#Movist guide free#

The Internet worked fairly well but the only downside is that in Guanacaste, Movistar and Claro do not have quite the same reception as Kolbi. When Samantha moved to Costa Rica, she had a Movistar SIM card pre-paid. Our Recommendations for Costa Rica Prepaid SIM Cards Movistar generally has pretty good service and internet. It works throughout Central America so you don’t have to keep buying and switching out cards. If you’re doing a whole Central America trip, you may want to get Movistar. However, most people like to do the pay as you go and then recharge when needed. This is an option if you’re not sure how much credit you want to put. The one that costs 790 Costa Rican colones includes 20 minutes, 10 texts, 50 mb of data and unlimited Whatsapp. You will see signs like this at the supermarket for them:Ĭlaro prepaid plan for SIM cards. Some prepaid SIM cards already have a plan and credit loaded. With these companies you can buy the SIM card for 1-2000 colones (around $2-4 USD) and they will give you the same amount for phone credit on the SIM card itself. Kolbi is most popular, then Movistar and Claro. The 3 major phone companies in Costa Rica are: Kolbi, Movistar and Claro. Prepaid SIM cards typically expire after 90 days of no use. Once you purchase a SIM card in Costa Rica, you can’t refund it if you find out your phone is still locked. Make sure you call your home provider to see if your phone it unlocked and can accept international SIM cards before you leave. It can be an iPhone or Android, Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, whichever, as long as it fits those three requirements. When you purchase your SIM card, you can then load as much credit on there as you want.Īdditionally, your smartphone must be quad band, it must use a SIM card and it has to be unlocked. It is also best to pay in Costa Rican colones, not USD or credit card. You have to fill out a short form and present your photo ID to purchase a prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica which costs around 2000 colones or (~$3.50 USD). To get a prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica, you must have your original passport or photo ID (passport works best) and cash. Requirement to get a SIM card in Costa Rica 1000 CRC gives you about 30 minutes of calling time. This way, you can have a Costa Rica number in case of emergencies and you can recharge it if you need to.

#Movist guide free#

Our partnership with Adobe Rent a Car includes a free Costa Rican SIM card with 1000 CRC preloaded that you can put in your unlocked phone for the duration of your car rental booking. If you fly into Liberia International Airport, there is a Kolbi office in Liberia 15 minutes driving away where you can get a SIM card. Just look for the office with a big green frog on it that says Kolbi.ĭo keep in mind that most offices close from 5-7 PM. Search for the closest one to you in Google Maps or Waze. There are Kolbi offices throughout the country and close to the airports. You can buy prepaid SIM cards at any of their branches. Kolbi is the government cell phone network company and has the widest coverage in Costa Rica (I’ll talk a bit more about the other phone company options below). Some supermarkets sell prepaid SIM cards, these are the ones that come with a prepaid plan (already have a set amount of credit on them).įor tourists, we recommend to get a Kolbi SIM card. Additionally, you can get a SIM card at most cell phone or computer stores in Costa Rica.

You can go to any of the phone companies’ offices in Costa Rica. Outside the Liberia airport, you will need to go to a telecommunications office or cell phone/computer store or supermarket to purchase a SIM card in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, there isn’t a SIM card office in Liberia International Airport (information last checked June 2021). They offer a plan for 10,000 CRC (~$16 USD) that includes 5 GB of data, unlimited Whatsapp, 700 mb of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Waze and Pinterest.

Claro SIM Card stand at baggage claim 5 at SJO Airport He’ll help you insert the SIM card and set up your phone to use it. It is open from 6 AM to 9 PM and sometimes to 11 PM on weekends.

**Please check our Costa Rica Coronavirus and Costa Rica COVID-19 Travel posts for latest information.** Where Can I Get a SIM Card in Costa Rica?Īt the San Jose International Airport, there is a Claro (name of the phone company) stand left of baggage claim 5 where you can purchase a SIM card. With that being said, in this article you will learn all about getting prepaid SIM cards in Costa Rica. We recommend getting a Costa Rica SIM card so you can have a local phone number and data which is very useful in case of emergencies. Getting a prepaid SIM card in Costa Rica is very easy and not that expensive.