I have the AT&T iPad 2. I remember that when I went to Europe AT&T detected I was out of country and offered me the option to buy an international plan that didn’t seem unreasonable, but I don’t remember the exact rates. You should call them and ask, at least for a point of comparison. I just ended up using wi-fi.
A quickfollow-up here… . . Last fall I vacationed in Canada, in the maritime provinces, and bought a temporary int’l plan from AT&T. The cost seemed reasonable, although I don’t recall the price. I did not get any SIM card. It worked very well. I really like using the maps on the iPad and it was great.
I’ve had scheduled work trips to China and the UK cancelled, so that’s it so far.
FWIW, getting a SIM card in China is a bit more of a process, and it probably needs to be done at a phone store. Bring your ID and come prepared to fill out forms in Chinese.
It’s similar in South Africa (well, without the Chinese part.)
But in many countries, SIM cards can be purchased anywhere, even on the street
I’ve done it in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. It was easy as pie n all three cases. One caution that in developing areas, it may be hard to find a micro sim. This was the case for me in both Vietnm (Nha Trang) and Manila. I had to buy a regular size data SIM card and have it manually cut down to size. In more developed cities I’m sure you won’t encounter this.
even sven and Patty O’Furniture, or anyone else, why wouldn’t you just buy a monthly int’l plan in those countries? Why bother with the sim card?
For one thing, local plans can be MUCH cheaper. I have no interest in paying for my $80.00 a month ATT plan (plus international fees!) when I can probably get the same thing for $10. Most US plans will suspend your account for up to a few months if you ask. If you are staying a few days, it’s probably not worth it. But if you are away a month or more, it often makes a lot more sense to go local.
in my particular case, I’m not always based in the US, so I don’t always have a US plan to get an international option from.
Cool, thanks.
Yes, the cost for a local SIM was pretty low. This was a couple years ago but I remember being pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive it was. Plus, I only needed it for the week or two that I was in the country, not an entire month.