what to do for a cell phone in costa rica

Of class you lot want to apply your cell phone in Costa Rica! This guide volition help you navigate everything y'all demand to know- from using your existing cell telephone in Costa Rica to purchasing a Costa Rican SIM card and the answer to the question- practise you fifty-fifty need data in Republic of costa rica?

Tabular array of contents

About Cell Phones In Costa Rica
Using WiFi vs. Getting A Data Plan
1. WiFi Access In Costa Rica
Jail cell Service In Costa rica
1. Exercise Yous Need A Information Plan In Costa Rica?
How To Utilise Your Own Jail cell Telephone In Costa Rica
1. Using Your Plan From Dwelling house
2. Purchasing An International SIM Card in Costa rica
Where To Get A Costa Rica SIM Bill of fare
1. Costa Rica Prison cell Telephone Companies
2. Where To Purchase SIM Cards
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About Cell Phones In Republic of costa rica

Jail cell phones are equally popular in Republic of costa rica as they are in the residuum of the world- it seems like anybody has one and uses information technology as a tool for everything from shopping to communication to photography equipment. For this reason, jail cell phone safety, in my opinion, is non a huge bargain in Republic of costa rica as most people have one.

Related post: Safety Tips For Costa rica

You lot tin purchase jail cell phones throughout the country, and the most popular brands are iPhone, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei. There are dedicated jail cell phone stores in most metropolitan areas. Look to pay quite a bit more for a new cell telephone in Costa Rica than you lot would in the The states, as the import taxes on electronics are steep.

You can as well use your ain jail cell phone in Costa rica, which I will share more near below. If you are trying to determine if you should take a phone to Costa rica, my reply is yes, if you lot mostly utilize one where y'all alive now. I wouldn't buy a new cell phone just to become to Republic of costa rica every bit landlines are nevertheless common in most restaurants and hotels, and you tin can still notice internet cafes and computers in many areas equally well. Simply if y'all use your cell phone at habitation and want to go along doing so in Republic of costa rica, this guide volition help you lot to exercise so in the cheapest and easiest way.

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Using WiFi vs. Getting A Data Programme

The first affair you need to make up one's mind is if you even need a SIM card in Costa Rica. You'll definitely have to take some vacation time to purchase a prepaid SIM carte and get information technology installed, or you'll pay international usage fees from your current cell carrier. If you aren't even certain y'all need data, this section of the post is for y'all.

WiFi Access In Republic of costa rica

Virtually businesses in Republic of costa rica accept free wireless internet access for customers- this includes restaurants, cafes and some stores. Almost every hotel also has wireless admission for guests, and even many public parks in bigger towns take wifi access.

You may have to enquire for the password, but otherwise yous can await to connect to wireless when yous are dining and where you stay at nighttime.

Jail cell Service In Costa Rica

On the contrary, while most all of Costa rica has excellent 4G cell service and information, there are however many rural areas that do not have cell phone coverage at all.

Particularly in national parks, virtually volcanoes and deep in the rainforest, there is no cell signal. Sometimes these areas will have wifi and not have information. So you need to think advisedly virtually your itinerary when you are deciding if you need a data program in Costa Rica. If you are spending a calendar week off the grid, then you aren't going to have jail cell phone service no matter what yous do.

Do You Need A Data Programme In Costa rica?

The showtime question yous might want to consider is if you want to have data everywhere you lot become, or if y'all are ok using wifi when you tin can become information technology. Consider the following:

Volition yous need to communicate with local ticos while y'all are there?
Do yous need to use data to navigate a rental car?
Practice you need to have phone calls and texts from habitation virtually of the fourth dimension you are travelling?

If the answers to the in a higher place are all "yesses", and then y'all need to get a data plan in Costa Rica and y'all can skip to the next department.

If y'all are non all "yesses" however, permit's take a look at some considerations that might assistance you decide if you demand a data plan in Costa rica.

If you demand to interact with locals through a regular phone line, then having a cellular data plan is a great idea. Only if yous and your family unit are going on your ain from place to place, you may non really demand to make whatever calls or texts when you are out and about.

If you are wondering about navigation, you may exist able to rent a GPS from your rental motorcar visitor for cheaper than it would toll yous to use data on your phone. A play a joke on my friends at Adobe Rental Car taught me is to download the navigation app WAZE on your telephone. The map volition load your whole route and rail it for you even if you are offline. And then you lot can just preload your trip on wifi and non need data while driving.

