www.CostaRicaTicas.com

i am pretty sure they (your bank ? ...or sportmen) charge an extra $10 and some change for using your card for a international sale,,,I have seen it the past 3 trips ,,,,also i paid on a friday and the funds didnt show up on my account until tueday,,, but I will say this my bill was 100% correct 20% discount, all restaurant charges and phone bill....this was the best trip as far as no problems with my bill,,,

SL does not add any extra fees for using a credit card.

Your bank will add a international transaction fee. It ranges from 1 to 4%, I haven't heard of more than 4% but I'm sure there's a CC out there like that. There may also be a card that doesn't charge int'l or currency fees at all. Bank of America recently raised theirs from 3 to 4%. Some son of a bitch banks charge a currency conversion fee on top of the int'l fee if the charge is made in colones. Whenever possible, ask that they charge you in dollars, so you don't get double hit with fees.

First, check with your CC to see what their fees are, so there's no surprises. Also, while you are speaking with them, tell them your exact travel dates so that they don't block your card. Some banks will deny charges and block the card if they aren't given notice about foreign travel.

Thanks guys... I apologize to the original poster for taking away your converstation.

Yea I used to have WAMU (Washington Mutual Bank) debit card. Only 1% foreign transaction fee and that was it. Now Chase took them over and phucked every benefits up. I bank with another institution and they only charges 2% and no extra conversion fees or anything but now they are taken over by another large institution so I have to check their charges. My main bank charges 3% plus conversion fees. It's crazy.

http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Cr ... n_Exchange

This link has a good list of foreign transaction fees for various cards. There are still some out there with a 0% fee.