Who has used their iPad and sim card?
 

I plan on taking my iPad and just learned from Apple that I can used a micro mini SIM card for WiFi and 3G. I am interested to learn from you who know from practical experience not from Apple. Did you use the SIM card from your unlocked cell phone or did you get a completely different card. We are planning on not needing to take a separate cell phone and use SKYPE from the iPad.
Thank you.

I just spoke with ATT. They said I must activate the existing card already in the iPad and then add one of their plans and then they can activate an international data plan. The cost of which I can only learn after I activate the card while on the iPad.
Has any one gone down that lovely path to shed some light on what it costs for international data. I know that the iPad automatically is WiFi where ever yet when out in the hinterland it will be necessary to have access via "cell." Thoughts?

Topping because DW just bought an iPad2.

I used my iPad in France for Internet access and receiving & sending e-mail through the free wifi at my hotel. Did not need any SIM card or plan from AT&T. using the iPad with wifi incurs no charges. Don't know it this would also work for Skype but I don't see why not. Free wifi or access to a reasonably priced Internet cafe seems to be key here.

They do work just fine with Skype, but the OP wants to know the alternative when you need to get online and there is no WiFi available.

The 3G model iPad has the capability to add an international data plan and pay as you go. It is $25 for 20MB for 30 days. It is very easy to use 20MB, but if you need it away from a WiFi connection it is very convenient. It doesn't renew automatically, so you are fully aware of how much you spend. You can buy more at one time $60 for 50MB, $120 for 100MB, $200 for 200MB.

Don't have an iPad (yet ;-)) so can't speak from personal experience, but believe you would need a SIM card only for internet access via a cellular (3G or other) network - WiFi does not require a SIM. So if you are going to be in places where you can get WiFi signal you don't need to worry about a SIM and the associated expensive roaming data plan.

I am also interested in this for my fall trip to Paris and Italy. I was told i needed to go somewhere in europe and purchase an international SIM card and plan for my ipad. I have the 3G. Sounds like you guys are saying i can do this here in dc before i leave? I am afraid i am not very high tech. Thanks for posting this question and all add'l info.

just go to Settings, Cellular Data, View Account, login or sign up and look for the international data plans. You should do it before you leave, otherwise you will need WiFi to sign up. You can select the day you want the plan to start (ie the day you arrive in Europe)

My iPad is WiFi and 3G and my husband's Sprint android phone is an automatic hotspot..yet, if we are no where near a shop or hotel AND want to place a SKYPE call..then I think an international data plan would be needed. Alas, Sprint is not accessible in Spain to use a phone/Skype if there is not a WiFi area in the hinterland. Ah, the need to stay tethered..hmmm.

I used my ipad in Italy, and I bought a sim card from an Italian cellular company called Tre, I think it was. I bought it in Florence. It was helpful when I wanted to use my ipad on the train, but the service was spotty in some areas. I think it cost about $15 for a decent amount of service, but I don't recall how much time you bought. You might do well to check the Apple forums too. That's where I found this info. Don't know about cell service plans in other countries. I don't know how this compares with what ATT is offering.

A fellow guest at a hotel in Florence used Skype on his Ipad to check in with their children, and it worked beautifully with wifi in the hotel.

Thank you kat12. I shall find an Apple forum to fine tune my information. I will need to know if first I must activate the SIM card here to have it work in Spain..I'll report back.

The following is a direct quote from Apple site explaining the "how to"

Note: You can also add an International data plan on this screen by tapping Add International Data, or you can access your account later to manage your plan options. If you need to use your iPad internationally, you must sign up for the international data plan while in the United States.

Unlock the iPad and purchase a Spanish sim card from MoviStar or Vodafone. You can obtain a pay-a-go plan. If you don't want to, the iPad works fine with WiFi.

Robert2533, what do you mean..unlock the iPad? Do you mean to purchase a plan with ATT and then in Spain get a "pay-a-go plan? The iPad has a SIM card built in therefore purchase is superfluous. What is different about their data plan?
Yes I know it has WiFi capabilities in a city; it is when we are out in the countryside when necessity might rear its lovely head that "cellphone" capabilities are called for.

The iPad comes with an ATT sim; if you want to use it outside North America you must purchase the ATT international service.

If you want to use the iPad with local cell service in the country you are visiting, you would remove the ATT sim and put in one from the local company. As long as the iPad is "locked" to ATT, no other company's sim will work in it, so you must "unlock" it from ATT before using another sim.

The iPad is not locked to AT&T. Should you choose to use a local sim card, all you need to do is pop out the AT&T card and plug in the local card. If you choose to go this route, then you don't need to activate the AT&T card.

The AT&T international plans are quite steep. I'd get a local card or use wifi.

Travelgourmet, thanks for clarifying that they aren't locked to ATT as the iPhones are. I don't have one yet, but expect to succumb before too long, and was expecting terms similar to those with the phones.

Hey Travelgourmet, I am more inclined to spend money on sumptuous food than on an ATT international data sim card. I am not apposed to popping out and popping in a European sim. Recommendations where to get such a nifty tool? We land in Madrid.

