How To Get Free Or Cheap Phone Charger

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Modern smartphones have some of the most remarkable batteries ever invented. Unfortunately, these same devices work harder than ever as they take over more of our day-to-day tasks, so we need to charge them more often. Sometimes it seems that chargers are just not made to last. Thankfully there are some simple ways to get a free or cheap charger for your phone!


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You can get free or cheap chargers for your smartphone from the following 7 websites and places below.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

  • People often have smartphone chargers to give away.
  • This is often because they switched phones and got a new charger with their new phone.
  • Some companies will also give away free chargers as a marketing ploy or improved customer satisfaction.
  • Worst-case scenario, there are always coupons and deals that you can watch out for to get massive savings on your new phone charger.

Places Where You Can Get A Free Or Cheap Phone Charger

There are several ways you can get a free or cheap charger if you know where to look. Here are some of the best options.

1. Getting A Free Phone Charger On Craigslist

Craigslist is a popular online marketplace for people to go when they want to sell anything they no longer want or need. You can even find phone chargers, some still in excellent condition, that people are giving away free if you collect yourself or pay for shipping.

One of the remarkable things about Craigslist is how effective it is at location-based results. When you go to craigslist.org and search for “free phone charger,” you will only get results from your general geographic location. You can change this, of course, but where’s the sense in driving 100 miles to go pick up a free phone charger?


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Not all phone chargers on Craigslist are free. Even some brand new chargers are still in their packaging, selling for between $1 and $10. So whether you want to get something for free or cheaply, Craigslist has got you covered.

2. Getting Phone Chargers From Facebook Marketplace

Facebook may not be the most popular social network with today’s youth, but it has one thing that stands out above the rest: the Facebook Marketplace. Many people claim they would have stopped using Facebook altogether if it wasn’t for Marketplace.

With Marketplace, Facebook overtook some popular online marketplaces in terms of popularity and user-friendliness. Even the fact that people must create a Facebook account to gain access to it doesn’t seem to bother most people.

Going onto Facebook Marketplace and searching for a “free phone charger” has interesting results. There are not many free chargers available (though they do pop up there occasionally), but there are brand new chargers, some even still in their packaging, selling for around $5 and $10. That’s even for 20W iPhone chargers, complete with cable and plug, in a sealed box.

It would be best to be careful with Facebook Marketplace, though, since there are many scammers on there. Look at the “seller rating” before contacting anyone, and always meet in a public place.

3. Getting Free Chargers On Freecycle

We’ve seen many great ideas emerging over the last few years, and Freecycle is one of the best. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Freecycle is a kind of online marketplace that you can join, but instead of selling things, you give them away or swap them. The idea is that anything that has no value for you will have value for someone else, so why not give it to them?


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Freecycle is still a relatively new concept and is not yet widely used. There are parts of the United States and the United Kingdom that have very active Freecycle communities, but you will have to go and see how engaged your area is.

In an active area, though, it’s easy to find almost anything you want on Freecycle, including phone chargers. In fact, if you use Freecycle’s search bar and don’t find a phone charger, create a listing. Someone will likely contact you with a charger they had lying around that they simply never even thought of listing on the Freecycle website.

4. Look For Free Chargers At The Lost And Found

The lost and found areas of hotels and airports are literal goldmines of random items like chargers. Phone chargers are some of the things most often left behind by travelers, and very few of them go to the effort of getting them back; it’s often cheaper for them to buy a new one, and they can often make it a business expense anyway.

Because of this, many hotels or airports will be only too happy to give away a charger that was left behind a year or two ago. It won’t hurt to ask, after all. It’s definitely worth a try.

5. Get Discounts On Phone Chargers Using Coupons

Since phone chargers are in such high demand (especially since Apple stopped shipping chargers with their new iPhones), many discount and coupon services have discount offers on phone chargers that could save you a fortune.

Groupon, for example, is one of the most popular coupon services worldwide. As such, Groupon usually has some unbelievable offers on many popular items, including phone chargers.

A quick search on Groupon’s website shows chargers ranging between approximately $5 and $20. Many of these offers are for two or more chargers, so you could save even more if one of your friends or family members is willing to buy in with you!


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6. Get Free Phone Chargers From Tech Conventions

Technology conventions are known for two things: companies trying to get people’s attention by offering free stuff to make a sale and people wandering around feigning interest in the hopes of getting free stuff.

The companies that use these conventions as expo opportunities for marketing purposes are always trying to outdo one another with the quality and value of the free items that they offer. It is common to walk away from a tech convention or expo with a bag full of valuable goodies, like LED torches and branded smartphone chargers.

You will probably have to pay for entry into one of these conventions. Still, if you choose one with a big enough expo room, you are almost guaranteed to walk out of there with items (including chargers) that far exceed the value of what you paid for the entry ticket in the first place.

7. Ask Your Mobile Carrier For A Phone Charger

Mobile carriers can be very willing to offer free or discounted phone chargers. This is especially true when you’re upgrading your service or getting a new phone, but some will even be willing to give you a charger (or a discount on one) just to ensure that you remain a happy customer. Even if you doubt that they will, it’s always worth trying.

Are Free Chargers Sub-Standard?

There are no guarantees on free chargers. Depending on where you get your charger, some could definitely be of lower quality than others. If you get a second-hand charger, you cannot know how long it will last. But if you get a branded one from a convention, it might actually be good quality since few companies will want to put their branding on low-quality goods.

Does It Matter If I Go For A Charger That’s Older Than My Phone?

It could, yes. Apart from ensuring that the charger has suitable connector cables (for example, Lightning Port or USB-C), some chargers are also specifically developed for specific battery types. You usually have different watt ratings. A lower watt rating shouldn’t cause any damage, but it will charge more slowly. A watt rating that’s too high could actually damage your phone’s battery.

Does The Brand Of My Charger Matter?

Again, it could. Some brands make compatible chargers that could be better than the originals. But some are cheap knock-off brands, and these could deteriorate your phone’s battery life. It’s always good to get a charger from the original brand or do proper research about the brand you’re looking at to determine if it’s worth it.

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