www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Incoming texts and calls are always free. You didn't actually run out on your SIM card balance. You didn't have enough colones (¢35) to make a call, but you must've had a few colones left and since outgoing texts only cost about ¢2, so you were able to send texts.

You can't. Must be connected to the ICE network to make/receive texts and calls.

It's on Kolbi website, if I remember it is 20 US cents for a SMS to US and 25 cents a minute per call, not sure.

Important FYI:

I am fluent in Spanish and tested the link to send free sms from La Nacion.

Seems the newspaper had problems with it so they took the service down. It is no longer offered whether you sign up or not.

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Been to Costa Rica more times than most! Been there, done that 100fold!

Never worked for me six months ago, I checked with the people I was sending to. There was another "free" one that didn't work, maybe Navegalo or similar, or maybe that was the one LaNacion was using. Anyway, it seems like the adage "nothing is free" applies to texting CR.

There were several recent informative posts about other ways, free. One was via google phone, but google wants you to port your tel # over to them and I wasn't ready to do that. Posts were in the past 2-3-4? weeks, woth reading.

Thanks for testing those services.

I edited the main post to show that TextFree app by Pinger has been tested & works perfectly on Android phones/tablets & Apple phones/tablets. Send & receive text to CR for free. If the recipient has a dumb phone, she may have to pay to text you back