www.CostaRicaTicas.com

While various threads seem to have fragmented information on calling Costa Rica from the USA, the intension of this thread is to create a summary of your options.

For my personal interests, I want to find a service that will allow me to stay in touch with my favorite Tica despite her lack of a computer, webcam, smartphone or regular internet access. Unfortunately for me, this means the free services I am aware (Skype to Skype, Google Video Chat, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook Video Calls, Qik, FaceTime, etc.) are not an option. This restriction eliminates MagicJack from the discussion.

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SKYPE - http://www.skype.com

PC, Mac, or Smartphones to Landlines/Mobile

Pay as you go calls from the USA to CR.
6.9¢ / minute – Landlines
8.6¢ / minute – Mobile
8.9¢ / per call connection fee (pay as you go only)
9.7¢ / per SMS (text message)

Subscription
4.7¢ / minute – 60 minutes or $2.79 / month (landlines or mobile)
4.6¢ / minute – 120 minutes or $5.49 / month (landlines or mobile)

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GOOGLE VOICE – http://www.google.com/voice

Web Browser or Smartphone to Landlines/Mobile. You can even use an old dumb cell phone or a home landline phone provided you initiate the call on a web browser (it'll ring your phone, you answer, then it'll call your CR contact).

Brief video showing how Google Voice functions - http://youtu.be/y6Zy-Ande6I

Pay as you go calls from the USA to CR.
6.0¢ / minute – Landlines
6.0¢ / minute – Mobile

Calling Cards appear to have tricks up their sleeve(s). The cards showing rates as low as 1.8¢ / minute often charge a connection fee, weekly maintenance fee (99¢), 3 minute billing increments, and a connection surcharge (17%). Most cards are rechargeable for up to 1 year when they expire. You can often purchase minutes in $10, $20, and $50 increments. The quoted rates generally apply to landline calls. If you will be calling a CR mobile number, be sure your card specifically quotes rates on that type of connection.

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CLEAR CHOICE by ECI, Inc. – http://callingcards.com/shopping/rate_table1.asp

Calling Card. Options with a weekly fee were eliminated from the search.

3.6¢ / minute – USA to CR landlines
$10, $20, or $50
Rechargeable
No connection Fee
Billing Increment – 1 minute
Fees – 17%
Payphone Surcharge – 99¢

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COMFI = http://www.comfi.com/Phone-Card/Jupiter

Submission credited to CRT Member - Orange

Calling Card. Options with a weekly fee were eliminated from the search.

4.5¢ per min (landline), 5.8¢ (cell).
1 minute intervals
No connection fee
No maintennace fee
20% taxes
Doesn't expire as long as you recharge at least every 10 months

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EVAPHONE - http://www.evaphone.com

Flash enabled web browser to Landlines/Mobile.

Evaphone presumably (untested) lets you call from any computer to a Costa Rica landline or mobile number for cheap rates with no sign up fees or contract. Nothing to install on your computer assuming you have Adobe Flash. If using an untested service like this, I would definitely use a credit (not debit) card in order to insure you can dispute any charges. Apparently you are allowed two free calls per day that last from 10 seconds to 1 minute. The site is ad supported so you will see an advertisement prior to the call connecting. Please comment if you decide to be a beta tester of this service for the purpose of this thread.

1.8¢ / minute - Landlines
6.0¢ / minute - Mobile

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ICALL - http://www.icall.com

PC, Mac, or iOS devices to Landlines/Mobile.

3.7¢ / minute - Landlines
5.6¢ / minute - Mobile

This is a reputable service that requires you to download the app to your PC or Apple device.

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TEXTFREE by Pinger - http://www.pinger.com

Submission credited to CRT Member - Rolleratnight
Tested & confirmed to work perfectly by CRT Member - Maxbass

PC, Mac, iOS, or Android to Text (SMS & MMS)

The application is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play (formerly called the Android Market). The website says coming soon for the PC, Mac & Android despite the Android version being released in July 2011. Please note, you cannot copy & paste translated (or any other) text into the messenger window.

