www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Looking at the Cocal Hotel rate card on their website, it lists on the right "additional guest" with a cost of $15. Is this new? Is it a Chica fee?

Not new, J....that is for additional checked guests beyond two. No chica fee at cocal.

Does anyone know if it's cheaper to pay in dollars or colones for a room at the Cocal? I know the Amistad charges a 6% added charge if one uses a credit card. How about Clarita's? I'm going to stay there also. Thanks for any info. Maybe there's a general rule to follow? Dollars, colones, or credit card??

No need to complicate things by getting colones involved in the transaction...room is quoted in dollars, payments made with an US based bank credit card are processed in dollars for the exact amount billed. Done it that way every time I've stayed there the last three years.

You can pay cash in dollars too.

Always pay in the currency that the price is quoted in. Otherwise, they will convert the colones to dollars at 575 or more.

Also, credit cards are another whole mess in itself. Many businesses add a surcharge for using CC due to the high fees that CC processors charge in CR. And then your bank will tag you international transaction fee, and possibly a currency conversion fee if they charge the card in colones. Then you have the risk of your card being cloned and maxxed out. CC should be used only in an emergency abroad IMO.

Yes, well that's why I asked the question. If they quote in dollars and one carries a lot of dollars for two weeks of hotels, etc. then I guess that is the optimum way to go. Using a citicard for example, even though I get 2% cash back, I think they tack on a foreign transaction fee, but I"m not sure if that is just if the hotel is quoted in colones or if its in a foreign country (CR) and you are still paying in dollars.

I also have a Schwab no fee debit card so maybe it's better to use that in addition to taking cash.

The hotels I"m staying at are Clarita's, Cocal, and Amistad. I know Amistad charges 6% for using a credit card. I'm not sure what they charge if it's a Schwab card. With Cocal and Clarita's, I am not really getting a satisfactory answer as far as which is better to use, etc. They seem to both be quoting dollars, but again, if I use my citicard, I don't know why extra fees will be tacked on as opposed to cash or the Schwab (no fee) card, etc...

6%, it makes no difference what card you use, they still have to pay their credit card processor a fee which gets passed to you. Save yourself a headache and use cash.

So, with LA - 10% CRT VIP discount and then a 6% credit card surcharge - net savings of 4%!

Redfield10 needs to get that VIP membership.

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Any opinion or observation in the post above is purely presented for entertainment purposes and does not promote "sexual tourism" or "human trafficking". The laws of Costa Rica apply to all activities in Costa Rica. No warranty is expressed or implied. Void where prohibited by law. Your experience, observations or perspective may be different.

In exile in pu*sy prison

Oh, I have it. Looks like the answer is to do as much in cash as one can and hope the cash doesn't get stolen...lol...and/or use Schwab's no fee debit card and withdraw money occasionally...they refund ATM fees. And finally, use the citicard (even with 2% cash back) sparingly...

All except for the last part. Forget using credit cards in CR, they often tack on a surcharge and also a lot places clone your card and then go shopping.

Nobody will steal your cash if you lock it in the safe. Only bring what you will need to pay hotel and any activities you book. The rest, use the Schwab card (last week, they refunded me $15+ from my July ATM charges) to withdraw colones from ATM.

So, like you said, the trick is if something (hotel, meal, tours, clothes, etc.) is listed in colones, pay in colones...if it's listed in dollars, pay in dollars...and take dollars for cash....and try just use the dollars for things listed in dollars...otherwise use the schwab card in an ATM to take out colones...try not to "exchange" the dollars you take for colones unless one has to.


Did I get that about right?

You can use your Schwab debit card to get EITHER dollars or colones at most ATM machines.

When I come to CR for a couple of months, I never bring much cash. I simply use my no-fee Schwab debit card almost everyday.

There are ATMs at the airport if you need cash as soon as you arrive.

By the way, I have several back-up cards in case one gets compromised.

Ah, cool. Are your back up cards still with Schwab or are you saying you have other backup debit cards?

I have 4 Schwab cards for my 4 accounts. I also travel with a couple of other credit and debit cards for emergencies only.