www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I made the mistake of paying my departure tax with a credit card last trip and when I received my statement was hit with a $10 cash advance fee. Called Capital One and was told the way it was processed was as if it were an ATM withdrawal, so I was hit with the ATM/cash advance fee. I told them it was a credit card transaction (as I was not told otherwise) and after speaking with a few different Capital One people they removed the fee.

Unfortunately with the sheer amount of posts somethings get swallowed up and forgotten. One of those is the cash advance penalty of paying your departure tax with a credit card. That info has been posted previously but not recently.

Thanks for reminding us.

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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

Yep, I must have missed that post..... Just passing the info along.

Im not too big on the banking world, but I was always under the impression you needed to input your PIN code in order to do a 'cash advance'?

Obviously the post proves otherwise, but Im surprised VISA/Mastercard allow them to carry merchant accounts with those conditions given the amount of complaints they must receive about it.

This has been posted before. Also, when you're standing in line to pay the departure tax, it clearly says on the sign in front of the agents that it will process as a cash advance if you pay by credit card.

The reason for this, is because a tax is not a purchase.

All credit cards do have PIN's assigned. But its only for if you have to go to an ATM for a cash advance, other than that, they're rarely used. Although over in Europe, I've run into a few places that wanted a PIN as security even when making a regular purchase.

I made the same mistake on my third trip or so. I knew about it previously from reading the posts here but was so hung over and "sexed out' that my brain was not working properly.

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I believe in moderation in everything except excess.
I phuck 'em just to see the look on their face.
Klatu, berata, nicto.

Capital One has no fees (at least on my account), so I surmise that was $10.00 charged by the other side....juice money.....they DO like cash and who can blame them?

I have yet to see a transaction fee from ANY ATM in Costa Rica....and the no transaction fee from Capital One. Maybe the ATM business in CR has figured out they can charge to use their network???

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"Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the over-compensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn't nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand."
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Ch. 16

Guess you have not used an ATM machine owned by HSBC. I had never been charged by any bank in CR. One Saturday morning the Scotia Bank I went to had there ATM out of order so I walked 250 feet over to HSBC and used their ATM. Got charged $1.00.

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

AS I recall, it is actually posted at the counter that they will charge your credit card as a cash advance.

Yep, my mistake, looked for the sign the other day as I was paying the tax and it was there in the fine print. You do have to be looking for it to see it and if they're busy, there's people standing in front of the signs as they are posted at the lower portion of the counters.

I have paid for my exit tax with a credit (not debit) card on my last four visits and have never been charged a fee. However, I pay my exit tax at the bank on the second floor of the INS building across from Parque Espana and Casa Amarilla, not at the airport.

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Don't call 'em hookers. I tell my wife I'm here dealing with holesalers.

Always pay my exit tax at Presidente and they just add it to my account

I didn't realize that they could do that. Do other popular hotels (like SL) in the area do the same? It would be nice to avoid the hassle of doing it at the airport.

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