Traveling  to Costa Rica?  Cell phone Options In Costa Rica?

Are you planning to travel  to Costa Rica and want to know if your cell phone will work there? What are your options for cell phones in Costa Rica?

First, check with your  home carrier.  If they say yes your phone will work,  the next thing you should ask is how much are the roaming charges ?  These charges in Costa Rica are very steep!  Sometimes up to $4.00 per minute!

So what should you do if you feel you need a cell  phone.  You can rent one. Most rental car agencies offer to rent you a cell phone along with the car.  The base fee is around $10 per day used for calling inside Costa Rica, but if you call outside Costa Rica on that phone it will be expensive!   Another option is to go thru a company in Costa Rica that rents phones   One of these is  www.cellphonescr.com    This company offers a wide range of options.  Or you can simply search google for  cell phone rentals in Costa Rica.

You  cannot buy a cell phone in Costa Rica  that uses a prepaid card.

Don’t have a rental phone mailed to you outside Costa Rica.   You won’t  know if the phone works until you get to Costa Rica.  Plus it could be damaged in transit.

Although cell phone coverage is pretty good,  it is not everywhere in Costa Rica.  Yes, coverage  is good in the large metropolitan areas.  However,  many ecotourism   destinations located  in the  wilder-more  remote  areas such has dense rainforest and mountain retreats  have spotty service or no service.  But, let me say:  the most popular tourist destination where there is more infrastructure do have cell phone coverage.    One thing to remember:  Costa Rica is a mountainous country and often the valleys between the mountains  (in the remote areas)  do not receive a strong cell phone signal.

Do not rent a satellite phone from your home country and being it with you to Costa Rica.  If you have problems,  you cannot get local assistance,  and satellite  phones don’t seem to work that well in Costa Rica.

If I am moving to Costa Rica for a lengthy period of time should I bring my cell phone?   No,  you will just have to pay someone to convert it. It’s easier all the way around just to rent a phone from a phone rental  company.   Why should I rent, why can’t I go to the phone office and simply sign up-pay up and have a cell phone line?  The nitch is this:  you have to be a resident or have a registered C Rican corporation to get your own  cell phone line thru the normal channels

If I have just received my residency status  and cannot get a cell phone line, what do I do?  You can rent from a company whose business is to rent phones.  Long term rentals are reasonable.  (Do this until  you can obtain your own  cell phone line.   Sometimes there is a wait list.   Keep your communication open with your local ICE  (Costa Rica Institute of Electricity and Communication) phone office to find out dates the new lines will be offered.

Search  google for  companies that  rent cell phones  in Costa Rica.  There are many.

For tourists:  If you don’t have a cell phone:  in all heavy tourist areas you will find an internet cafe.  Usually inexpensive.  So you can keep in touch with those back home by  e-mail.  Also,  most hotels will have a computer for customers use to check their e-mails.

One more important thing.  If you are coming for a lengthy stay and are renting,  BE SURE  the place already has a land phone line.  (If not you have a problem. Getting a land phone land can take a long time and the process is lengthy.)   So make sure where you rent already has a phone line.You will need this land phone line for high speed internet access.  However, not every location offers high speed internet via  the land phone line- so inquire first!    If you choose to live in a larger metropolitan area you may be able to  obtain high speed internet via your cable TV hook up.

For comprehensive information on cell phone rentals in Costa Rica go the web site www.therealcostarica.com and click on category communications.

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