www.CostaRicaTicas.com

OK, so if I use an ATM and take Colones out, will I get the money at the correct exchange rate at that time? I'm trying to figure out why so many guys take dollars to CR and then exchange them when they get there. I'm leaving on Sunday and would rather not carry a lot of cash with me. Can someone fill me in???

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-Si dice mentiras, te meto la verdad-

I've always used BCR (Banco de Costa Rica) ATM's and never had a problem.

I have USAA as my bank.

I've always gotten pretty close if not exactly the current interbank exchange rate, and BCR never charged me a fee.

However, a few days after withdrawal my own bank would tack on $1.

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"El Chino Rico" | el.chino.rico@hotmail.com
Trip Reports - 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th

YES,
but many banks charge an international fee which is more $$ than the regular fee.
This also works with your credit cards.

PLEASE let your bank know you are traveling out the country BEFORE leaving. If you don't you may get a nasty surprise when you go to use your ATM.

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Patriot: Ice Road Trucking through the Bearing Sea to recovery

I'm not saying that I agree with them but there are several reason that some prefer having cash over withdrawing from atm's:

-convenience, not atm runs at midnight
-not atm fees, Bank of America charges $5 per int'l atm withdrawal
-some people don't trust atm's abroad, we have had many reports of "no money came out but it was debited from my account", especially INS-building atm's
-fear of the colone
-atm daily limit (for the high rollers/colombiana lovers, the $500 daily limit may not be enough )

I have found that using the DR atm ( by the elevator) and pulling out dollars instead of colones I do not get the 3% exchange fee on my Chase ATM card plus the non Chases ATM fee. I only get charged a $2.00 non Chase ATM fee, and no fee from the Del Rey.

Ditto, I always bring the cheddar. Much easier to deal with it that way. Make your hotel safe the ATM....

Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

Bringing money is not an option since I live here in CR. I use my credit union debit card and get c580-$1 and no charges at Banco National or Scotia, the ones I use.

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"Your love gives me such a thrill
but your love don't pay my bills,
I NEED THE MONEY!" - John Lee Hooker

Disclaimer: The above is merely the opinion of the author unless specific scientific data is included.
Your mileage may vary. https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/viewto ... 978#206978

It all depends on your bank as to what exchange rate is used. Banks typically use the commercial rate for the day of the withdrawl. It is usually a good exchange rate. As mentioned previously, the fees can be where they get you. Check with your bank.

I always bring some greenbacks with me. Even after years of traveling around the world, I still worry about getting caught short of funds. Hey, CR is NOT the USA. The infrastructure is.... fragile? Funny things can happen and you may not be able to get cash every time you want some.

So far it has worked for me. Even if an ATM is out of cash or is on the blink I don't have to sweat if another ATM is not available. I don't like carrying all of the cash for a trip either.

Another tip is to take your card into the bank (along with your passport) and have a teller give you cash. This will get you around ATM fees but not any BS foreign transaction fees your bank may have.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

Have you used Scotia lately? They have instituted a $1.50 ATM usage fee for using their machine. You can use a BAC-San Jose machine, same Red Total network, at no charge.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Thanks for all of your responses. I think I'm going to bring some cash and use the ATM when I have to. I'm not worried about the little charges. I use Navy Federal Credit Union and they're usually pretty good about these things from what I hear. Then it's just a matter of dealing with the local banks.

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-Si dice mentiras, te meto la verdad-

ahhh navy fed.. great bank.. only have a cc with them though

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"El Chino Rico" | el.chino.rico@hotmail.com
Trip Reports - 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th

Luckily I do not get charged those pesky "fees" that other bank users report and I always get the official exchange rate BUT and here is the rub. I have had my card not work on 2 consecutive days and had to borrow cash from a bro because of it. So in the end if you are lucky enough to not accrue fees for the transaction use both. Bring cash from home and keep as a backup and hit the ATM when needed for operating cash.