Hello Dick,
?
A VPN provides very good security from the point where you enter the secure tunnel (in your case on your phone) to where you come out (in your case at your VPN provider's terminus). From the terminus to whatever you are connecting to you are on the open Internet.
?
Cellular connections are inherently secure. That covers you from your phone to where AT&T in your case connects to the open Internet.
?
If you are connecting to secure i.e. HTTPS websites you are protected from your device to the website.
?
VPNs have great value for business applications such as remote work where mobile users connect to a VPN terminus inside the firewall of the business.
?
Outside of HTTPS, in your case you'd be exposed from your WiFi only iPad to your phone and from the VPN terminus to whatever you connect to.
?
In an official capacity I have worked professionally to penetrate communications. I'm careful who and what I connect to and how. I've been subject to identity theft more than once, ALWAYS due to data at rest e.g. the very first GSA penetration not data in flight. Based on my experience I avoid cloud services and SaaS but don't bother with VPN. YMMV. We all have to make our own choices.
?
dave
?
Dave Skolnick KO4MI