What To Do With Old Cellular Phones
So, you've just upgraded to a new cellular phone. In most cases, the old phone was working just fine. Americans are replacing their wireless phones on an average of every 18 months. That time span was shrinking until the wireless carriers instituted 2-year contracts as the norm, slowing the trend (You don't need to wait a full 2 years, see our Wireless Tips for how). What about that old phone...especially since you may have invested so much money into it? Let's explore your options:

• OPTION 1: Use your old phone as an active backup with your current carrier.
  You could add it to a "Family" plan and use it whenever you'd like, and use the same bucket of minutes. Also, most carriers offer their own prepaid program that would allow you to keep that phone in a drawer or glove box, activated with a different phone number.
  
  
• OPTION 2: Use that old phone as a backup phone with a prepaid account.
  This is normally a much cheaper option than dealing with your old carrier's regular or prepaid plans. An example would be if you have an AT&T phone, you could buy a new SIM for that phone for AT&T GoPhone. That same AT&T phone could be "unlocked" and used on a different GSM network like T-Mobile. You can purchase a T-Mobile SIM to use their excellent T-Mobile Prepaid service. Check our MVNO List or CellularByTheMinute to see which phone might work with which reseller. Sprint and Nextel phones normally cannot be used off their own network.
  
  
• OPTION 3: Keep the old phone in the house or car for "911 Only" use.
  By law, any cellular handset must be capable of accessing 911 whether it is activated with a wireless carrier or not. You may have an old phone that on the screen says "Insert SIM" or "Activate Phone", but it could indeed call 911 anyway. There are several exceptions: If it is an analog phone, it should not work at all. And in some cases, technology that once was available, may no longer be offered by your carrier. The only way to tell if this works is to try it, and the local Public Safety agencies seriously frown on that type of activity. If you want to test it, ask for their permission, or, at least ask the carrier if your model will indeed work. Keep in mind, a deactivated phone used only to access 911 cannot be used to call for a tow truck or an important ride, no matter how much of an emergency it seems to you. 911 is only for life and death situations, or reports of serious property damage, that would be handled by police, fire or rescue personnel.
  
  
• OPTION 4: Recycle that old phone.
  There some online companies that actually pay you for your old phone. They normally refurbish it and offer it for sale, sometimes in another country. The older the phone, the less it's worth. There are other operators on the web or in your city who will take your old phone and disassemble it to it's basic parts and either properly dispose of the toxic materials or recycle any reusable parts. The wireless stores themselves will take back any of their old phones and claim they will properly reuse or recycle them. Many business supply stores also have a recycle box for cellular phones. If nothing else, try not to toss out the phone's battery, that's the most toxic source of landfill pollution from these phones. There are a few agencies who want good phones to donate to shelters and the like, and even offer a tax deduction.
  
  
• OPTION 5: Keep that old phone in a drawer in case your new phone breaks.
  This is what most people do. You can reuse the old phone if you have a relatively recent model. Some phones without E911 capabilities or digital technology may not be able to be reactivated. The carriers aren't trying to rip you off, they may either be forbidden by law to allow old phones on their network, or no longer support the technology used, such as analog (AMPS) or TDMA.