Thanks

You're probably aware that if you have the ATT monthly plan for $15 a month, you can cancel any month when you don't think you'll need the cell service and then reactivate it another month. No penalties.

I was interested in the same issues as you when we went to Italy. You may get some good answers here as to where you can buy the sim card, but try the Apple forum too. That's where I found out where I could purchase the cards in Italy. I think you can go on line and order the sim cards from cellular company in Spain, for example. That would have to be done far enough in advance, and you'd need to make sure you're buying the right card.

In my case, I had to visit a number of stores in Italy before I found what I needed. But this was in September, and ipads were still pretty new in Europe. Should be easier now. I was glad I bought it though.

Good luck!

<i>I am not apposed to popping out and popping in a European sim. Recommendations where to get such a nifty tool?</i>

A sim removal tool should have come with the iPad. Otherwise a thin paper clip will work.

The sim card slot is on the side of the iPad and has a small hole. Put the tool/paperclip into the hole and press down. The sim tray will pop out. Replace the sim with a new sim and push it back in. Voila.

Unless you feel like cutting down a regular sim card, be sure to buy a micro-sim. If you tell the clerk it is for an iPad, I'm sure they will give you the right one.

I am not overly familiar with the Spanish providers, but I believe Vodaphone, Movistar, and Orange are all pretty big. I would think that all would have micro-sims.

Italy iPad sims answer
I am now in my room in Florence on my iPad. First off those saying wifi is everywhere are just not informed. Yes wifi is everywhere, but like home also locked. My hotel offer for a price, but so what. I want went I am out and about. I heard of tre.it that offers a sim for 5euro for 3 gig. But before we found the shop we found a TIM shop. To date, I have not seen a tre.it shop, but have stumble upon at least 8 Tim shops. A few vodaphones. Anyway, the Tim shops offer 5 gigs for 19 euro, and 1 gig for 9 euro. I got the 9 euro. Charged me 10 euro for the sim. Just popped the sim in, entered the unlocked sim pw and we have been surfing everywhere. Well so far all over Rome, Florence and on the train ride up. This iPad is a travelers delight. Maps, Skype, Internet, just an amazing device.

Also, been on my Tim plan for 7 day. Have 2kid plus wife and me. Facebook, skype, lots of internet, ok lots of use, but the ipa is a drug. So far 189 sent, 490 received. Total about 700 mb. The ATT plan would cost $200 for 200 mb. A joke. Will be in Paris next week, will update what I find there if I can

Okay group.. Who has been able to purchase the SIM card which is compatible with the iPad ...specifically in Madrid?

Just an informational note; my wife has had her iPad2 for a week or so and loves the thing. One problem is that she bought the unit that is configured for Verizon, not AT&T, since it is our home service for our cell phones. These machines do not have a slot for a SIM card.

There goes our hope of using less expensive European data plans. I'm not even sure there is a Verizon data plan available for Europe for the Verizon iPad2, so we will be looking for WiFi spots a LOT!

Sigh -----

Yes as noted, iPad is unlocked while the iPHone is not, meaning you can put in any SIM in the iPad.

The plans in Italy are competitive but the ones in France and Spain don't appear to be so. I was in Barcelona 3 weeks ago and I have a 3G modem for my MacBook Pro. Had poor Wifi but I couldn't see getting one of the Spanish SIM options.

This site has some information comparing Spanish plans:

http://prepaid-wireless-internet-acc.../Spain+-+Yoigo

You may also look at the forums on prepaidgsm.net.

Some countries will require passports and other personal info, especially Italy which requires a codice fiscale number.

Another option would be a service in the US which will rent you mobile Internet access options. One is iphonetrip.com, which offers you a SIM that you can swap between iPhone and iPad which will give you data overseas. It's about $15 a day and you can use it in multiple countries. But it's only good for one device at a time.

Another option is Xcom Global, which will rent you a Mifi device which will feed several devices via Wifi. That appears to use local SIMs so it becomes more expensive the more countries you use it in during a trip. That's about the same price.

Other option is that USB 3G modems could be had on eBay for about $50 and also they're widely available in Europe (make sure they're unlocked though). But the USB modems only work on computers and on Macs, like MacBook Pros, you can use the connection form the 3G modem to share on the Wifi of the computer, so you can get online with the MacBook Pro and any iPad and iPhone and iPod Touch you may have.

I am jumping with excitement one moment after reading your reportings on how easy it is to get a SIM for the iPad at a TIM shop in Madrid and after a lengthy call with ATT everything is dashed. .
ATT unequivocally insisted that the iPad "IS LOCKED." They check the IMEI numbers and reiterated LOCKED.
I then called Apple Store I go to for "one-to-one" classes on learning unique stuff and THEY said.."ATT is nuts, of course the iPad is UNLOCKED!!"
Whew, what a royal run around. I am feeling challenged.
1-do I get the regular ATT USA $15 data plan because it will unlock the iPad to accept an International data SIM?
2-do I not waste my $15 dollars and go straight to finding a TIM shop hoping the iPad will surf?
3-do I get the $15 dollar ATT USA data plan and the ATT International data plan which cost $60 for 50MG; which they say might be good enough for 200-300 web site visits (not including iTunes or movies).
This is beginning to sound so over blown for a tiny event .. ah.. what can I do but ask for your added ideas and votes of confidence.
Big Thanks in advance.

