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Tag: One Up

  • Sprint’s “One Up” Plans No Longer Available

    Less than four months ago, Sprint announced its “One Up” pricing program. The offering was a reaction to T-Mobile’s “Jump!” announcement, which allowed T-Mobile subscribers to Pay for their smartphones through monthly payment plans while using T-Mobile service through a no-contract monthly agreement. The system allowed for customers to upgrade their devices yearly, with no extra down payments.

    Sprint’s One Up pricing was very similar to T-Mobile’s Jump, allowing customers to pay off their devices over the course of two years. Sprint was the last of the four major U.S. mobile providers to launch a competing service of this type, and now it is the first and only one to have abandoned its program.

    A trip to the One Up page on Sprint’s website will now redirect visitors to an FAQ page. The page reveals that the One Up offering was pulled on January 9.

    Customers that signed up for Sprint service under the One Up program are still on the hook for their monthly payments, though they will be eligible for a $15 monthly service discount for Sprint’s Unlimited, My Way, and My All-in plans. The discount will eliminated for One Up customers at their next upgrade or when they switch plans.

    The date of the One Up program’s end was just one day before the rollout of Sprint’s new “Framily” offering. Through the Framily plan, up to 10 customers are able to subscribe to Sprint under the same plan, with each of them billed separately. Some aspects of “One Up” seem to have made it into the Framily scheme, including the ability for customers to upgrade their devices on a yearly basis.

    via BGR

  • Sprint to Unveil Its Unsubsidized Pricing Plan

    Back in July, T-Mobile introduced its “Jump!” pricing plan. The mobile provider’s new plan, instead of subsidizing the cost of new smartphones, allows customers to pay for their devices on a monthly basis. In addition, customers on the plan can upgrade to newer smartphones on a yearly basis instead of being locked into a two-year contract.

    Within days of T-Mobile’s announcement, AT&T and Verizon had both announced similar plans with their “Next” and “Edge” programs, respectively. Sprint seemed to be the only major U.S. carrier caught off guard by the new system. Now, with its big SoftBank merger out of the way, Sprint is coming around with its own unsubsidized plan.

    According to a CNET report, Sprint is readying “One Up,” its monthly payment plan for smart devices. The service is reportedly scheduled to start on September 20 – the same day the new iPhone 5S launches in the U.S.

    “One Up” will be very similar to competing plans, allowing customers to pay for smartphones over the course of 24 monthly payments. Customers can trade in their current smartphone after one year and upgrade to a newer one.

    It appears that Sprint will be positioning “One Up” as the least expensive of the new unsubsidized plans carriers are now offering. In a chart provided by CNET, Sprint estimates the cost of one year or “One Up” as being around $220 less expensive that T-Mobile’s “Jump!,” which is less expensive than both AT&T’s and Verizon’s offerings.