The iPad could be a loaded gun of credit so the Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is warning users to buy pre-paid plans to avoid iShock.
Apple is due to release the iPad on May 28 and those using the 3G models could be hit with excess data charges, commonly known as bill shock.
Smartphone users have been hit with bill shock - the latest high profile case was South Australian MP Russell Wortley who was hit with a $10,000 phone bill after his son downloaded games.
Telstra and Optus will offer pre-paid plans, while Vodafone and 3 are expected to make an announcement shortly regarding their 3G iPad plans, including a post-paid option.
But ACCAN says consumers should steer clear of the post-paid plans to begin with.
Post-paid plans, even those with names like unlimited and cap, usually have a data usage limit and consumers charged at a much higher rate for data if they exceed it.
"To avoid getting an iShock, we're strongly advising consumers opt for a pre-paid plan for at least the first three months until they get a feel for how much data they're using," ACCAN director of policy Elissa Freeman said in a statement.
"But anyone using a 3G iPad on a post-paid plan essentially has access to a loaded gun of credit.
"While you're absorbed in checking out what your iPad can do, you're in danger of going over your data usage limit and facing a huge bill."
Telecommunications companies say post-paid customers can monitor their bills online to track how much data they're using, but ACCAN says the online monitors can lag.
In the US AT&T is the only provider of 3G iPad plans and offer an unlimited data plan for $US29.99 ($A36.08) per month.
