Calendar iconMar 14, 2023

Conquer Cellphone Clutter

What to do with old cell phones
Conquer Cellphone Clutter

Reading time: 6 minutes

We know a woman who has four old phones stuffed in the back of a drawer in her kitchen and three more tucked in her nightstand. That’s a lot of old phones hanging out, taking up space, and creating clutter.

If you’ve got a similar situation happening in your house, PureTalk can help. There are plenty of ways to dispose of old phones you no longer need or want. Below are some terrific suggestions for getting your old cell phones out of drawers, closets, and anywhere else they’re stashed. Read through and the next time you ask yourself, What to do with old cell phones? you’ll have plenty of options.

Recycle your old cell phone

Believe it or not, old devices represent the largest category of unwanted devices. It’s kind of sad in a way; they go from being the hottest, newest, must-have to “eh” in almost no time. Luckily though, old mobile phones are the easiest thing to recycle. Lots of wireless providers and retailers offer recycling programs or recycling kiosks where you can drop off your old cell phone or mobile devices to be recycled. And they’ll also take your chargers, cables, and accessories.

Beyond retailers and wireless services, there are number of organizations that will gladly take your old cell phone and recycle it.

Organizations that take cell phones

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Call 2 Recycle offers old cell phone drop off locations that can be found simply by typing your zip code into the search bar on the C2R homepage. The organization will accept rechargeable batteries, single-use batteries, and damaged or recalled batteries in addition to your old mobile phone. Visit Call2Recycle

Earth 911 provides extensive recycling opportunities for far more than cell phones and batteries. Just enter the material you want to recycle – glass, personal computers, old cell phones, paper, paint, metals, hazardous materials, etc. – and your zip code, and a list of drop off locations in your area will pop up with the name of the place, address and phone number, and a list of exactly what each will accept. Visit Earth911

Sell your old cell phone

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If having your old cell phones recycled isn't your thing, eBay or Craigslist are great places to sell your cell phone for cash, as are Facebook online yard sale groups. There are also specialty web sites like Gazelle and SellCell that frequently offer competitive prices for your cell phone without all the hassle of a listing or online auction. And selling gives you more money to put toward a new phone.

About Gazelle: They purchase used iPhones, iPads or MacBooks and, in addition to Apple products, they buy smartphones from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and other major cell phone carriers.

About SellCell: They purchase used iPhones, iPads or MacBooks and, in addition to Apple products, they buy smartphones from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and other major cell phone carriers. They also buy gaming consoles, GoPros, smart home devices, and Amazon Kindles.

Donate it

Donating your old smartphone or old cell phones can be a selfless and worthwhile experience. Charities like Cells for Cells and Cell Phones for Soldiers raise money by repurposing used cell phones for their respective causes.

About Cells for Cells: Cells for Cells recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer and for cancer-related charities. To date, the organization has raised nearly $50,000.00 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by recycling old and broken cell phones. That's a nice cause to donate cell phones to.

About Cell Phones for Soldiers: Cell Phones for Soldiers is a national nonprofit that uses proceeds from donated cell phones to purchase calling cards for troops to call home and to provide emergency funding to veterans. That's another nice cause to donate cell phones to!

Do some research on your own and you'll find lots of good causes who will take your unwanted cell phones.

Transfer it

Let’s say your phone isn’t really that old but, for whatever reason, you’re tired or it. If you’ve got teens or tweens in the house, giving it to them to use makes sense and relieves you of having to find someplace to sell, donate, or recycle it. Looking beyond your kids, maybe you have an aunt or uncle or elderly grandparent who could use it as an extra phone or emergency device. If your phone still holds a charge and gets a signal, if could really be of use to one of those family members.

If you decide to transfer your phone to someone else entirely, maybe a neighbor or close friend, be sure that person understands the costs involved in setting up a phone plan.

Repurpose it

With the price of a new cell phone these days, lots of people are finding unique ways to keep using their old smartphone. Following are some neat ideas to try if you’d like to repurpose your old phone.

Security system camera: Set your old phone up as a doorbell with a camera so you can always see who’s at the door. For exactly how to do it, visit How To Do It All on YouTube.

