How to get financial help to repair a smartphone in France

France’s repair grant for electrical items (le bonus réparation) is set to be extended to smartphones from next year.

The bonus was first introduced from December 15, 2022 as a way to encourage people to have their broken, out-of-warranty electrical and electronic items repaired instead of replacing them with new purchases. It included such items as DIY drills, coffee machines, and tumble dryers; but did not include smartphones.

Read more: New grant launches to repair home goods in France: how much for what?

Read more: How does France’s household appliance and tool repair grants work?

But on September 30, Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Béchu announced that the scheme would be extended to include smartphones, and will offer more money for other items too.

Since it was introduced, the scheme has enabled people to benefit from a payment of €10 to €45, depending on the item and the cost of repair. It aims to cover around 20% of the cost. For example, around €15 was initially available for a vacuum cleaner, €30 for a TV monitor, and €45 for a laptop.

Scheme ‘relaunch’

But the scheme had a slow start. In the first four months of its existence, only €500,000 of the available €62 million ring-fenced for the initiative had been used.

This has prompted Mr Béchu to relaunch the scheme “by increasing grants by at least €5 on all products, and even doubling them in three categories, including televisions”, he said. This means that up to €90 is now theoretically available for - for example - a laptop repair.

Read more: France doubles cash bonus for repairing appliances. How can I benefit?

And from January 1, 2024, smartphones will be included on the list of eligible items, especially for common issues such as smashed screens. Phones were initially intended to be eligible for a grant of up to €25 per repair, but “this service was never put into practice”, said the minister.

“The amount is still being negotiated,” he said. “But it will come into force this coming January 1.”

How can I get my item repaired?

To benefit, you must take your item to a repair shop or repairer that has the scheme’s official ‘QualiRépar’ certification mark, and let them know that you wish to benefit from the plan.

Mr Béchu said that the process of getting certified would become simpler too, and wanted to help many more repairers participate to make it easier for the scheme to be rolled out nationwide.

“We want to go from 4,000 to 7,500 [repairers] over the course of 2024,” he said, “And go up to 22,000 by the end of 2026.”

You can find the official list of agreed repairers, and search for those near you, via the website Annuaire-qualirepar.ecosystem.eco.

You can also search among a list of items currently covered under the scheme - and see how much financial help is available for each - in our previous article on the subject here.

Read more

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