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Canadian traveling to the US with new iPad

E

Eulacia

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 7, 2012
7
0
I'll be visiting the US with my new iPad. With the iPad 2, I had an AT&T sim card that I could activate with a prepaid US Visa card. However, with the new LTE iPad, on-device activation is not available anymore.

Does AT&T offer options for tourists with new iPads like me? Has any fellow Canadian had a successful experience in the US with the new iPad/iPad 3?
 
Eulacia said:
I'll be visiting the US with my new iPad. With the iPad 2, I had an AT&T sim card that I could activate with a prepaid US Visa card. However, with the new LTE iPad, on-device activation is not available anymore.

Does AT&T offer options for tourists with new iPads like me? Has any fellow Canadian had a successful experience in the US with the new iPad/iPad 3?
Click to expand...


This would interesting for euro countries for me too (the uk and sweden) in particular.
 
A related question:

For those of us with existing AT&T microSIM from an old iPad, will we be able to pop that into the new iPad when we visit the US and sign up on-device for 3G data plan?

I assume LTE would require a new SIM, but wondering if our old SIMs will still work on 3G with the new iPad
 
Eulacia, on device activation is only not available in Canada for the iPad 3, USA carriers still allow it on a "Canadian" iPad 3.
 
How do you about that? Do you need an address in the US, a US credit card? I remember that with on device activation on the iPad 2 it was all of a hassle, since Canadian credit cards were not accepted. I had to buy a prepaid visa card.

That's why I'd like to hear about a first-hand experience with a Canadian iPad 3 in the US. I assume that you have to go to an AT&T store, but how do they treat non-citizens? Do they even understand that such people exist?
 
Phone your Credit Card company and say you want to add a 2nd billing address to the account, with a US address. I actually have family in Utah so I just use their address.

Go to ATT store, ask for iPad Microsim

Leave store, pop sim card in and you should be able to activate it via your US billing address on your Canadian credit card.
 
Well... I don't have family in the US and, again, the process you describe is only valid up to iPad 2. iPad 3 requires in store registration and activation. That's where I'm afraid it gets tricky for Canadians in the US.
 
The fact you can't do a prepaid plan in Canada is purely the greed of our Wireless companies in Canada. It has nothing to do with the iPad 3 not being able to activate prepaid, customers in the USA do it all the time.
 
Well I am not so sure that they do it all the time with the iPad 3. But if they actually do, I'd like to hear a first-hand account, which is the whole point of my original post, given the absolute lack of clarity of the AT&T site on this matter.
 
Activating a Canadian iPad2 with AT&T microsim is not a problem. Get a microsim from an AT&T store or I have heard you can get one from the Apple store.

I went to an AT&T store and talked to the greater. He knew about the issues and recommended to purchase a prepaid US Visa card and use a US address. They were going to charge me for tthe microsim but when I reached the counter I got it for free.

I never got the Prepaid Visa to work.

I have an Amex and that worked.

The billing address can be the AT&T shop or your hotel. You will need the postal code and phone number.

I think the same process will apply for the new iPad. I plan to head down in the next month and will update.
 
Eulacia said:
How do you about that? Do you need an address in the US, a US credit card? I remember that with on device activation on the iPad 2 it was all of a hassle, since Canadian credit cards were not accepted. I had to buy a prepaid visa card.

That's why I'd like to hear about a first-hand experience with a Canadian iPad 3 in the US. I assume that you have to go to an AT&T store, but how do they treat non-citizens? Do they even understand that such people exist?
Click to expand...

I just activated an AT&T plan on the new iPad just like the iPad 2. Its just a Canada thing. I've also done this on the new iPad on O2 in the UK.
 
reclusive46 said:
I just activated an AT&T plan on the new iPad just like the iPad 2. Its just a Canada thing. I've also done this on the new iPad on O2 in the UK.
Click to expand...

Did you go to an ATT store? Do you have a US credit card? Do you have an address in the US?
 
Eulacia said:
Did you go to an ATT store? Do you have a US credit card? Do you have an address in the US?
Click to expand...

No I just got an LTE sim card off ebay and cut it down (Any LTE sim card works). No, I don't have an US cc or address but I just called American Express UK and they added a flag so the next transaction I made would go through even with the wrong address. Amex seem to be the only ones who can do this though.
 
reclusive46 said:
No I just got an LTE sim card off ebay and cut it down (Any LTE sim card works). No, I don't have an US cc or address but I just called American Express UK and they added a flag so the next transaction I made would go through even with the wrong address. Amex seem to be the only ones who can do this though.
Click to expand...

Oh so you have a new iPad 4G and you were able to activate a new prepaid plan directly on your device? Is that it?
 
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