Remote control: Download an app like SURE Universal Smart TV Remote, Universal Remote Pro, or EzRemote Lite, follow the directions and in no time you’ve got a new remote using your old phone!

GPS: Leave your old phone in the car and use it like an old-fashioned GPS. You get where you’re going without draining the battery in your new phone.

Emergency phone: Even if your old phone is not attached to a phone plan, it can still call 911. Leaving an old phone in the kitchen or in the car might go a long way toward making you or a loved one feel safer and more secure.

You can transfer, recycle, donate, or sell your old phone. But before you do any of those things you need to …

Prep it

Before your old device leaves your hands, make sure you delete all your data. Text messages, emails, photos, other media, and apps should be backed up to storage for the sake of safety. Then go into Settings and restore all of them to factory settings.

There are so many ways to conquer cell phone clutter and now you know several of them!

Feels good, doesn’t it? For a little more excitement – the excitement of saving money! – take a moment to check out PureTalk’s premium wireless plans that start at just $20 a month AND our risk-free 30-day Money Back Guarantee.

When you switch to PureTalk, we give you 30 days to test us out and see if you’ve made the right decision.

With plans as low as $20 a month, PureTalk gives you talk, text and blazing fast data. Plus, switching to PureTalk saves the average family of four $75 a month for a total of $900 a year. (To say nothing of how much we help seniors save!) But if you should decide we’re not for you, it’s ok. Just call us. That’s all it takes. Call and request a full refund.

PureTalk’s 100% Risk Free Money Back Guarantee

We all know how frustrating it can be to make a big purchase and then realize you made the wrong choice. What a hassle. If you ordered something online, you need to pack it up and send it back. If you purchased something from a store like Target, well you’re most likely stuck with it because nobody makes it back before the refund window closes. Ok, maybe you do. But most mortals don’t. There just isn’t enough time in the day and, honestly, who can remember where they put the receipt?

At PureTalk, we get it. We know that choosing a wireless provider is a big purchase. That’s why we make it easy to change your mind with just a phone call.

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Make the switch without breaking a sweat

With PureTalk's Money Back Guarantee, there’s no risk when you sign up. You can make the switch without breaking a sweat.

We’re confident you’ll love your PureTalk service, but if we’re wrong, just give us a buzz. Let us know that you need a refund, and we’ll make things right.

Refunds in two simple steps
1.) Call us at 877-820-7873
2.) Cancel your service and request your refund

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Find the plan that’s right for you!


Money Back Guarantee Frequently Asked Questions

Is PureTalk’s 30-day Money Back Guarantee for real?
It is. We have great faith in our product and our people to deliver on PureTalk’s promise of excellent coverage and customer service. But, we understand that sometimes things just don’t work out. So, if you’re not totally satisfied with your PureTalk service within the first 30-days of using it, until you’ve used 500 minutes, or 500 MB of data usage, (whichever comes first) just call us at 877-820-7873 to cancel your service and request your refund.

If I activate my service today, how long do I have to cancel?
You have until your next bill date, or until you’ve used 500 minutes or 500 MB of data usage, (whichever comes first), to contact customer service and request a refund.

If I call and cancel my service, will I automatically be refunded?
No, when you call and speak with a PureTalk customer service representative to cancel your service you must specifically request your refund in order to begin the process.

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Where can I find the date of my next bill?
The date of your next bill is available online in your account portal. Don’t feel like logging in? Simply call 611 for the information.

What if I purchased your service but never activated it?
Not a problem. If a line is never activated, you still have up to 30 days from the date of delivery to request a refund.

How do I get my refund and how long does it take?
Refunds are issued in accordance with your original form of payment so, if you used your credit or debit card, you’ll see the refund as a credit on your statement. As for timing, refunds are typically processed within just 2 weeks.

Does the Money Back Guarantee apply to the phone I purchased from PureTalk?
No, it does not. Devices are not included in our Money Back Guarantee.

What if I decide to cancel after 30 days?
Unfortunately, the limit for refund is within the first 30 days of service, or the first 500 minutes of talk, or 500MB of data used, whichever comes first. Once the Money Back Guarantee period ends, no refunds are issued, however you are still able to cancel your service at any time.


Posted 1 year ago