Departure Tax
 

Flying out of San Jose...can we pay the departure tax with a MasterCard?

huh ...? good question ? I will get back to you .

I've heard they started taking Visa, but the easiest way to get it over with fast is to have $26 cash set aside in an envelope before you even get on your plane to CR. You can also pay when you arrive at the airport now (there is a desk in the corner of the immigration room), but you have to be able to hold onto your receipt throughout your vacation so you can hand it over when you leave.

Sandy

If you pay by credit card, the transaction is treated as a cash advance, meaning that the interest starts accumulating immediately, and not after the due date of your next credit card statement. Not that the monthly interest on $26 is that much.

I agree with Sandy. Cash is the easiest way to pay it (dollars or colones at that day's exchange rate). Assuming you're flying out of San Jose, the tax line at the airport moves pretty quickly. (Be sure to pay the tax before you get into the check-in line. You'll be asked for the receipt when you check in.)

Since I lived in an apartment, I'd empty my change in the room and at the end of the month,I had mucho spare change. I put all the various coins in little plastic bags by demonination and used that as part of the payment. I didn't get stinky eye or attitude because of this, so I'm not the first to bring a wad of coins(they do have very large coins)to pay the departure tax.
I did see though, that in the departure area, there is a box to donate all your coins to help street kids.

We are flying in late Friday, around 9:30 PM, and have an early departure on our return flight. How late/early is the immigration desk open? I would prefer to pay the departure tax when we arrive. Thank

As long as there are flights running, it's open. You can't leave w/o paying!

Sandy

Hmmmm, we paid with our Visa card and it wasn't treated as a cash advance-just a regular charge. This was over a year ago, has something changed?

I paid mine with a visa/debit card and it was just fine. Keep in mind there are usually 2 desks open to pay the tax, the one to the right as you enter and the one to the left. For some reason, the one on the left is almost always empty, it's not as noticeable (I know as twice I've waited in the other then kicked myself after seeing the other empty one)

We paid with a Visa credit card both last year and this year. It's treated as a regular charge. In fact almost everywhere we went took Visa.

I know about some of the banks but has anyone heard about being able to buy the departure stamp (paper actually) at travel agencies and some resorts? Someone posted that they were able to buy it at the resort they were staying at. They were also complaining about having to go through immigration as well as check in and security when leaving so they may just be confused. I have read something about the travel agencies somewhere but can't remember where.

We travel in Feb, July, and last year Nov as well and rarely have to wait very long to pay for the stamp. We always buy it when we leave. I get directly in the check out line and hubby takes the passports and buys the stamps. The check out is usually so slow that there is plenty of time for him to get into line with me before the stamp is needed. I had planned on buying the stamp in the immigration area last trip but there wasn't anyone at the desk.

We always have the money tucked aside before we even go down.

NO - you cannot pay departure tax with a Mastercard! We returned on February 22 and had no idea about the departure tax, were out of cash and we only use Mastercard. Luckily, we remembered we had a company credit card that was Visa. It's perfectly easy with the Visa card.