Free Application
Free Unlimited Incoming/Outgoing local & international text messages
Free SMS (text) & MMS (photos)
Free Voice (supposedly coming soon)

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HELP TEST THESE SERVICES

1. Will someone fluent in Spanish with a CR friend (mobile #) please test this and report back?
Sending Texts to a Costa Rica Cellular Connection rental cell phone for free.
http://rentcellphonesincostarica.blogspot.com/2008/05/sending-texts-to-costa-rica-cellular.html

2. Will someone with a CR mobile please test this and report back?
CR cell phone text to email.
http://rentcellphonesincostarica.blogspot.com/2008/07/send-short-emails-to-anyone-in-word.html

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If you know of better options, particularly ones you have used, please comment on this thread. I may take the liberty of copying and pasting any useful information in the comments into the original post.

Please note, for the sake of this discussion, we are focusing on calling Costa Rica mobile and landline numbers for our friends who do not have ready access to computers, webcams, internet connections, and smartphones. I know someone living in Thailand who now has a local Google Voice number in Thailand. Hopefully this service will roll out in Costa Rica in the near future so we can get a local CR number and call CR mobile & land lines from any computer for no charge.

Any further information you could provide is welcomed.

We use this one to call family in CR.

http://www.comfi.com/Phone-Card/Jupiter

4.5¢ per min (landline), 5.8¢ (cell).
1 minute intervals
No connection fee
No maintennace fee
20% taxes
Doesn't expire as long as you recharge at least every 10 months

Very good info. I am in the same boat.

So I call her on Magicjack, if she needs to call me, she rings my Magicjack # 2x and hangs up and I call her back if I am there. Magicjack has an advantage of getting your own phone number which I forward my US calls to when I am down there.

Sometimes, no connection for who knows what internet reason, eg, when I can't get thru and something is important, I call on my regular phone and get thru. You can also add your cell phone to your account, but it is wifi dependent.

For texting, ATT has a $10 per month for 100 SMS.

Presidenta Laura has been dangling the notion of a totally free wireless internet Costa Rica. Wow!

I use Magic Jack when making calls from Colombia to the States, and Mobile Clear or SKYPE when calling from or to anywhere else.

I found a picture of MaxBass' Tica talking to him for free.

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o29/ ... /uhura.jpg

Just playin' Ok, You can use Pinger http://www.pinger.com/content/home.html especially on tablets/smartphones for texting. The main benefit is that you can send texts, but they can't call you back. The iPad's Pinger App provides a real phone number to text, but if somebody calls, they get nothing.

If you're using an Apple device e.g. iPhone, iPad you can also try this app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/textplus ... 87667?mt=8

When it comes to the Ticas, I practice Queen's Ettiquette where they are not allowed to speak unless spoken to, in other words I don't want them calling me to talk, but I want them to talk to me when I call. Selfish? Maybe, but it really cuts down on the RFM's and I don't have to listen to screaming K*ds in the background with texts.

But, that's just me. MaxBass lands the most awesome women and so I can see where he would like to keep in touch. (I still haven't found a girl that matches the beauty he found one night out with me)

Great post BTW Max! Excellent job on the research and presentation. Keep up the informative posts.

Keep the suggestions coming...

Please keep in mind, for the sake of this discussion we are covering services for CR friends without computers, webcams, internet access, or smartphones.

MAGICJACK is great for calling the states but I'd just use the free Google Voice service instead since a high speed internet connection is required anyway for MagicJack. Plus, I can make free outbound Google Voice calls & SMS text messages from my smartphone.

