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I thought it would be easy. The Apple Store Genius in Toronto said “just get off the plane and activate an AT&T account - it is that easy” so natually I expected to be online with my iPad soon after landing in the US.

This was not the case.

I could go on at length about all the people I talked to, all the customer service reps that told me it “wasn’t possible and I should just use wifi” and all the dead ends I encountered while trying to connect the the 3G network in NYC (including the sales associate that told me that my iPad didn’t have a Sim card and challenged my knowledge of the currency used in my home country) but instead I’ll give you the details on how I managed to successfully connect my Canadian iPad while traveling in the United States.

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY USE A CANADIAN IPAD IN THE US

1. Get an AT&T micro sim card. I got mine at an Apple Store but I imagine you could get one at any AT&T store as well.

2. Get a pre-paid credit card. You can buy these at most convenience or drug stores. You’ll need this as your Canadian credit card won’t work.

3. Register the pre-paid credit card with a US address. I used the address I found on a receipt. You may be able to do this online or by phone - see the details that come with your pre-paid card to find out. NOTE: the first address I used did not work for some unknown reason.

4. Now that you have your AT&T sim card and your pre-paid credit card with US address you are ready to get into SETTINGS on your Ipad and purchase an account with AT&T (currently two pricing options).

Good luck.

July 15th, 2010 | Posted in iPad |