www.CostaRicaTicas.com

- Cell phone needed? I might just use my Galaxy s4 to text chicas. Will Sprint work for international texting? Guess I need to call them. Lol

- Should I bring any cash with me or get it there prior to arrival. And what about credit/debit cards accepted at most places? Any MP's take them?

But a SIM card for your Galaxy S4. It's a world phone... This one of the perks of having that phone... Pop in the SIM and you're ready to go. You can text locally then with no problem. I paid $1000 COL for my card. Been using it for 10 days with no problem. Also you can use WhatsApp here... Many of the girls use it for texting and is free since it uses wifi to send the messages.
I wouldn't use credited cards at places like MP 's or Del Rey, but most other places, I use a credit card.

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Oops, that last part should've started out with "Buy a SIM..."

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Cell not necessary, but helpful to keep in touch with wingmen and chicas.

Don't use your home cell phone, bring a cheap unlocked one that's GSM (preferably quadband so you know it will work in CR, needs 1800Mhz band). Forget the Galaxy. It will look so enticing to everybody who sees it that it may "disappear". Plus, chicas can't text you back if the number is a US number. And those international texting and roaming fees are high.

I don't bring cash anymore. I just get money out of an ATM. Don't need to hassle with exchanging and not getting ripped off for 10%. Easier with ATM's, get colones or dollars at Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) branches.

Pay for your hotel in dollars since the price is probably quoted in dollars so they don'tr have to do a conversion. Rule of thumb: pay in the currency quoted. In supermarkets, restaurants, taxis, bars, most MP's it will be in colones.

Cash is king in CR. Don't use credit cards/debit cards. They often tack on 10-15% due to high bank charges they get charged on transactions. Plus, many of the promotions you see are based on cash payment. Also, there is fraud where they clone your card and then clean you out.

I have never swapped sims beforre how does it work? Can I buy one from eBay?

Just go to a Kolbi store, they are all over the place, and buy a SIM card. Swap out the cards, and you are good to go. You will have local service with your own CR phone number. You can call or text anyone in CR. Plus you'll be able to use all your apps that you have on your phone. I used to carry 2 phones. Now that I have the S4, I use it exclusively. It's great. That phone is about as common here as in the states. To Oranges point, it could be a high target item for the wrong person. But be smart about not showing it off in the wrong places and you'll be fine.
As far as credit cards, ask if there's a fee for using it and how much. Then make your determination whether you want to use it. I've heard the story that Orange mentions about the high fees that are passed on to the consumer. However, I use a credit card where ever and when ever I can for my protection (your are not liable for any kind of theft), the rewards I get and so I don't have to carry around as much cash.
Take the info from Orange and I and do what works best for you. We all have different preferences.
I also like the credit card top so I don't burn through as much cash thus incurring ATM fees.
Buen día!


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I used to bring a fistful of 20's, 50's and 100's, all in perfect condition to exchange for colones..........NO MORE !!!

CHARLES SCHWAB has a great ATM card that can be used anywhere in the world. The best part is that Schwab refunds ALL of the ATM fees for using the card anywhere in the world that you use it. ATMs in CR give colones or dollars.

The set-up is easy on line. There are no minimum balances or minimum activity levels needed to avoid service charges. No monthly fees either.

You need to open a brokerage account with Schwab and a related Schwab bank checking account to get the card. There is no fee or balance requirement or activity level to have these accounts. You do it all online.

You just fund the checking account with a mail-deposit or an online transfer, then use the ATM card with no fees. It takes about 2 weeks to get the card in the mail.

Good advice here. This is what I did. I'm a six trip a year guy and not always in the Gulch.

Go to Walmart or one of the other chains in CR and buy the cheapest Samsung phone you can find.
I got mine for 10,000K. It was already loaded with some minutes and I just put 5000k worth of minutes on every trip. Works great for me and I keep the number.

One issues is that I have to either load the phone or use the phone every 3 months or so or I lose the number. Not an issue for me but could be and issue if you don't come that often. Gives me a good reason to make more trips.

I did the sim swapping thing for a few trips and it got to be a hassle.

Might want to check with your provider. I use my AT&T iPhone in Costa Rica with the added world traveler feature. ( 6 bucks a month) have no trouble sending or receiving calls or text to my USA number. Better to use in wifi areas for lower charges

Your phone already has a SIM card for you local home network. You would need to take it out and replace it with a CR SIM card. In CR, at the airport, there is a small desk in the baggage claim area where you can buy a local CR SIM card. They will even install it and activate it for you. The desk is located next to the bathrooms to the right of luggage carousel #1. Besides SIM cards, you can actually buy a simple phone that comes with some airtime already for about $40-45.

Also, most providers lock their phones to their network so you cannot use another SIM card, so that's something to consider also. You may want to look into whether your phone is locked to AT&T or whatever company you use.

The easiest thing in my opinion is to buy a cheap phone and local SIM card. Leave the expensive toy in your safe; there's nobody to impress. Getting a phone stolen is a major pain in the ass.

A question for any of the phone gurus:

Would my cheap Alcatel that I bought from COMCEL/CLARO here in Colombia work with a chip from CR?

I got a cheapy too from DR. I might just swap sims into that phone and get some minutes.

It all depends on whether it is compatible with the CR frequency which is 1800Mhz.

Colombia uses 850/1900 bands, Costa Rica uses 1800 band. Dual band phones come in combos (850/1900 and 900/1800). Those are dual-band phones they sell cheap, but I think many (most?) phones now are quad-band (850/900/1800/1900).

There's really no way to tell by looking at the phone whether it's dual band or quad. You can look up the model online, that may tell you.

These days new quad-band unlocked phones are cheap on Ebay. And they will work anywhere in the world if they are quad. Ebay link

I ordered a Galaxy 3 clone from Amazon for $140. Quad band and dual sim, so it takes my ATT at home, and my ICE when in CR.
I asked around the locals, and it seems that Claro's data services were preferred. I bought a claro simcard and 7 days of calls and data for $10.

I found Claro to be better in Escazu and Lindora (where my chica had Kolbi), but sucked in areas of the gulch, like inside of the Morazan.

Also, all of the chicas I asked, prefer to use WhatsApp, instead of SMS. WhatsApp works international, so they can continue to pester you with messages long after you have departed. It's got good audio-video integration too, so vids and photos they send come over quick. And with a dual-sim card, you provide them your CR number (keeping your US number private), and a WhatsApp conversation can span both networks. Once you're home, you disable the ICE sim, and WhatsApp continues your conversation. Very cool.

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bypassin' kinky, and usin' the whole chicken!!!

Not quite.

Before you can use your phone overseas with a different SIM -- including the Galaxy S4 -- the phone must be carrier unlocked.

Unless you already know it's unlocked, you might want to check with Sprint before you try using it overseas.

mh

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mh