ipad 2 use in USA

[peanutgirl]

Just bought a 3g ipad 2 for Christmas. Going to Universal on Dec. 27. How do I activate a US sim card without a US credit card???? Has anyone done this?? Thanks for any help.

 

[satman1962]

We tried, but nothing worked. There is no way to input a Canadian address once the US sim card is in. We even called AT&T and they were unable to help us.

 

[peanutgirl]

I have heard that you can use a pre paid visa and use the local stores address or use a canadian american express with stores address. Anyone try this???

 

[4boyz]

My first suggestion is use wi-fi then as a last resort get a US SIM card. Data is much cheaper in the US and they have lots of prepaid options.

 

[peanutgirl]

I want to get a US sim card and pre pay but it seems you cannot with a Canadian credit card. I am looking for another way around the credit card problem.

 

[formill]

Is there a way to pay with paypal? That works for ordering stuff via Walmart online in the states-my Canadian card is linked with paypal account- I don't have to provide any address when paying with paypal so it works-if I tried online putting in my Canadian credit card info and address it would not work.

 

[peanutgirl]

PayPal is not an option. It has to be a credit card. Any other suggestions.

 

[potzie2]

I have done this myself and the only way to do it is with a Prepaid VISA or MC card from the US. I went to Target and bought the card and then used it with the stores address on the account setup. Every time I go to the US I just swap the SIM cards out and add another 30 days worth of service. It works great.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

 

[peanutgirl]

Excellent. I have heard you could do this but it is great to hear from someone who has done it. Thanks again Potzie2

 

[potzie2]

Make sure to cancel the service on the iPad before you return home. I don't know if it autorolls over but I didn't want to find out and since the only way you can cancel it is on the iPad just go in after you activate it and cancel it immediately. It still gives you the 30 days and data you bought but it just stops it from rolling over and giving you another 30 days until it has used up all the value on the Prepaid card. I bought a larger card because the admin fee is relatively cheaper as a % of the card value. I think it was $3.95 for a $50 card and $4.95 for a $100 card or something like that. It has a long expiry date on it and I know I'll use it. If you don't think you will you can always use the remaining balance at a store to pay for other items.

Have you gone to AT&T to get the SIM card yet? If not tell them yours has stopped working and you need a replacement. I told them I wanted one for my iPad but I mentioned I was from Canada and they charged me $15 for it, if it's a replacement I don't think they charge you for it.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

Would this same procedure work on a blackberry?

Sorry to sound like such an airhead but all this wireless and wifi stuff is very confusing.

 

[ccudmore]

This is specific to unlocked devices where the device isn't bound to a carrier. With Blackberries and most iPhones (you have to pay a lot more for an unlocked iPhone so you can do this) they are tied to a carrier (that's the reason you get them a lot cheaper if you sign up for a longer-term contract) and you can't do this. iPads are all manufactured as unlocked so you can swap out SIM cards to change the data provider.

 

[peanutgirl]

Thanks to everyone. I cannot wait to try this in Dec.