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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!

For a little more excitement – the excitement of saving money – take a moment to check out H2O’s premium wireless plans that start at just $25 a month!

Just $25 a line. No kidding.

At just $25 a line, H2O Wireless gives you great coverage, more than enough data, and unlimited international talk and text (plus a $5 international talk credit), so you can keep in touch with family and friends around the globe and they can keep in touch with you! Plus, we offer a tremendous selection of the latest iPhones and Androids at prices that let you get the phone you love.

Enjoy Multi-Line Savings

Connect your friends and family to get Multi-Line savings with 2 lines for $50 or 4 lines for $100. Each line comes with 6 GB of LTE data so you can stream, listen, and do what you do at $25 per line.

Here’s Exactly What Every Line Gets...

• 6 GB of LTE Data
• Unlimited Data, Talk & Text
• Unlimited International Talk to 70 Countries
• Unlimited International Text
• $5 International Talk Credit

Here’s Exactly What You Don’t Get…

• Contracts
• Hassles
• Headaches!

What our customers are saying…

 “I have been using H2O prepaid service for more than 3 years. I get a good connection in the mid-west and other places I have visited in the US, with no dropped calls. I only recharge when my balance is low and never had any issue with their customer service. I have contacted their customer service on few occasions, and they’ve been most helpful.”

With H2O Wireless, you get the best cell phone coverage for less and the best unlimited plans – not to mention the most cost-effective, realistically priced unlimited plans – anywhere.

Or, choose our 12 month plan for just $8.33 a month!

With H2O Wireless’ 12 Month Plan, you purchase service once and you’re done for the year. No worrying about missing a payment or tracking the expense. You simply make a one-time payment of $100 using your credit or debit card, and that’s it. Our 12 Month Plan breaks down to crazy low $8.33 a month, and gives you an entire year of unlimited talk and text, as well as 1GB of high-speed data every month. There are no other payments to make or additional steps to take. Plus there’s no contract and no hidden fees.

Let’s look at “unlimited data”

With so many cellular phone businesses vying for your money, it’s difficult to tell which you can trust. The overpriced services clamber, “Pick me!” with promises of low cost, unlimited data plans. But do you really need an unlimited amount of data? Will you use all of that data? Maybe. But if you don’t, guess what? You still have to pay for it.

If you’re on a $70 a month plan which gives you up to 23GB of data it means you’re paying $3.04 per GB of data. And if you’re using just 4GB a month (which is what most people typically use), you’re paying $57.40 per month for data you’re not using. Ouch.   

The truth is…

Most people use just 2-5GB of data per billing cycle, and that’s because you’d have to spend every waking moment, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week online to exceed that amount. The average consumer doesn’t do that, and that’s why the average consumer doesn’t need a $50, $60 or $70 a month unlimited plan!

At H2O Wireless, we don’t think you should pay for data you don’t need and aren’t going to use.

That’s why we’re proud to offer you plans starting as low as $18 a month (with auto pay) for unlimited talk and text and 2GB of data.

Need more data one month? Simply go into your account portal and add more. When next month rolls around, if you need less data, you can go right back into your portal and reduce it. Simply log onto PureTalk.com, click on My Account, and select Manage My Data. Make your changes, save them, and log out. It’s that simple.

Plus, H2O Wireless Connects You to the World

Each H2O Wireless Monthly Unlimited Plan includes unlimited international talk to 70 Countries (including China and Mexico), unlimited text to any country in the world, and up to $5 international talk credit depending on the plan you select. 

Purchase these features whenever you need:

International Talk

You can purchase International Talk for your plan for $5 or $10. Simply log into your account to make this purchase.

International Roaming

You can purchase International Roaming for your plan. This can be used for talk minutes, text, or MMS.

5G / 4G Data

You can purchase additional high speed data for your plan. Get 2GB for $10 or 5GB for $20.

Hotspot Data

Share your cellular data via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB using laptops, tablets, and more by purchasing Hotspot Data for your plan. Get 2GB for $10, 5GB for $20, or 10GB for $30.

What our customers are saying:

“I have had H2O monthly unlimited for a few years now. I use WIFI and Data interchangeably, and don't even think about it. My data is unlimited, and even if I stream videos or the news to my phone any time I want, I have never had it slow down.”

More reasons to love H2O Wireless: Refer a Friend

When you join H2O Wireless, you can take advantage of our Refer a Friend (RAF) referral program. It enables you to share the H2O love and lower your bill! Share the H2O love with enough friends, and you might not even have a bill.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Spread the Word

Get your unique referral link, then send it to friends and family.

Step 2: Sign Them Up

Help your friend select an H2O Wireless Plan.

Step 3: Get Rewarded

Once your friend activates their H2O service, you each get rewarded with $20 in RAF rewards points.

RAF Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Refer a Friend Program?

Refer a Friend is the H2O® Wireless referral program in which you and a friend get $20 of H2O points for each activated referral.

When are H2O points applied to my account?

When the person referred activates their H2O Wireless service your rewards points will be applied. Please note: For Port-Ins, points will be received within 1-5 business days.

Do I get referral points if I just tell a friend about H2O?

No. They need to use your referral link.

How many people can I refer?

You can refer up to 10 people per month, which is a total of 120 referrals per year, for thousands of dollars’ worth of reward points. So many rewards points they might pay for your H2O service!

More reasons to love H2O Wireless: Bring Your Own Phone

Have a phone you love? H2O Wireless makes it easy to bring it with you. Simply join H2O Wireless and, at checkout, choose eSIM. Like a physical SIM card, but without the 3-5 day wait for a physical card to arrive, eSIM enables you to use your new service much faster. In fact, you can activate your service right after checking out. Of course, before you select eSIM, make sure your phone is eSIM compatible by reviewing the list below.

Is my phone eSIM compatible?

eSIM compatible phone models include:

• iPhone XS series
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11 series
• iPhone SE 2nd gen
• iPhone 12 series

What our customers are saying…

 “I have been using H2O prepaid service for more than 3 years. I get a good connection in the mid-west and other places I have visited in the US, with no dropped calls. I only recharge when my balance is low and never had any issue with their customer service. I have contacted their customer service on few occasions, and they’ve been most helpful.”

“I have had H2O monthly unlimited for a few years now. I use WIFI and Data interchangeably, and don't even think about it. My data is unlimited, and even if I stream videos or the news to my phone any time I want, I have never had it slow down.”

“My phone is an unlocked, international version Samsung. I pay $28 a month at H2O and get a service that is literally unlimited in every way. A special bonus with this plan, is that I get international texting - which I was unable to achieve with T-Mobile, Sprint or AT&T.”

With H2O Wireless it’s easy to stay connected to your family, friends, work, your favorite shows, podcasts, news outlets – your whole world – for less. That’s what makes us refreshingly. different. wireless.

See for yourself today!