www.CostaRicaTicas.com

t

It's for Kolbi but this youtube video might answer some of your questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzhEf4YijTc

Your phone doesn't work in CR because it's not a GSM network phone. It's a CDMA network only phone. Verizon reps should know this.

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_thunderbolt_4g-3703.php

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

You need an unlocked GSM phone. Verizon has coverage (expense coverage) using their "international" phones (that can roam on GSM networks), but that's not what you want.

Get an inexpensive unlocked GWM phone (in the US, there are no "inexpensive" smart phones in CR). Then you want to get a Kolbi SIM and a data plan.

Many of the budget unlocked GSM phones are aimed at the international market and have dual SIM slots.

Unless you have Google Project Fi (which requires a Google phone) the only way you avoid swapping phones / SIMs is to use a traditional US carrier and pay their huge international roaming charges.

Google Fi is available in 120 countries at the same rates as the US ($20 unlimited talk and text - $10 per Gb of data - free calls on WiFi over a VPN. My Google Fi SIM works in San Jose but not in the jungle (NE Caribbean coast). I haven't tried it elsewhere (Pacific coast, etc).

http://news.co.cr/a-detailed-comparison-of-cellphone-service-operators-in-costa-rica/10791/

Unless you are a legal resident you can only get a prepago (prepaid) plan. Postpaid (postpago) plans require residency and an address.

You say you are working so I assume you have a work permit or legal permanent residency (I don't give a shit but it does affect what plans you can get).

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

You can back up your contacts to your new phone and WhatsAPP chats to the cloud (I use Google Drive).

I keep my CR contacts on my Kolbi SIM though.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

t

t

An answer to #3 on your list - your contacts will not receive a message that you have a new number. I changed numbers and followed the instructions on the Whatsapp site to move my contacts and chats. Everything went smooth. I don't know what changes my contacts saw on their phone after I changed numbers - only one contact asked me about the new number.

You can change the SIM when you go to the DR. It will not affect Whatsapp, unless you reload Whatsapp; but you don't need to do that.

You can. of course, work remotely (telecommute) while a temporary resident.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

A lot of good info but there are a few things that i feel I must disagree with.

Unless the law has changed very recently you CAN have a regular (postpay) account without having residency. I know for sure of two perpetual tourists who got accounts the end of Dec 2015. Both went with Movistar and I know of a couple others who have Clairo accounts. both of these are private companies whereas Kolbi is part of ISE which is government owned, so it may be true with ISE but not with the other two. You cannot get a "landline" number (offered only thru ISE) without residency. I do not personally know of anyone who still has a regular phone in their house here in CR. I also had a cell postpaid line for several years thru Kolbi back when they were the only company, did not offer prepago, and I was a perpetual tourist.

That being said I am not sure why anyone would even want a postpaid plan. It is much more expensive, has more restrictions, and offers no different service from what is available on "prepago". I apparently am not alone in this since the vast majority of accounts here are prepago.

As for which of the 3 is best, that is a matter of personal opinion. In my mind all three have pluses and minuses. The nice thing is you can sign up with one and if you find it is not to your liking, you can change and keep your old number and it only cost about c2000 to make the change. I changed from Kolbi to Clairo about a year ago because Kolbi's signal was/is very week in the area where I live.

As for having a "data plan', no need with prepago!! I do not have one, have never had one, and I now use data almost every day. As long as you have a balance, it is just subtracted daily (when you use it) from your balance. Where I live there are frequently times when the wireless WIFI internet service gets overloaded- two routers but frequently there are 8-12 computers and about the same number of smartphones all on the wifi at the same time. Almost everyday I end up using my phone as a "hotspot". And it is much faster than the wifi in the house!!! and cost about 75 cents a day.

Like almost everyone here, I use Whatsap for almost everything-calls, voice messages and text messages!! Over the last 6 months I have spent a total of c32000. That is an average of $10 a month (I was very seldom using data during the first 3 months). Try getting service for that in the States!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Having a prepago data plan VS. not having a prepago data plan for your SIM >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Both the Kolbi and the Claro people explained this issue to me in this way........

1. When we put money on our SIMs, we are given the ability to make voice calls, send text messages and use a certain amount of "data" (for searching the web, or for using email, or for using WhatsApp, or for watching videos for example).

2. We can do these things until our money on our sim is consumed.

3. After that, we need to recharge our sim with more money.

4. Regarding the use of "data", >>>>> money on your sim will be consumed and depleted much faster if you use "data" in any way WITHOUT having a prepago data plan than if you DO have a prepago data plan.

So.... we don't NEED a data plan. But for using "data", it's cheaper in the long run to have one.

Another reason to have a data plan is to use your phone as a hot spot.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Actually, I have service for $30 a month in the US - with Google Fi - and it's awesome AND it works in San Jose (again, probably most of the Central Valley but the only places I've tried it are in centro and in the selva - the Barra).

On top of that, Google Fi lets me make phone calls over WiFi (and seamlessly sets up a VPN so my calls are private) and then if I go outside that WiFi coverage, it seamlessly (there's that word again) shifts to one of three carriers that the system uses.

And using Gooogle Hangouts, I get my voicemails and texts on any phone I'm running Hangouts on.

So, I get my US texts and voicemails on my CR phone.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

I believe that a smart phone CAN be used as a "hot spot" in CR without a data plan. BB57 says that he does it almost every day.

But the cell phone companies told me that your money will be consumed faster without a data plan than with a data plan.

I've tried repeatedly to use my phone with a Kolbi prepago SIM as a hot spot.

It doesn't work.

I've tried the Kolbi prepago SIM in other phones just in case it was my phone. I doesn't work.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison