CECT i9 Prepaid Phone Options

The other day, someone sent me an email asking for more information about the "cect i9 prepaid phone." I had to explain that the phone isn't exclusively this type of phone, although this is certainly an option. The phone will work with carriers or networks which use GSM sim cards, and this encompasses all sorts of plans, including a monthly contract, pay as you go, and pre paid options. Which will end up being cheaper for you is going to depend upon how you use the phone. I'll explain more in the following article.
Common Carriers Or Networks For The i9 Cell Phone: As I said, all GSM sim card based networks work great. This includes Fido, Cingular, AT&T, and T Mobile. Currently, the phone doesn't work with CDMA networks like Verizon and virgin mobile. Nor does it work with networks who use another type of sim like Nextel and Boost.
Going Prepaid With The i9: I have had people tell me that they've gotten this phone to work with TracFone and Net 10, but I'm not sure about this. I've always been under the impression that these carriers limit their sims for use on their own phones, so I would not count on that.
However, both AT&T and T Mobile do have options that don't require a contract. These are AT&T's "Go Phone" and T Mobile's "T Mobile To Go." Once you have the sim activated, you just pop it into the phone. Now, this phone has two slots, but it will work with one too. And, some people will chose to use the different slots for different things, meaning they will find a cheap talk plan (like ten cents per minute with out a contract) and use that for one slot and then they will find a data plan to use for the Internet or MMS and use the other slot for that. Some will actually use two different networks for best coverage or some will get two phone numbers. It really just depends upon how you are going to be using the phone.
Most non contract options have you paying per minute, per text, per data usage, etc. but many also offer bundles. For example with AT&T's GoPhone, you can pay .20 per minute or you can pay $6.99 and then get all calls for .10 per minute. They also have messaging packages. You can get 200 texts for $4.99, 1000 for $9.99 or unlimited for $19.99, etc. Most comparable plans are similar and many will offer you specials for folks on the same plan. For example, you can talk unlimited to other AT&T customers for $1 per day.
Pay As You Go With CECT Phones: There are pay as you go options too. AT&T has a program called "pick your plan." It is not a contract meaning that you can cancel at any time, (there's no credit checks or credit cards required either) but you pay the same monthly rate each month and get the same number of minutes. If you are a heavy user, this can work out to be cheaper than paying by the minute. This works best for folks who have a handle on how much there are using the phone each month and can gage how much they really need. (Some people don't use the phone enough for this to make sense, and they end up paying for minutes they don't use.)
T Mobile also has a pay as you go option called "flex pay" which is similar. Both plans offer around 300 minutes for about $30. Both allow you to add on bundles as needed.
Prepaid Internet On The CECT i9: Most people who are interested in this phone are also very interested in the Internet. Why have a touch screen if you aren't going to take advantage of it to browse around? You're not limited to contracts to use this either. Many of the pre paid companies will let you pay per KB, but this can really add up. Go Phone has the data bundles for $4.99 for a MB or $19.99 for 100MB.
If you are a heavy user or are going to be downloading a lot, you can sometimes find unlimited prepaid Internet sims that give you a month's worth of unlimited Internet. These run about $25 - $30. Sometimes, they also include talk, text, etc. The downside is you can never keep the same number after a month. But, if you are using both slots it doesn't need to be an issue. Once you find a cheap talk plan where you are getting cheap minutes, keep that active to receive calls so that you always have the same number. But, then making your calls on the all inclusive sim if you talk a lot can make a lot of sense.
Again, which of these options makes the most sense for you is going to depend on which features you use the most and how much you use them. In today's economy, a lot of folks are understandably very leery of a monthly commitment, especially if they don't use everything that they are paying for