Trade in your old phone

So, there’s an amazing new phone on the market. You want it. You’re going to get it. But what will you do with your old handset? Is it going to sit in the drawer gathering dust? Or can you put it to good use?

Here are a few reasons to consider trading in your old smartphone…

Trade in your phone for cash

You may look at your old phone and think that it’s worthless, but it really isn’t. Once it’s been reset and refurbished, it will be ready for a new owner.

There are plenty of people who aren’t interested in having the latest model, and by trading your phone in with a company that specialises in dealing with old phones, they’ll be able to give it a whole new lease of life. Plus, you’ll have money towards your next model!

We’ve partnered with Reboxed®, who specialise in selling refurbished tech. When trading in your phone with Reboxed®, you can get a quote in seconds. Simply pick the phone you are selling, answer some questions about its condition, and you can be paid within 24 hours. You can choose to be paid in cash, Reboxed® credit, or have a donation made to a good cause. Better yet, SMARTY customers can get further discounts when buying phones from Reboxed®, which are already up to 40% cheaper than retail price. So, if you’re trading in your phone and are also happy to shop refurbished for your next, you can make some serious savings!

Get money off your next phone

If you would rather replace your current phone with a brand new one, many manufacturers run trade-in programmes that you can use to get a discount on their devices, even if the phone you are selling is one made by a different manufacturer. Once again, all you will need to do is answer a few questions about your phone to get a discount quote that you can use when buying a new phone from the manufacturer. Apple, Samsung and Google all run trade-in programmes that you can use to get discounts on their products.

Do a little good

If you don’t need your old phone anymore and aren’t bothered about getting anything for it, then a great option is to trade your phone in and donate the money to charity.

There are also many charities that make use of old mobile phones by refurbishing them and passing them onto people in need. By donating your old phone to charity, you could make a huge difference to someone else’s life.

Similarly, our sister-brand Three runs a smartphone donation service called Reconnected. The programme works with three charities to help disadvantaged people get connected with not just a smartphone, but a 6 month unlimited plan on Three. If your phone works well and can hold a charge, it should be good for Reconnected – and if it can’t be used, it will be responsibly recycled, so there’s not really a downside to donating it to the programme.

Be environmentally friendly

Technology is changing so quickly that we often replace things that aren’t broken. We all know this isn’t the most economical or environmentally friendly thing to do, so it’s in our best interests to make sure we get the most use out of devices that already exist.

By trading in your old phone, you’re making sure that it goes to good use. Someone else will benefit from it, and that’s one less piece of usable tech on the rubbish heap.

Cut down the clutter in your home

A bit less important than charity or the environment, but a good point nonetheless – if you’re not using your old phone, why keep it in your home cluttering the place up? Take that phone and get it traded in.

Help someone in the developing world

Smartphones can be hugely beneficial to the lives of people in the developing world. The ability to communicate and access knowledge online can improve their quality of life and opportunities. Your old phone could make that happen.

Trade in now rather than later

We’ve heard it a million times before – you’ll get around to selling your old phone ‘some time’. You never do. But, the longer you leave it, the less money that phone will be worth. So, what are you waiting for?

The only good reason NOT to trade in your old phone is if you plan on putting a new SIM card in it and passing it onto a family member or friend. Good idea, eh! You can get a cheap pay as you go SIM from SMARTY to use in your old phone and keep everyone connected.

Whatever phone you get next, make sure it is ready for the 3G switch off

In 2021, the government ordered that the mobile network operators shutdown their 3G networks by 2033 at the latest. Although the deadline is still far away, most UK network providers have already begun the process, including Three, whose network powers SMARTY. Therefore, getting a 2G or 3G now could result in you getting a device that does not get signal or only does for a brief time, so we would advise you to look for a device that is 4G-VoLTE compatible to ensure you can get a full-service moving forward.

Most modern smartphones will have this functionality, although it would be worth checking if you are looking at older smartphones or lower cost phones.

Find out more about SMARTY’s 3G switch off in our All you need to know about the 3G switch off blog post or on our Switching off 3G support page.