MagicJack - PC to CR Landline/Mobile

Startup cost = $40 approx
Annual cost = $20 approx
5¢ minute to CR landlines
7¢ - 8¢ minute to CR mobile (depending on the carrier)

[EDIT] THIS PARAGRAPH IS INCORRECT - PINGER requires the end user have a computer or compatible smart phone. So unfortunately for the sake of this discussion, it doesn't fit the specific needs. If the CR recipient had a smartphone or computer with high speed internet, the options would be seemingly endless for free communication - Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Video Chat, Yahoo Messenger, Google Voice, Facetime, Qik, Facebook Video Chat, etc.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Orange - does that phone card rate apply to both Landline & Mobile numbers?

Rolleratnight - she was a stunner. I didn't see her on my latest trip. She wasn't the Tica I'm interested in talking to but now that you mention it, I do have her number.

If by "end user" you're talking about the Tica, she DOES NOT need a smartphone/computer. I send texts to all the chica's phones with it. If their mobile phone can receive texts, then you can text away for free. They would pay normal cellular texting fees, however. If you want, I can send you my Pinger phone number (in PM) and you can text me and see how it works. That's the beauty of it! They see a text from a phone number, just like it was from mobile phone, but they can't call it, just send texts. If they do call it, Pinger sends you a message that they are trying to call. It's up to you if you want to call them back and speak - however you wish to do it.

I think it's the same for Text+, but I only used that once or twice and abandoned it since I was giving out Pinger numbers.

The main utility is FREE texting. I haven't played with the free talk though.

I looked at that Google Voice last week-end, seemed pretty nifty, but unless I read it wrong you had to port your cell numbers over to them to keep your numbers? If that's true, I don't want to do that, and also google scares me a little privacy wise, probably paranoid.

4.5¢ landline and 5.8¢ cell.

Interesting. Thanks for the clarification. I'm curious if the Kolbi ICE nails the CR user with international texting rates. I can text from my USA mobile phone but it's 50¢ per outgoing text & 20¢ per incoming text. My concern is if similar fees apply to the Ticas who may want to text me back via my Pinger (TextFree) number. Pinger (TextFree) is available on iOS & Android devices. It will be coming to Windows & Mac.

Are you sure? In Costa Rica, unlike the US, incoming texts and calls are not billed (i.e. FREE).

Once you remove voice over ip which is essentially all computer/smartphone technology. You really are back to a landline as the only remaining viable option. The obvious exception is using the landline phone as your VoIP client. Without any additional tech that typically leaves gateways and calling cards.

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--==xpatriot==--

Conventional texting, as we used to know it, has died. Why? Well, it costs money. All the teenagers and 20-somethings use some sort of free texting service because they text constantly - in fact they prefer to text rather than to talk. Why? It's called "social multi-tasking," or so I am told. The benefit of texting is that they can carry on multiple relationships simultaneously without the burden of being pinned to any particular one. With the flood of texting and the costs for those texts, free texting services are sprouting up everywhere. That's how I learned about Pinger - a 20 something told me.

As to the cost the Tica pays, I am not sure about that. One Tica told me it's "a dollar." Now, if you're thinking that's a bad thing, rethink it. She isn't going to text the hell out of you if it's costing a dollar, she will only send you texts that she finds important - or important to respond if you're sending one.

Think of it as an option as opposed to the Fat Pipe Bandwidth communication for free. It is the goldilocks of limited, yet accessible communication.

No, I am not sure. But, I was told it costs a dollar to SEND a text, but they can receive for free. I am not sure because I when I was in CR and got a pre-paid cellular phone I didn't get a bill or care how much it costs, I only used it a short time I was there and didn't use up the low pre-paid amount I bought.

On my trip a few weeks ago, I bought the $10 Kolbi ICE card at SJO. I sent dozens of texts, received dozens of texts, and talked probably 30 minutes before being cut off. Despite running out of $$$ on my SIM card, I was able to receive incoming calls & send/receive text messages. I was unable to make outbound calls as one would expect when the $$$ on the card ran out.

I should reload my card & see if I can text CR from the USA using my Kolbi ICE card.