Seaturtlelady

Heyyy Folks...

Please tell me what is the easiest way to use money in Costa Rica. What should I take with me??

Thanks,
Leigh

shillmac

Our method (not always but frequently) is to find out which hotels welcome Traveler's Cheques--and take just enough to cover those particular costs. Sometimes we don't bother with that, and use our CC at hotels also. Visa and MC are the most widely accepted. We may pay a little extra to do that, but appreciate the convenience. Lately I've become more and more concerned about CC fraud as the problem seems to be increasing.

We frequently use our credit card for convenience, but we don't take a lot of cash. ATM's are becoming more and more accessible. We take a couple hundred dollars, but get to an ATM quickly and take out another $200-$300 in colones, simply because we prefer using their currency. You by no means HAVE to, though, as US$$ are accepted virtually everywhere.

When we DO carry more than $300 cash, we make sure we have it divided up and stashed here and there between the two of us. NEVER all in one place.

Regarding ATM usage, you'll have better luck in more locations if you carry a VISA Plus check card rather than a CIRRUS. For CIRRUS cards, you can always rely on the Banco de San Jose ATM's, but they are not as readily available.

Hope this helps. Other people do it differently. Our goal is to try to avoid carrying a lot of cash.

Seaturtlelady

Thanks for the advice Shillmac.

Reckon it's okay to use my personal bank BB&T's (Visa) credit card or should I get a Capital One. It seems like I saw somewhere that they don't charge some type of fee.

Leigh

Seaturtlelady

Oops, one more question...what did you use the cash for in CR?? Do you still need cash if you take traveler's checks????

Gavin

For reasons that I don't understand my bank card did not work with many Costa Rican ATMs. Scotiabank worked every time.

cmerrell

Hi STL,

You may need cash for things like food, souvenirs and certain tours. Most smaller businesses will not take your traveler's cheques. We ate at a few places and took a few tours that were cash only.

One useful tip I got here last year when planning my first trip to CR, was to take several US dollars in small denominations (1$ and 5$). These came in very handy for tipping tour guides and making small purchases.

As shillmac mentioned, US dollars are accepted pretty much everywhere, so you don't have to worry about changing any money. You'll usually get change back in colones.

I took my regular ATM/debit card and had no problem getting cash. My card is Visa Plus, and I had alerted my bank before I left home that I would be using the card in Costa Rica. I did the same thing with my credit card company.

It was all pretty easy, actually!

Seaturtlelady

Heyyy thanks...I will call my bank on Tuesday to alert them.

Take cash (small bills)
Take credit card

I don't have an ATM card or at least I've never used one of those machines! My debit card has been used constantly though! 8-)

Leigh

shillmac

Making myself a bit more clear, we never take Traveler's Cheques to use as cash--we take them ONLY to pay for hotels whom we have prearranged (okayed) their use. I wouldn't even think of trying to go here or there cashing them for cash. That's a whole other ballgame, and I think it would be a headache.

Good advice from cmerrell. Bills larger than $20 are generally not welcome due to counterfeiting problems. Also, you should make sure the bills you take are in good shape.

Seaturtlelady

Got it Shillmac! Thanks!

shillmac

You're welcome. I stumble on the simplest of terms! When I refer to my "check card", I suppose that's the same as debit card. We never withdraw fund from an ATM with a credit card.