One Up program after launch.
If the Sprint customer decides to leave the service early for any reason, they will be required to pay off the balance of the original cost of the smartphone within the next 30 days. The program is basically a rental service of sorts, charging customers half the MRSP of a smartphone in order to rent it for a year, then swapping it out with a newer model and repeating the process. With the iPhone 5S and 5C launching within Sprint stores at the end of the week, this is an opportune time for Sprint to launch the new service and may be able to take advantage of customers that want to upgrade from the iPhone 5 for the new iPhone 5S.
More details about One Up are expected from Sprint when the program officially launches on September 20.
