Mar 14, 2023
Conquer Cellphone Clutter
What to do with old cell phones
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, we 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
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
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.
To do this on iPhone, visit How to Erase Your iPhone.
To do this on Android, visit How to Delete Everything from Any Android Phone.
There are so many ways to conquer cell phone clutter and now you know several of them!
There are so many ways to conquer cell phone clutter and now you know several of them!
For a little more excitement – the excitement of saving money – take a moment to check out Life Wireless. Our free wireless service and a free cellphone mean a lot more money to spend on food and life’s necessities.
What our customers are saying:
"Life Wireless has been great. I have used it so many times for appointments and finding the proper care providers for my needs as well as for my family's needs. Thank you so much Life Wireless!" Rebecca L., KY
Life Wireless offers government subsidized free cellular service through the Affordable Connectivity Program to qualifying individuals and families. And, if you’re unemployed or participate in a government benefit program such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, or WIC, you already qualify for this federally funded free cellular service. It’s not difficult to qualify for free cellular service from Life Wireless, if you meet certain requirements, and it takes just a few minutes to complete the application.
About the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
As we mentioned above, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a government benefit program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts on monthly broadband Internet access service. ACP benefits may be obtained from any participating provider of your choice including Life Wireless. Only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.
Because many families struggle to afford cell phones and Internet access, both of which are vital to daily life, the Federal Government offers ACP and another program called Lifeline. Using both doubles your connectivity and enables you as a parent or guardian to stay connected to doctors, employers, family and friends, and your student’s school.
About Lifeline
Lifeline is a federal program created to help qualified households pay for connectivity services such as wireless and internet plans. As with the Affordable Connectivity Program, only one member of a household can participate in the program and the service cannot be transferred to another family member or individual.
Examples of one household:
- A married couple that lives together
- A parent/guardian and child who live together
- An adult who lives with friends or family who financially support him/her
Each of these are one household and must share one benefit.
Examples of more than one household:
- Four roommates who live together but do not share money are four households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of four benefits.
- 30 seniors who live in an assisted-living home are 30 households. They can have one benefit each, for a total of 30 total benefits.
Each state has different eligibility requirements such as receiving government assistance or having a household income that is at or below the federal poverty level for the state in which you reside.
In general though, you are qualified to receive Lifeline if you participate in any of the programs listed here:
- Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid (not Medicare)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veteran's Pension or Survivor's Pension Benefit
Additionally, if you are a resident of a Federally-recognized Tribal land, you may qualify under the following programs:
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribally Administered TANF
- Head Start (if you meet the income-qualifying standards)
Even if you’re paying just $20 a month for cell service, wouldn’t it be great to have that $240 to spend on groceries? If you apply for Lifeline and are approved, you’ll receive:
- FREE Unlimited Talk & Text
- FREE 15GB Data (+ more data for California residents)
- FREE Smartphone (or bring your own)
Pair Lifeline with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and DOUBLE your connectivity
If you’re approved for Lifeline and you sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you get two sources of free talk, text, and unlimited data that you can split between two phones. That means free cell service for you and free cell service for someone you love. Like your student. This is a terrific opportunity to provide him or her with talk, text, unlimited data, the ability to stay in touch with you, and access to the biggest library in the world: the internet.
Of course you don’t have to split the service between two phones, you can keep it all on one. But it’s a wonderful option if your spouse, student or relative needs a phone but has been unable to get one due to the expense.
Whichever option you choose – to keep the data on one phone or split it between two – Life Wireless will make sure you receive the free talk, text, and unlimited data to help you stay connected.
Option 1: Combine Your Data
Activate Lifeline and ACP on the same device and receive unlimited talk, text, and data, plus 5GB of mobile hotspot.
Option 2: Split Your Data
Split your data between two phones or supported devices and you’ll have one device with ACP’s free talk, text, and 6GB of data and a second device with Lifeline’s talk, text, and 4.5GB of data (6GB of data in California).
What our customers are saying:
“Without this phone I would be lost. It has helped me stay in contact with my daughter’s specialist. I schedule her appointments and they can call back if there are any complications with her results. Thank you, Life Wireless.” Amanda Z., PA
Additional, important, details
Life Wireless service is a prepaid service offered to those eligible for ACP discount benefits and those eligible for Lifeline benefits. To maintain your service and benefits, you need to:
- activate your service by calling someone,
- initiating data usage (by going on Facebook, for example), or
- by responding to instructions from Life Wireless to activate the service.
To keep your account active, you need to use the service at least once during any 30-day period by:
- calling someone,
- answering a call from someone other than Life Wireless,
- sending a text message,
- using cellular data (again, by going on Facebook or Amazon, for example),
- purchasing additional service from Life Wireless,
- or by responding to a direct contact from Life Wireless confirming that you want to continue receiving service from Life Wireless.
Should your service goes unused for 30 days, you will no longer be eligible for Lifeline benefits and your service may be suspended (allowing only 911 calls and calls to the Life Wireless's customer care center), and subject to a 15-day cure period during which you must use the service (as described above) in order to fully re-activate your service, keep your telephone number and remain enrolled in the ACP.
For questions about Life Wireless, visit our Contact Us page here. To enroll now, use the Life Wireless Online Enrollment form.
Quick facts about Life Wireless:
You can add more minutes and data
You can purchase additional minutes or data one of the following ways:
- Go to www.LifeWireless.com and click "Add Minutes/Data"
- If you have a smart phone, go to your MyLifeWireless app and click "Add Minutes".
- Call Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620, or by dialing 611 on your Life Wireless phone.
- You can also go to any Moneygram location and use Receive Code: 7924
You can track your minutes
Your minutes replenish each month on your anniversary date before end of the day. For example if you signed up and received your minutes on the 12th of the month, your minutes will replenish every month on the 12th of the month.
You can check your account balance the following ways:
- Go to www.LifeWireless.com and click "My Account"
- Go to your MyLifeWireless app on your phone, and click "Check Balance"
- Call Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620, or by dialing 611 on your Life Wireless phone.
You can keep your current phone number!
If your application is approved, you have the option to keep your current phone number.
Once you receive your Life Wireless phone in the mail, call Life Wireless Customer Service at 1-888-543-3620 and a representative will assist you in keeping your current number. Make sure that you don't call from your Lifeline phone and have your account number and password from your previous carrier handy.
What our customers are saying:
"Life Wireless has been great. I have used it so many times for appointments and Lfinding the proper care providers for my needs as well as for my family's needs. Thank you so much Life Wireless!" Rebecca L., KY
“Without this phone I would be lost. It has helped me stay in contact with my daughter’s specialist. I schedule her appointments and they can call back if there are any complications with her results. Thank you, Life Wireless.” Amanda Z., PA
“I've been looking for apartments, doctor’s offices, and school phone numbers, and my data provided has been a tremendous help in gaining access to this information. I'm very grateful for this service.” Maria R. AZ
Apply for free cellular service with Life Wireless now. You’ll be glad you did.
Posted 1 year ago