Jump Mobile was a per-minute prepaid phone brand from Leap Wireless, the company behind Cricket. It launched in 2005 on Cricket’s own network. In October 2008, Leap began replacing it with Cricket PayGo, market by market. Leap retired the Jump Mobile brand on February 26, 2010, and moved customers to Cricket.
Jump Mobile was replaced by Cricket
Leap Wireless launched Jump in early 2005 with traditional per-minute prepaid plans. On October 2, 2008, RCR reported that Leap was phasing Jump out market by market as it launched Cricket PayGo, a daily pay-as-you-go plan. Existing Jump customers kept service until their remaining minutes ran out. Wikipedia says Leap retired the brand on February 26, 2010.
If you had a Jump Mobile line
Customers went to Cricket Wireless. Leap moved all Jump Mobile customers to Cricket’s PayGo service. AT&T completed its purchase of Leap and Cricket in March 2014, and Cricket is now an AT&T subsidiary. A number that moved with Jump to Cricket may still be with Cricket or wherever it was ported since.
How Jump Mobile ended
- 2005: Leap Wireless launches Jump with per-minute prepaid plans on Cricket’s network.
- October 2, 2008: Leap launches Cricket PayGo and begins phasing out Jump market by market.
- February 26, 2010: Leap retires the Jump Mobile brand and moves customers to Cricket PayGo.
- March 13, 2014: AT&T completes its purchase of Leap Wireless and Cricket.
Why Jump Mobile ended
Leap wanted one brand. Cricket PayGo, launched in October 2008, charged by the day: $1, $2 or $3 for days customers used service, from unlimited local calls up to long distance and mobile web. It replaced Jump’s per-minute model and sat beside Cricket’s flat-rate monthly plans. Leap expected PayGo customers to bring about $25 to $35 a month each.
How to find who holds an old number now
- Check an old bill or payment record. It names the company that billed you last.
- Run the number through a carrier lookup tool. It shows the carrier that holds the number today.
- Call that carrier and ask for the account number and transfer PIN.
- Start the port from the new carrier. Never cancel the old line first.
Your right to keep a number
Number portability is federal law, not a carrier policy. The rule is the FCC’s: Portability: Keeping Your Phone Number When Changing Service Providers.
How we verified Jump Mobile
BestCellular.com tracks active carriers and defunct ones. We keep both, because people still search for brands that no longer exist. Every fact on this page comes from the sources listed below, and we leave a detail out when no source states it. Where sources disagree, this page says so. If you can document a correction, tell us and we will check it against the sources.
Tracked and active are different counts on this site. Jump Mobile counts in our tracked total, not in our active total, so it does not appear in tools built for live carriers.
Questions about Jump Mobile
Is Jump Mobile still available?
No. Leap Wireless began phasing out Jump in October 2008 and retired the brand on February 26, 2010. Its customers moved to Cricket Wireless, now an AT&T subsidiary.
Which network did Jump Mobile use?
Jump Mobile ran on Leap Wireless’s own CDMA network, the same network as Cricket. It was not an MVNO on another carrier. Cricket is now an AT&T subsidiary.
What happened to Jump Mobile customers?
They moved to Cricket Wireless. Existing Jump customers kept service until their minutes ran out as PayGo arrived in each market, and Leap moved all Jump customers to Cricket’s PayGo service.
What replaced Jump Mobile?
Cricket PayGo replaced it. Launched in October 2008, PayGo charged $1, $2 or $3 only on days you used the phone, with top-up cards sold first at Walmart. Customers could switch plan levels at any time.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- RCR Wireless: Leap ditches Jump prepaid service, intros daily PayGo offering: Jump launched early 2005; phased out for Cricket PayGo; customers keep minutes (October 2, 2008)
- Wikipedia: Leap Wireless: Brand retired February 26, 2010; customers moved to Cricket PayGo; AT&T deal completed March 13, 2014
- Wikipedia: List of mobile virtual network operators in the United States: Lists Jump Mobile on Cricket, ended 2010
Best Cellular. “Jump Mobile: What Happened,” BestCellular.com. https://bestcellular.com/jump-mobile/
Free to reuse with credit. Licence, sources and the full dataset. All defunct carriers are listed on carriers that shut down.
Where Jump Mobile customers went
Jump Mobile customers were directed to Cricket Wireless. These live carriers are also worth a look.