With hot new handsets coming out constantly, it’s no surprise so many older mobile phones end up tucked away into cupboards and desk drawers when we move on to something shinier.

With so many handsets looking for a new home, several services have been set up in the UK to offer cash for your old devices, which are recycled, resold or otherwise reused. We look through five firms that offer you money for phones.

Each offers different payments, if your phone is too old or was never exactly cutting edge, it could be reused to help offer cheap tech to people in developing countries, or simply broken down and recycled properly.

To make use of these web-based services, phones need to work. If your phone has more damage than this, it could still be recycled, but you’ll obviously earn less of a payment. But it you’ve got a device which doesn’t switch on, or has a busted screen, what else were you planning on doing with it?

Before you hit the web to flog your phone, make sure you remove your SIM and memory card, and delete any old data – don’t forget passwords saved in browsers, either.

As well, several of the services surveyed here offer freepost, so you don’t have to pay to ship your old handset. Do keep in mind, however, that if the good folks at the Royal Mail lose your handset, it’s on your head – so take out insurance if you’re sending in a pricey handset.

Mazuma Mobile
To sell a phone with Mazuma, it needs to be on their list of 1,000 handsets; if it’s not, email them and they’ll tell you if they can still take it, but don’t expect much cash that way. While it pays as much as £125 for some phones, Mazuma doles out as little as £1 for others – but on the upside, it will still be farmed for parts and recycled.

If your phone is on the list, the next step is to enter the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number on their website – found behind the battery– and they’ll ship out a freepost envelope to you.

Once they receive your handset, they check it to make sure it’s in the condition you promised, and then mail you a cheque within 48 hours. Phones in “working” condition must be fully functional, but some wear and tear is fine. Mazuma also takes “non-working” handsets, and will quote you a price on their site.

Mazuma does accept barred phones, but checks all handsets to see if they’re stolen against the CheckMEND registry. 

Mazuma is accredited to enviromental and quality standards, and ships usable phones and parts to China, India, Africa and Pakistan to be used.

• Apple iPhone 8GB – £125 (non-working £60)
• Nokia N95 8GB – £140 (non-working £70)
• Sony Ericsson W300i – £11.00 (non-working £5.00)

Envirofone
This firm works much the same as the first. Find your phone in their list of 1,300 models, and they’ll ship you a padded, postage-free envelope. If you have more than four phones, they’ll even send round a courier.

Envirophone does take damaged, non-working phones, but does not list such prices online. It claims to be able to offer as much as 90 per cent of the price of a working handset, but you’ll not receive a quotation until you send your phone in for them to see. They will, however, drop you an email with a price once you send your handset in.

If you’re planning on doing some catalog shopping with your new windfall of cash, you can opt to receive an Argos gift card rather than a cheque – and the amount will be more than you’d get in sterling. Either payment will take up to seven days to receive… but they have paid out £6 million in one year alone, so clearly it’s worth the wait for some.

Envirophone stick to WEEE regulations, and any phone that can’t be reused will be refurbished or broken down for parts. Envirophone also checks theft registries, so don’t bother sending it in if it’s been reported stolen.
The firm has boosted its green credentials by employing an Environmental Project Manager to prove how seriously they take the whole environment thing, and also work with charities such as Fones4Schools.

• Apple iPhone 8GB  –  £100.11 (Argos £110.12)
• Nokia N95 8GB – £110.10 (Argos £121.11)
• Sony Ericsson W300i – £5.05 (Argos £5.56)

Fonebank
Much like the others, you start your Fonebank transaction by finding your old handset in their online list. If it’s not there, you’re out of luck, as Fonebank does not pay for anything unlisted, though they will take it in for recycling. Fonebank is the only surveyed service that pays full price for phones without a battery, however.

Also unlike the others, Fonebank requires you to pay your own postage – and even find your own padded envelope. Free pick-up is available for 15 or more phones.

With Fonebank, you can request to have your payment sent via cheque or BACS payment straight to your account. The site makes no promises on how long it’ll take before you can cash in, but comments on the site suggested anywhere between 48 hours and a week – so about inline with the competition.

Stolen or barred phones will not be accepted, and Fonebank has signed on to follow the WEEE regs as well.

• Apple iPhone 8GB – £105 (does not pay for non-working)
• Nokia N95 8GB – £125 (non-working £55)
• Sony Ericsson W300i – £11.00 (non-working £5)

Mobile Phone Xchange
Much like the others, MPX requires you to find your phone in the list to see if it’s one the firm is looking for. Also like the others, this service offers a cut price for damaged phones; send it in and they’ll give you a quote.

You can choose whether you want to wait for their freepost envelope or just speed things along by chucking it in the mail at your own cost. MPX also offers choice in payment methods, either by cheque or BACS straight to your UK bank account in seven days.

If that sounds appealing, you’re not alone. The service will take in 188,000 mobile phones in 2008 alone, and has the capacity to turnaround thousands of handsets a day.

• Apple iPhone 8GB  – £101
• Nokia N95 8GB – £125
• Sony Ericsson W300i – £2

Coolafone
Like the others, this site requires you to find your handset on the big list of makes and models, and then sends out a freepost envelope to keep things easy on your end.

There is a big difference, however. Rather than give you cash for your hardware, Coolafone doles out credits for their partners, which include stores such as Apple’s iTunes store as well as several charities.

Coolafone accepts working and busted phones, with a credit differential for both. Handsets that are too old to make the list are worth two credits. On the Coolaworld site, 50 credits are worth £5 at the iTunes store, though there are other places to shop.

• Apple iPhone 8GB – 750 credits, or £75 at iTunes (non-working 417 credits)
• Nokia N95 8GB – 861 credits, or £85 at iTunes (non-working 473 credits)
• Sony Ericsson W300i – 24 credits, or £20 at iTunes (non-working 8 credits)

Which is best?
The best service really depends on what you’re looking for: quick service, more cash, or environmental guarantees.

Mazuma Mobile guarantees the fastest payment, promising to have your cheque in hand within 48 hours. But both MPX and Fonebank offer a deposit straight to your bank account, so there’s no hassle about cashing cheques.

The best prices on offer varied by handset, so shop around. Our top price for the latest Apple iPhone came from one site, but the highest for the Sony came from Coolafone offering credits.

As for the altruistic angle, Coolaphone will let you forward your cash earned onto charities, while Envirophone supports a variety of non-profits as well.

In other words, shop around – checking pricing for each service shouldn’t take more than a few clicks online, and will help you get the cash and service you’re looking for when turning in your old phone.

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