iPad shopping help!

[CheeseMcKnees]

So, I want to buy an iPad. I have an iPhone and I HATE my Samsung tablet.

For a 256GB 2022 model with 3GB data Sky want £19 yet my provider WITH a discount want £42 a month plus £99 deposit.

Whats the best way to buy one? I don’t want to buy one outright as that feels far to frivolous!

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MNHQ

Do you need one with a data allowance?

I've only ever used WiFi when I had an iPad. If you did need to use a data connection occasionally you can hotspot to your phone.

Having said that sky want £19?!? What a month? For how long?

As Wishing says, just hotspot it to your phone. Which means you don't need the extra expense of getting a cellular-capable model. And yeah, do the sums, then just buy the thing outright if that comes out cheaper and you have the cash. Frivolous? What?

The sky one may be over a longer period hence why they can give you the lower monthly cost?

Apple do them on finance but I don't think you get any data so you'd have to either do that separately or just use WiFi.

I got all our iPads on pay monthly bar one. Made no difference really in the long run but I would always work out what it would cost overall so the monthly cost times how many monthly payments as sometimes it comes to double the amount an iPad would cost!

Do you really need 256gb memory? I have 64gb on my iPad mini, have been using it for over a year, have tonnes of apps installed and use it everyday and I've never reached the limit.

If you went for a middle ground option. No SIM card because you can just hotspot to your phone then you'd take the base price down significantly.

I looked at a phone contract with sky before and when I went to get it I realised it's not as clear as just the £19 a month, I can't remember exactly but it was something like after a year the price changed. So I would double check the sky one.

We’ve always just brought iPads outright direct from apple refurbished. We just use Wi-Fi.

Agree. Use Wi-Fi. Apple used to do interest free financing so it's a no brainer if that is still available. It's usually cheaper to avoid phone company contracts and buy outright if you can.

I was looking at getting a new one recently too and I'm pretty sure you can get them on 0% finance till the end of March and pay over 1 or 2 years I think.

Sorry should have said that is direct through the apple store.

I keep my iPads for quite a long time so buying outright works best for me. Wi-Fi is everywhere now so there's really no need for a data plan. On the odd occasion there is no access to Wifi you can link it to your phone's data plan.