If you Buy a 3G Ipad

[Mark Booth]

What is BOGUS is that AT&T isn't automatically upgrading 250MB plan subscribers to the Unlimited plan if the subscriber goes over their 250MB in a month. Instead, AT&T will sell another 250MB to the subscriber for an additional $10 or $15.

That's ridiculous!

Keep in mind that the iPad data plan payments are automatically handled by credit card, NOT by getting a monthly bill. It would be a piece of cake for AT&T to offer the Unlimited plan for an extra $15 if a 250MB subscriber ran out of bandwidth. But no, instead they are going to charge pretty much the same for an additional 250MB.

Mark

 

[vertigo235]

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What is BOGUS is that AT&T isn't automatically upgrading 250MB plan subscribers to the Unlimited plan if the subscriber goes over their 250MB in a month. Instead, AT&T will sell another 250MB to the subscriber for an additional $10 or $15.

That's ridiculous!

Keep in mind that the iPad data plan payments are automatically handled by credit card, NOT by getting a monthly bill. It would be a piece of cake for AT&T to offer the Unlimited plan for an extra $15 if a 250MB subscriber ran out of bandwidth. But no, instead they are going to charge pretty much the same for an additional 250MB.

Mark

What if that's exactly the way I want it to work? Let's say on my 20th day I run out of my 250mb. Well then I'd just want to get another 250 mb. Which should last me at least another 20 days. Why would I want to essentially pay $15 for another 10 days of service?

 

[Mark Booth]

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What if that's exactly the way I want it to work? Let's say on my 20th day I run out of my 250mb. Well then I'd just want to get another 250 mb. Which should last me at least another 20 days. Why would I want to essentially pay $15 for another 10 days of service?

It will be interesting to see if, when your data runs out, AT&T lets you add the additional 250MB and ALSO resets the clock on the 30 days (monthly service).

At first I didn't think AT&T would let it work that way. But looking at Apple's description of it on their site, I'm wondering if you might be right. If so, that would work well for my needs too.

Mark

 

[alphaod]

But I bet you won't have that option! I bet, if you use your first 250MB in 20 days, your second batch of 250MB will expire in 10 days (1 month total). It's a MONTHLY service, not a "whenever I've used them up" service.

Using your logic, really low data users could buy 250MB and have it last multiple months. AT&T wouldn't let that happen.

Mark

Like I said originally, it's probably a pay this get it for 30 days kind of model that AT&T currently uses for their prepaid phones. This means the 250MB expires in a 30 days, but should you need to refill it, you can and it would extended for another 30 days.

 

[kdesign7]

The two points everyone needs to understand:

1. Unlocked
2. Pre-paid

hellz ya!
hubba hubba ipad.

 

[bbtrinet]

Most likely it will work this way:

May 1 - you start subscribing to 250mb plan.
May 20 - you get a warning on your iPad that you've used 245mb. Do you want to upgrade to the unlimited plan this month, or will you no longer be using data this month?

Your options would be:
a) don't pay anything. Your limit would be reached, you would not be able to use 3G on your iPad until June 1. On June 1, you would be charged $14.99 unless you cancel.
b) pay $15. Your new plan is now a $29.99 plan and you have unlimited plan. You can use your iPad, and on June 1 you'd be billed $29.99 unless you cancel.
c) Cancel your 'plan' with AT&T, start a 'new plan' with a start date of the 20th of the month, with a 'new activation fee' (maybe $10-$35)

This is the way cell providers work.

 

[pyrodex]

Most likely it will work this way:

May 1 - you start subscribing to 250mb plan.
May 20 - you get a warning on your iPad that you've used 245mb. Do you want to upgrade to the unlimited plan this month, or will you no longer be using data this month?

Your options would be:
a) don't pay anything. Your limit would be reached, you would not be able to use 3G on your iPad until June 1. On June 1, you would be charged $14.99 unless you cancel.
b) pay $15. Your new plan is now a $29.99 plan and you have unlimited plan. You can use your iPad, and on June 1 you'd be billed $29.99 unless you cancel.
c) Cancel your 'plan' with AT&T, start a 'new plan' with a start date of the 20th of the month, with a 'new activation fee' (maybe $10-$35)

This is the way cell providers work.

Wasn't it stated somewhere you would get an alert at 20mb and 10mb left on the plan? I could have sworn I've seen it somewhere.

 

[GregGebhardt]

Thx. That kind of sucks but I guess it beats being locked into a contract and paying for 2 years or whatever.

How do you figure that sucks. AT&T need to make something. People here will be turning their 3G service on and off every day, maybe several time a day, it would be a huge logistics problem to AT&T to apply the resources for these multiple start and stops.

Next people will want to be charged for half a day or just a couple of hours! LOL!

It is ground breaking that you can turn in on and off monthly and it was good business for AT&T and Apple to come to this agreement! Many will use these at home of office where they have WiFi. For those short on funds it would be nice to have 3G while on vacation or a trip and not be obligated to any ETF.

AT&T's network is overloaded enough with iPhones and the iPad will not make it better! Wifi will be much faster than the 3G, I think, so I hope people only use 3G when they need it, but I can hear it now: If I am paying for unlimted 3G the month, I am going to get my moneys worth"! LOL

 

[bbtrinet]

Wasn't it stated somewhere you would get an alert at 20mb and 10mb left on the plan? I could have sworn I've seen it somewhere.

You're right. I didn't remember that until you said that. But, my guess is that it still would be the same, just you'd get warnings at 230mb and 240mb instead of 245mb.

But in either way, my guess would be that once you've used up 250mb, 3G would not work anymore until the end of the month.

Do you think that the AT&T business people actually think more than the following: Offer 2 plans - one 250mb plan for 30 days, and another unlimited plan for 30 days. Plans can be changed mid-month from 250mb to unlimited.

I doubt the AT&T business people ever gave a thought to a situation described above. All their plans currently run month-to-month. I doubt they made up something 'special' for the iPhone where you could take 250mb at a time for 20 days. They would only do that if the masses started complaining about it.

 

[MiguelS]

Most likely it will work this way:

May 1 - you start subscribing to 250mb plan.
May 20 - you get a warning on your iPad that you've used 245mb. Do you want to renew the 250mb plan or renew to the unlimited plan [deleted], or will you no longer be using data this month?

Your options would be:
a) don't pay anything. Your limit would be reached, you would not be able to use 3G on your iPad until June 1. On June 1, you would be charged $14.99 unless you cancel.
b) pay $15 again and renewal is from May 21-June 20.
c)decide that 250mb is not enough and opt for the unlimited plan, pre-pay $30 and that covers from May 21-June20.

This is the way pre-paid phones usually work.

Updated with my thoughts