Related post: Driving in Republic of costa rica

Remember likewise that nearly phones have a wireless calling option, and then you lot can brand phone calls to most numbers via wifi rather than using cellular data.

If yous are needing to get international calls and texts (for case for work) then you may want to just consider getting a SIM card as the rates for almost any international plan will be more expensive than merely getting the SIM menu in Republic of costa rica, as data plans are adequately inexpensive in Costa rica.

How To Apply Your Own Prison cell Telephone In Costa Rica

In Costa rica, you take ii options for using your ain cell telephone: yous can use your cellular data plan from home in Republic of costa rica and pay for the international charges and keep your current phone number, or you can put a SIM card (or chip) into your telephone and apply a local number.

Either option requires a bit of advance planning before you leave home for your trip.

Using Your Plan From Dwelling

If you are planning to utilise your plan from abode, you need to telephone call your current prison cell phone provider and find out what international plans are available for Costa Rica. I will say that Costa rica has a sort of convoluted phone system (run by the national electric company, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, or Water ice) and non all standard international plans apply to Costa Rica.

Make sure to call your jail cell telephone carrier and find out the rates specific to Costa rica (and ask almost Republic of costa rica, don't just assume that all international plans volition work). Let you carrier know when you will exist gone, and don't forget to cancel when y'all go home then you aren't paying for the program unnecessarily.

Purchasing An International SIM Card in Costa Rica

If yous make up one's mind that you want to buy a phone chip in Costa Rica (and truth be told, I always choose this option) then you lot demand to know virtually how cell phones work in the US then yous tin can get your phone prepare alee of time.

In the United States, many of our jail cell phone companies provide a subsidiary for purchasing the phone from a specific carrier (such as AT&T or T Mobile) under a contract for a certain corporeality of time. These phones are locked so that you can't become to another carrier nether the contract while nonetheless using the telephone.

To use a chip abroad, you need to have an unlocked phone. Most carriers volition unlock your telephone, but information technology is a process you need to asking and tin take up to ii weeks. Some cell carriers will non unlock your phone and so yous won't exist able to use a SIM card at all. Brand certain to phone call your carrier and discover out these details.

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Where To Go A Republic of costa rica SIM Card

So, assuming yous have decided a data plan is correct for you and your phone is unlocked, you lot are now ready to get a SIM carte in Costa Rica and install it in your phone. Here's exactly how that works in Republic of costa rica.

Costa Rica Cell Phone Companies

In that location are three main prepaid cellular phone companies in Costa Rica: Kolbi, Movistar and Claro. Kolbi is a national brand, and I choose it because I dearest to support Costa Rican national products. If you lot are traveling throughout Primal America, merely know that your Kolbi volition non piece of work in other countries.

Movistar is a Spanish company that has become very popular throughout Latin America. Claro is a former subsidiary of Verizon that is now owned by a Mexican telecom group.

The three companies seem to work as well- but if you want to support Costa Rican business organization, and so brand certain to buy Kolbi.

Where To Purchase SIM Cards

At that place are iii master places to find a SIM card. The first is the San Jose International Airdrome (I think Liberia likewise only I haven't been there). When y'all country in that location are representatives of Kolbi who tin can get you a chip and a information plan right at the airdrome. This is a adept option if you are brusque on time, but you will pay a hefty premium for the convenience. A prepaid carte usually costs i,000 colones (but under $2) and the terminal time I was at the airport they were charging $35.

Related post: Money in Costa Rica

The second place you tin purchase the cards is actually from the agency office of the cell phone company. You can ask where those are located, but if you are flight into San Jose, you lot will notice these offices right in the City Mall which is about 1 km from the airport. On the 2d floor you can enter the agency and they will sell y'all the card and the corporeality of data you lot need for your stay.

Await to spend about 30 minutes in the part, y'all volition need to prove your passport. The advantage here is the person who works with y'all volition install the fleck for y'all. Make sure not to lose your chip from abode equally your information is stored there and it is irreplaceable!

Y'all can also purchase a prepaid chip in a ton of small businesses all over the country. You'll see the logos for the three telecommunication companies nearly the doors to the shop, and you can purchase the card in that location.

The disadvantage here is that you so accept to call to actuate the card, and that means you need another telephone. The prompts to activate volition be in Spanish, and sometimes when I have done this option I can't actuate the card without a Costa Rican national identification number (pregnant my passport number won't work.)

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