FutureMrsWilliams

I will be honeymooning in Costa Rica in August and would like to know a few things about money there:

- I understand US Dollars are generally accepted at tourist spots. How much should I bring to start, and in what denominations?

- I am in love with my credit cards (for the protections they offer- I always pay off my balance each month!). Can I expect to use them for most tours, car rentals, hotels, restaurants, some, a few none at all? I've read that Visa is preferred, but I have MC and AMEX- should I get a Visa, or will I be okay?

- Who gets tipped, and how much? Is it expected, or is it more as recognition of special services?

- Are they getting over the new US currency appearance, or should I be hording my old bills?

Thanks!

MonicaRichards

Regular dollar bills will be fine. I like to get Colones from the ATM because I feel like if I'm in Costa Rica I should use their money, but either way works. Bring whatever you would normally bring in terms of cash for a trip of this sort (i.e. if you were going to New York City, how much cash would you bring?) because ATMs are easy to come by. Also you should have no problems using credit cards and on this last trip I noticed no preference between Visa and Mastercard although that did used to be an issue. I tip the same as I would in the US, if I overtip, that's cool because my money helps keep them in business and I'm good with that.

artiejay

whatever you do , dont exchange your money at a U.S. airport or at the airport in CR-I got phuny money(i.e.fake) from the exchange office in Miami!Also got a bad exchange rate at SJO in CR.Most hotels will give you a good rate on colones and I really have not had a problem when using US$ at most places in the country.Congratulations and you will love your trip!

volcanogirl

We've never exchanged our money when we've gone. Have never had a problem with US dollars being accepted in the places we've gone. I wouldn't carry anything higher than a $20. How much you should bring depends on what you'd like to do, how long you plan to stay, etc. We've always used our credit cards to pay for hotels, except one hotel that preferred a check. For tips, restaurants usually include an automatic 10% gratuity, but check your bill. We always left a couple of extra dollars on the table if the service was good. We tipped our guides according to how much specialized attention we got, usually $10-20.

swim

I'm leaving in 12 hours!!!
If I use my Visa card, how much extra do they charge ( car rental, hotel, etc..)

MonicaRichards

swim, that totally depends on your card and cardholder agreement. That's a good tip about the checkbook. I usually don't bring my checkbook when traveling because most places won't take out of area checks but there are hotels in Costa Rica that prefer them to credit cards (and it can be a pain to get enough cash for a long hotel stay!)

volcanogirl

swim, you need to call your own credit card company and ask; each one is different - usually 2 or 3% though. You also need to call before you leave and tell them where you're going; some companies will freeze a card thinking the charges are not authorized.

swim

Monica, Volcanogirl,thank you for the advice. I already notified Visa about the out of country charge.
Here in Canada Visa doesn't charge me anything extra, they charge the companies who are using their services. But I remember that I read something on this forum about how supermarkets, hotels pass this extra charge to the costumers in CR. I rather pay that extra and use the card than carrying lots of cash. We go for 5 weeks!

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I remember the time when Visa was about all you could use in Costa Rica, but that was long ago. There are a very few places that still take only Visa, but Master Card is almost as widely accepted. American Express is third.

TucanCosta2009

Has anybody used prepaid visa cards where you load cash onto the card and it acts like a credit card just not tied to your financial credit line? My mom suggested this and I thought it would be worth asking as I am thinking of going that route for a few hundred $. Tucan

volcanogirl

FMW, we've used MasterCard without any problems at the places we've gone.