<i>1-do I get the regular ATT USA $15 data plan because it will unlock the iPad to accept an International data SIM?
2-do I not waste my $15 dollars and go straight to finding a TIM shop hoping the iPad will surf?
3-do I get the $15 dollar ATT USA data plan and the ATT International data plan which cost $60 for 50MG; which they say might be good enough for 200-300 web site visits (not including iTunes or movies).</i>

#1 does nothing for you; the iPad is unlocked and activating the AT&T plan neither helps nor hurts. #2 should work without an issue. #3 is your call; 50mb is not a lot of volume, but could work for a week of light surfing and email checking and does save the hassle of having to deal with it on vacation.

I'm reading with great interest as I will be you come September...will get my IPad2 for Mothers' Day.

I believe you can get the $15 dollar ATT USA data plan for one month. Then not renew it. When you are in Europe, you can get a micro-sim card from TIM (in Italy that plan is highly recommended) or Orange (in France, they seem to be everywhere) to use on a Pay as you go plan.

This is a website where TIMs plans are explained clearly - I bookmarked it a week or so ago. I believe you can check out data plans (or phone plans...they do differentiate between data plans for smart phones and data plans for iPads and other tablets.) http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/italia/tim.html

Don't be afraid to use Apple help user forums for iPad...they are usually pretty good about getting the clear picture of what works and what doesn't.

I'm going to be in the UK next month. Where can I get a sim for my IPad2? Has anyone gotten one in the UK?

You can buy an ipad 2 sim card from the following
http://www.maxroam.com/Home.aspx?cur=EUR
I just paid 35 Euro for 50 mb of data for my ipad. The sim card is good for all of Europe, so you don't need to get a different one for each country you enter.

50 MB for 35 Euro? Not a great deal. That will last a couple of days of browsing and you could use that up in one session with a couple of downloads.


TIM is Italian so you can't get that in Madrid. Probably Telefonica shops that sell Movil. Or phoneshop.es.

Thank you Scrb11 for the Madrid shop information.
We are staying near the Gran Via 28 where the Telefonica's shop is located..easy. Thanks again.

In Paris for a few days only. Stopped by an orange store. They had a few plans , but you seem to need a bank acct that they automatically deduct from. RIM # the clerk asked for. Since even if I had my US acct handy, I'm guessing it would not work. Did 't try. Plan were $8 euro for 200 mb, and I think 23euro for 1 gig. Anyway , they do have only 1 prepaid plan. $8 euro for unlimited, BUT for 1 day. So, for 1 week it is 56 euro. Key here is unlimited. Same set up as TIM in italy. Pop in the sim, enter the pw (which is the same.... 0000)' and off you go. Note on McDonald. They have free wifi. Here in Paris, it is a snap. In Italy, it is offered, but we could not access, as they ask for your phone #, to access to send you a SMS message with the pw, but we couln not figure out how to configure the phone # .

We will be flying into Switzerland this weekend, and immediately hopping on a train to Salzburg. We will be splitting vacation time between Germany and Austria. Will a SIM card that we buy in Switzerland airport for the ipad 2 work in Germany and Austria? Do we need to wait until we get to Salzburg? Would an austrian card also work in Germany?

Does anyone have any info? Thanks!

As long as roaming is enabled, you should be able to use the Swiss or Austrian card abroad. It will, however, be expensive. Probably prohibitively expensive.

Hello, same questions, different country. We'll be going to Greece in August and I would like to get a SIM card for my iPad. I read that they closed the Germanos (Cosmote) kiosk in the arrivals terminal at the airport (but kept open one in departures), so I won't be able to buy one there. We're traveling directly to an island so I was hoping to pre-purchase a Vodafone SIM card for Greece prior to our trip.

Can anyone recommend a location or website in the US that sells these? I found a Cosmote one, but looking at the coverage map, it seems I might be better off with Vodafone.

Thank you in advance!

I asked the same question on the Apple forum. I just googled it and there are websites, but I don't have any firsthand experience with them. You might try posting your question on the Apple forum too. Good luck. I loved having my ipad with me in Italy.

The iPad is definitely not SIM locked (like the iPhone is), I've used it in many countries by purchasing local SIM cards.

A good site to find iPad data plan providers when traveling is http://ipadsimcards.com. Would recommend first finding providers with the cheapest pay as you go plans and then either find them at the airport or Googling their stores in the city center ahead of time. There are tons of stores everywhere, like any other city.

Realize this thread is a bit old but thought this would be a good resource for others looking for the same info on their trip.

This thread may help specifically for Spain:


http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...ain-Spain.html


I was able to buy a micro sim card in Bilbao but only at El Cortes Ingles - tried several other places and was told it wasn't possible. (Won't say this is the only place to purchase but it's the only thing that worked for me).

I paid the 35 euros for one month unlimited. Although I only used it for 17 days it was still more economical than the daily rate of 3 euro per day.

By the way, this was the first trip (I travel to Spain twice a year) with my ipad and iphone and I don't know how I traveled without it!