What To Do With Old Cell Phones

As we switch carriers to get a better deal, or upgrade to the phone with the latest gadgets, our old phones end up on the shelf gathering dust. The phones don’t have a service plan, so they’re useless, right?

Wrong. Even without a service plan, there still are a few things you can do with an old cell phone.

First, remember that even if you don’t have an account for a phone, you can still make 911 calls on them. The FCC requires that all cell phones be able to dial 911—with, or without a service plan. So you could keep the phone in you car, or by your bedside for emergency purposes.

Depending upon the phone, you also could possibly still use it to make regular phone calls. With many phones, if you don’t have a plan,you can still make regular calls with a credit card.

If you want the phone out of your life entirely, you could donate it to your local battered women’s shelter. Our local shelter takes old phones, which they then give to endangered women so they have an easy way to call for help.

Your donation also is likely to be tax deductable.

A final idea is to sell the phone to an outfit like
Old Cell Phone. They offer a couple of bucks for each phone you send them—as much as $15 or $20 for newer or more popular models.

Old Cell Phone also has a really neat fundraising program. They’ll send you the flyers and information that you need to get started, but basically, you collect phones for your group, and send it to Old Cell Phone (they pay the postage). Your group then gets a check for the value of the phones.