I never use cash anymore, just my debit card, so what's the best way to deal with paying for things in CR?

Should we bring travelers checks? I have to pay our driver in cash, do most places accept USD? Are ATM's easily available in La Fortuna and MA?

Thank you!

There are plenty of ATMs and we found most places take USD, including taxis etc. I wouldn't hassle with travelers checks. Also, we would occasionally just get local currency at our hotel and they'd add it to our bill. Exchange rate was quite good.

I think it depends where you are going in the country. For example, in contrast to the comment above, in Montezuma there are no ATMs or banks at all (there is in Cobano, 8km away), and most hotels don't accept visa (or at least prefer cash). Everyone takes USD, so I usually take that with me instead of Colones, and just get Colones change when I pay for stuff.

One more note - about ATMs. Not all ATMs or ATM cards are created equal...

The cards I use (PLUS ATM/debit cards from Canadian Banks) do not work at either the Banco nacional nor the Banco de Costa Rica - the banks that have the most branches. They also display a Plus symbol. They do work perfectly however at the Banco Popular, the BAC Banco de San Jose, Scotiabank and most of the other non government banks.
Your card, on the other hand may be different.

So, if your card does not work at one ATM - don't assume it won't work at all in CR. You just have to find the right machine - which is sometimes easy and sometimes a challenge. But make sure you don't try too many times or the machine will eat your card....

raquel

Raquel, was it you about a year ago who posted the list of locations for Banco de San Jose? It accepts virtually everything, and is the only ATM we can rely on for our Cirrus card.

Perhaps I should try to do a search on that and repost it.

Traveler's Cheques: they come in very handy for one purpose. If you know ahead of time that your hotel will accept them as payment (and you should already know about how much that will be), they are nice to use just for that purpose. It is one of the larger expenses, so saves a lot of cash carrying and credit card using. Most hotels take them gladly.

Everywhere that we've gone has accepted US dollars including restaurants and taxis, and we've paid for all of our hotels with credit cards, with the exception of one that specifically requested a check.

As TorontoJeff said it depends on where you are going. You might want to carry some travelers checks just in case you get stuck with an ATM that doesn't work, etc. You can always put them back into your bank when you get home if you dont use them.

nina - probably should have clarified that my comments above were limited to MA.

Thanks everyone!

I know the little walk in atm above the pizze place always worked for me in MA. At the Mas x Menos right by SJO airport, I went into one bank and no luck, walked right next door to Scotiabank and no problems! With bringing USD, I'd stick to no higher than 20's and make sure the bills are in good condition.

Tully makes a good point and one we were warned about before we went. $50 and $100 bills are very suspect in CR (apparently issues relating to counterfeits) and are often refused, as are older bills. So, to repeat, take nothing more than $20 bills and make sure they're in good condition.