www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Can you still get the prepaid sim cards at the ICE booth? If so, what are the best cheap unlocked cell phones to bring with? It's been a while since I have been down. I used to just buy a cheap motorola flip phone off of ebay but they are almost twice as much now. Thanks in advance for any help!

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If you let the devil ride, he's gonna want to drive

There's one upstairs and one by the car rentals. Any quadband unlocked will do, but make sure you get something 3G, GSM is spotty once you get out of Dodge. If you look at my posts on this I think it is the 850 band that is important but I am time restricted so I can't dig it up for you, or just google CR cell service and you'll find it. But quadband 3g and your golden for sure.

correct DGD: 850 for 3g and 1800 for gsm (non-3g areas)

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

PM Orange. He helped me out to get one on ebay. It works great.

here you go $20: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Motorola-C1 ... 2ebebe555c

Here's another: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorola-WX295- ... 2ebe07cbb4

Also check a broader search: http://www.ebay.com/dsc/Cell-Phones-Sma ... es&_sop=15

You can also buy a cell phone at the ICE desk. I think somebody mentioned they bought one with minutes for like $40-50.

Just look for the "Kolbi" signs right around where the escalator goes down to immigration on the airside when you get off the airplane. Kolbi has set up a kiosk in this area and it will be expanded into a store soon. You can buy a prepaid SIM card valid for 120 days for $20 and they will also setup your phone. If you put $1 or 500 Colones on it prior to the end of 120 days, it will be extended for another 120 days. It includes, voice, text and 3g data. I've had my same CR number now for nearly 2 years.

All you need is an unlocked & jailbroken GSM quad band phone or one with 850MHz GSM frequency and it should work. If it works on T-Mobile in the US, it will likely work in Costa Rica. I like the older 3g iphones since you can also use Skype to call the US even when you are not around WiFi. AND you can check your US email if you wish.

Having a phone in CR is a great way to keep in contact with the chicas since they are usually running at least 30 minutes late. It saves on the the hassle factor.

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Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

I purchased a cheap Nokia phone from Kolbi ICE in the airport for $20. For another $20 they loaded it with at least 200 minutes, alot more than I needed for the whole trip. So for $40 I got a cheap phone with minutes from Kolbi ICE Prepago in the San Jose airport.

It's probably best to buy their phone so they can make it work for you there. If you take one from the US, who knows if it will work. You will have a local number in San Jose, but you can dial home to the US on it. Reloading is cheap and easy, can be done anywhere in CR where you see the Kolbi logo. (Convenience stores, etc). I'm pretty sure their system is GSM, not CDMA. Some US phones work, some don't.
Good luck.

And now 3g. Verizon phones won't work. ATT, T-mobile, others, will work as long as they are "unlocked." Kolbi won't or can't unlock it for you, although you can get it done in one of the many cell shops centro. Better to buy an unlocked phone on ebay or have yours unlocked in the states.

Is there a time limit on how long the minutes are good for after they are loaded?

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I aim to misbehave. -Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

I say to be safe three months but I have read on ICE website four months. You can reload on-line with credit card w/ minimal amt to save all your minutes and your tel number for another 3 or 4 months. I reload every 3 mos when I am not there to be safe with a $buck on line. Worst comes to worst you lose your minutes but also your number, that's the bad part, you may want to keep your number, I do.

I know ICE/Kolbi is super convenient due to their kiosks being located in the airport.

BUT if quality is important to you I would highly recommend MOVISTAR, a new carrier in CR. They have places all over the gulch and CR to get a sim card. If your phone works on Kolbi, it will work on MOVISTAR.

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Voted San Jose's #1 Maripepino

In the past, I used a kolbi sim card in a cheap motorolla. This trip, I had the guy at the kolbi desk switch the sim card into my usa smart phone that I had unlocked before I came. I dont know what the guy did, but all of my text messages I sent and received were sent to a 2288 contest code called 'mi mascota'. They were charging my cell phone 400 colones a message. Then I received 96 messages from kolbi saying I had insufficient funds to maske a call (and I wsnt making a call). All 96 of these messages were forwarded to 'mi mascota' as well. It drained my 15000 colone balnce in less than a day.

I switched the sim card back into the cheap motorolla and the problem seems to have stopped.

Must be something with smart phones and Kolbi. It wouldn't work in my unlocked I-phone in May, had to put it in my back-up nokia 3g LG Vu, worked fine.

120 days.

You can reload from the US to keep the number active (minimum is 100 colones (20 cents )): https://www.grupoice.com/wps/portal/app ... rgaenlinea