davepetri

Heading to Osa in a couple weeks and trying to determine cash needs. I am having trouble finding good information on the following:

1. Availability of Banks & ATM's in Puerto Jimenez and ease of use/convenience
2. How easy is it to cash American Express Travelers Checks

tully

There are 2 banks on the main street in PJ, down towards the BM (the big grocery store). I know one of them has an atm, not sure about the other. Keep in mind with very few options, sometimes it is out of cash or broken; other times it works fine. Do not know about the TC's, they are pretty rare these days.

Kinkazote

Travelers checks are not popular any longer. I have cashed them more than once at Si Como No and used them in bill payment at El Remanso and Bosque dC. It was hinted that signed travelers checks were sometimes used as cash in larger dollar transaction in Osa.

bniemand

We just returned home from Bosque del Cabo in the Osa Peninsula. We used Amex Travelers Checks to pay the hotel for our room, tours and bar tab. We brought along lots of US dollars, which are accepted everywhere (at least the places we went) and used them for tips and meals outside the hotel. We also used the ATM at the San Jose airport when we first arrived and got about $100 equivalent of Colones. But it really did not seem necessary to have Colones.

We typically never travel internationally with Travelers Checks or US dollars, but it seems to work in Costa Rica.

davepetri

Thanks for all the responses - I have traveled internationally many times and have always relied on using my ATM card or credit cards in most places I have visited. I have not used Travelers Checks in almost 20 years and realize they are rather rare. But everything I have read so far has indicated what was echoed above - the only ATM tends to run out of cash. What I am trying to avoid is traveling with a large sum of cash. We will be there for two weeks & want to be certain I am able to purchase food and other necessities.

Sounds like I need to find a good balance of cash & travels checks and use the ATM as a unlikely source.

Thanks again for the insights

sparklegem

Is it easy, and recommended, to use credit credit cards? It has been six years since I was in CR and I can not remember how we payed for things.