www.CostaRicaTicas.com

49,500 colones = 100 dollars at the Colonial. Del Rey I think was 47,500.

PHX

I used the US dollar ATM at the Del Rey in October and was charged for it. It was only a $0.75 fee, much smaller than the $2 or $3 charge for using ATM's other than my bank's in the U.S. Just remember, you can only withdraw $200 at a time from the dollar ATM in the Del Rey. You can use it as many times as you want, but you will pay the nominal fee each time.

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The rate of conversion is always determined by the financial institution that issued the card. It will be the same no matter what machine you use in Costa Rica.

What is variable is the charge, if any, levied by the owner of the ATM machine for using their machine.

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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

Happily, I've never had any problems using ATMs in C.R., other than the occasional malfunctioning machine. In these rare cases, I've always gotten my card back from the machine and was never charged any fees.

Hint: Check to see which international systems your card can access, typically Cirrus or Plus. Look for the system logo on the machine you want to use.

Another hint: Remember to notify your bank and any banks which issued your credit cards before traveling to C.R. This can save you from a world of headaches.

Dollars vs. colones: If you pay in dollars anywhere besides the del Rey/KL/SL girls and ZB, you'll almost always get any change you have coming back in colones, and usually not at a great exchange rate. For this reason, aside from paying for hookers in the these places, I always use colones. You'll get a lower session price at Zona Blue if you pay in good old U.S. currency.

Another hint: In a real pinch, you can get cash advances on your VISA card. To do this however, be sure to use a public bank such as Banco de Costa Rica. Private banks such as Scotia charge much higher fees on top of the fee your C.C. bank will add onto the transaction. To get cash with your VISA, you'll need both the credit card *and* your original passport (not a copy).

The Colonial casino gives a very good exchange rate, and their ATMs have never caused me a problem. The SL also gives a good exchange rate, but like many hotels they may only be able to exchange a limited amount.

Hope this helps.

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Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Am I mistaken? Has a fee been added to the dollar ATM machine at HDR? I used it practically every day for nearly two months and their was never a screen asking if I agreed to an ATM fee. I took out $200 in $20s and my account showed a $200 withdrawal with no other fees. The balance in my account subsequently was reduced by exactly $200.

Request for real-time on-site info: Does the ATM in the HDR now charge a fee?

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but your love don't pay my bills,
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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

HDR exchange rate on Dec. 8 48,500 to $100 So it's dropped another 1,000 colones in the past month

If that was today the Colonial was just a hair under the BCR rate. I doubt you would ever get a 3 colon rate over the bank rate at any casino in San Jose

Todays rate at the BCR:

Banco de Costa Rica 495,50

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

I used it in mid-October, and I don't recall whether there was a prompt for accepting a fee. I made three withdrawals, and when I checked my bank account on my return home, I saw a $0.75 charge for each withdrawal. I don't know, maybe it was just me who got charged a fee. But it was negligible.

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