After upgrading to a new cell phone, you may be left wondering what to do with the phone that you’re replacing.
Instead of tossing it aside into a junk pile, here are 4 ways that you can repurpose your old or unused cell phone for a good case:
1. Sell or Trade It
While you may consider your old cell phone to be a useless model of the past, to someone else it may still be a very hot commodity.
Take a look at eBay or other online marketplaces to see if phones that are similar to yours are in high demand. If you see them selling at favorable prices, consider posting an ad of your own to auction or sell your phone.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling or auctioning your phone, or waiting on a buyer to come along, then consider trading in your phone to a company that specializes in buying electronics.
Companies like Gazelle, Best Buy, and most of the major U.S. wireless providers (i.e. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) offer cash or a store credit for the estimated value of used phones.
2. Donate It
If making a profit off of your old phone isn’t a top priority, then consider donating it to a charitable cause instead. There are many local and national non-profit organizations that accept used cell phones and use them in ways that support and serve people in need. These organizations may also offer you a tax writeoff for your donation. Do a Google search to find organizations in your area who accept used phone as donations.
3. Keep It as a Backup
While many phones offer advanced features and cutting edge technology these days, they’re still quite delicate and prone to damage or malfunction. One false move and you can shatter your phone’s display or render it totally unresponsive. When accidents like that occur it’s good to have a backup phone on deck that you can use until your primary phone is repaired or replaced. If you decide to keep one of your unused phones around as a backup, charge the battery to between 50% and 70%, power it off, and store it in a cool, dry place along with its charger. In the event that you need to use the backup phone, contact your cell provider and request its reactivation. (Note: Storing a phone with a fully charged battery could affect its ability to hold a charge.)
4. Experiment With It
If you’re on the tech savvy and adventurous side, consider using your old phone as a sandbox to test new apps and operating systems. You might also be compelled to explore your phone’s hidden capabilities while you’re at it. Do a Google search on jailbreaking and rooting. However, be warned that those processes may void your phone’s warranty.
Regardless of your choice to sell, donate, or experiment with your old phone, you should take steps to preserve and protect any important data that may still be stored within it. Backup all of the data on your phone, or only the data that is most important to you (i.e. pictures, messages, app data, etc.) to a computer, external hard drive, or cloud storage location. If you decide to sell or trade your phone, be sure to erase all of the data on it to protect your privacy and prevent identity theft.
