![]() ![]() Use the internet on the road for calling your families with Skype.Check your email while on the road if it’s important.Call the police or 911 if you need help or an ambulance to the hospital.Call a taxi if you’re off the main road and need a ride into town.Call hostels, tour companies for reservations, bus companies for schedules.Meet up with friends we’ve met along the way.Why would I need a cell phone?” We’ve used our cell phones to: You may be thinking – “I’m traveling by myself and won’t need to call anybody. Cell Phone in Costa Rica – Do I Really Need One? If you’re staying for longer than a few months you can buy a “post-paid” SIM card, which is more like a contract in the US but more complicated than the pre-paid one. ![]() If you see one with only 7 digits, it’s probably an old listing for a landline – put a 2 in front of it and you should be good to go. If you run out of credit “saldo” you have to add more money before you can use your phone again.You pay for each minute you talk (only when you make the call), every message you send, and each MB (megabyte) of internet.You can buy a SIM card in San José or almost any town you’ll visit. You need to buy a SIM card and have money on it before you can use it.Here’s a quick run-down of the differences between the typical AT&T cell phone plan in the US and a pre-paid one in Costa Rica: Differences With Your New Prepaid Phone Chip That’s it, you’re ready to go! Now you can make local calls without a problem!Ĭlick here for some Spanish phrases you might use.Ĭlick here to learn about making international calls with Skype.Ĭlick here to learn how to use the internet with your new phone chip. 1,000 colónes ($2) should get you a half hour of talk time or 100 texts, and you can always buy more later. Buy some saldo or credit for your new chip.(Be sure to take your phone off Airplane Mode at this point!) Test it out! Try making and receiving a local call with someone else’s phone at the store.They’ll ask you for your name and passport number. Ask the store if they can set it up for you for a 500 or 1,000 colónes ($1-2) tip.(A good place to start is around a bus terminal or any little store selling food.) The top 3 brands in Costa Rica are Movistar, Kolbi, and Claro. They are all about the same, but I prefer Movistar because it’s the only one that has service where I live in the mountains of Grecia. Buy a prepaid phone chip at any store with one of these logos outside.You can still use your phone’s wi-fi and GPS when Airplane Mode is turned on! Only turn it back on once you put in a Costa Rican phone chip or get back home. First off, put your phone on Airplane Mode so it doesn’t ring or receive messages in Costa Rica from your number back home.There’s a lot of useful stuff in this post, and you’ll need to look at it again later, but here’s the bare minimum quick start guide to get you going right now. Skip to: Some Spanish Phrases you Might Use Recommendations for Using a Cell Phone in Costa Rica Skip to: The Details About the Local Carriers: Movistar, Kolbi, and Claro The number one question tourists have when they visit Costa Rica is “How can I use my cell phone in Costa Rica?” You want to be sure you don’t accidentally use your home cell phone plan and get a bill for $300 in the mail next month! Here’s what we’ve learned and how you can save tons of money using your own cell phone. ![]() 26 May, 2014 in Costa Rica / Guides tagged cell phones / computers / digital nomads / internet / laptop / skype by Landon ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |