iPad Data Plans

Compare the best iPad data plans

What are the options when selecting an iPad data plan?

Generally there are several types of iPad data plans offered by providers in many countries, selecting the right one for you depends on how much you will use your network, and whether you want to risk paying more for going over your monthly allowance.

The key factor in deciding which iPad data plan is best for you is how much internet data you will use and how often you'll use your iPad data plan when away from WiFi. If you are planning to use your iPad data plan most days, a monthly contract is probably the best iPad data plan option. For occasional mobile data use, an inexpensive pre-paid iPad SIM only plan without a contract or high allowance is probably best.

What is an iPad micro-SIM card or nano-SIM card?

An iPad Micro SIM card is a slightly smaller version of a standard SIM card used on the iPad and iPhone, and the iPad nano-sim is an even smaller version used in the iPad mini. All sim cards allow you to connect to 3G or LTE networks at the same speeds, but an iPad micro-sim and nano-sim cards automatically configure your iPad after inserting the iPad SIM card without any further configuration settings needed.

You can read more about the iPad Micro SIM Card or Nano SIM card here.

Does the iPad 4 use a nano or Micro SIM card?

The iPad mini is currently the only iPad that uses a nano-SIM card. All other iPads (iPad 2, iPad 3 or iPad 4 with Retina display) continue to use the micro-sim card.

You can read more about the iPad Micro SIM Card or Nano SIM card here.

How do prepaid iPad data plans compare?

A prepaid or pay as you go iPad data plan allows you to pre-pay a certain amount on your iPad SIM card and only pay for usage, either daily, monthly or even the amount of data you use (MB). These iPad data plans do not require you to commit to a contract.

The advantage of pre-paid, pay as you go iPad data plans is that you only pay for what you use, which is often cheaper if you are only planning on using your iPad 3G connection occasionally. Not having a contract comes at a cost -- while these data plans offer the most flexibility for occasional iPad users, they often are usually the most expensive for more frequent use. So if you plan to use your iPad 3G connection regularly it probably makes more sense to go for a monthly iPad data plan.

Note that providers in some countries (such as the US) don't yet offer pre-paid iPad data plans.

You can read more about the iPad Micro SIM Card or Nano SIM card here.

What are the benefits of a rolling monthly iPad data plan?

Rolling monthly iPad data plans require you to sign up for a contract but without long term commitments. You can cancel at any time without penalty and usually only pay for the remaining month.

These iPad data plans usually offer excellent rates, but also can charge you a significant amount for going over your monthly allowance. Be sure to check the fine print and turn off your cellular data connection when you're on wifi to avoid occurring these fees, otherwise a few hours surfing YouTube could end up being very costly.

Is buying iPad on contract cheaper?

Many providers will provide significant savings on a new iPad or iPad 2 if you are willing to commit to a long term contract; you can typically save more than 50% off the price of a new iPad.

You can read more about iPad contract deals here.

What is 4G LTE and is it available everywhere?

4G LTE is a much faster network than 3G, providing over 10 times the download speed. LTE iPad data plans only available in some countries at the moment, but providers in many countries are planning to roll out this faster network by the end of 2012.