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4. Get Online > Pick an AT&T Service Plan
Pick an AT&T Service Plan
BEFORE YOU CAN START using AT&T’s 3G/4G network, you need to sign up for a prepaid cellular data plan. (If you already have an AT&T account, you can add an iPad plan to your overall bill as a post-paid option at www.wireless.att.com.)
You have your choice of three monthly AT&T DataConnect plans:
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250 MB. This $15 plan gives you 250 megabytes of data coming to and going from your iPad every 30 days. The iPad warns you when you get close to the limit, and you can always increase your data allowance on the fly (see Change or Cancel Data Plans). So how much data is 250 MB? PC Magazine estimates that it equals about 500 medium-to-large web pages, so you may eat up 250 megs fast, especially if you watch video.
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3 GB. New iPad owners can use 3 gigabytes of data a month for $30—and renew early (as with all of AT&T’s iPad data plans) for another 2 GB if you run through your month’s allowance.
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5 GB. Need more data? Got more money? Sign up for a monthly 5 gigabytes for $50.
There are three other things to know about AT&T’s plans:
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You can cancel your service any time, because there’s no contract lashing you to the mast of the AT&T ship for one or two years.
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If you don’t plan to use your cellular-data service regularly (maybe you just signed up for one month for that cross-country trip), you need to remember to cancel your account. It automatically renews itself every month and bills your credit card until you manually put an end to it. See Change or Cancel Data Plans.
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With either plan, you also get free, unlimited access to any of AT&T’s WiFi hotspots, which you often find in places like major airports, Starbucks coffee shops, and Barnes & Noble bookstores. This could be helpful for people watching the meter on a 250 MB plan, because you can switch off the cellular chip (Turn Cellular Data Service Off or On) and cozy up to some free WiFi.
