Getting a Costa Rican SIM card

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Wherever your travels take you, inevitably you will need to decide what you want to do about your cell phone.

For some people, being anywhere without cell service is simply out of the question. Then there are others who don’t need to be in frequent contact with people back home and they simply rely on WiFi. Of course, there are some travelers that turn off their phones entirely, and God bless ’em. I was in the “WiFi only” category for many of my trips to Costa Rica, checking text messages and emails upon returning to my hotel, until I found out how crazy easy (not to mention convenient) it was to get cell service in Costa Rica.

This is my personal experience in getting a SIM card in Costa Rica. Please read until the end, as some information has changed and been updated.

Why Should You Get a Costa Rican SIM Card?

If you’re wondering why you should bother with a Costa Rican SIM card, here are the most popular reasons.

• Your cell service does not provide a good international plan or it’s expensive
• You want to be able to call people from anywhere, not just where there’s WiFi
• So you can use apps like Uber wherever you need them
• To use a GPS
• For emergencies

In my case, I use Boost Mobile and there wasn’t an international plan to use while traveling, at least to Costa Rica. I have people in Costa Rica that I want to stay in touch with, so the SIM card—called a “chip” in Costa Rica was better than only being able to communicate in WiFi situations. I had put it off thinking it would be complicated, but I was completely wrong.

It’s also very economical and may cost you much less than a special international plan or whatever add-ons you have with your service.

What Kind of Cell Phone Works in Costa Rica?

Any type of phone you have now should work in Costa Rica. Smartphones, older phones, etc. Phones on GSM and CDMA. iPhones, Androids, and even pay-as-you-go phones like mine, Boost Mobile.

IMPORTANT: In order for the Costa Rican SIM card to work, your phone needs to be UNLOCKED. If it is locked and tied to another carrier, it’s a no-go. If you have no way of unlocking your phone before your trip, you may consider buying a second, cheaper unlocked phone that you can designate for travel. Check Ebay or Best Buy for unlocked, no-contract phones. You can also buy unlocked phones from Apple. And yes, you can buy a cheap phone in Costa Rica if you really want to.

With Boost Mobile (formerly Virgin Mobile for my phone) I was able to call them and have my phone unlocked. I have been with them for a number of years and explained that I wanted to be able to use my phone for international travel and there wasn’t a problem. Find out from your carrier if you’re eligible to have it unlocked.

Cell Phone Service in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, the main cell service providers are Kölbi, Claro and Movistar. The largest and most popular of the three is Kölbi, operated by ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad), the government-based electric and telecommunications company of Costa Rica. I consider that to be the most reliable and that’s the provider I use.

Cell service and the internet in Costa Rica have been very good in my personal experience. Of course, there are always going to be areas in the mountains or otherwise isolated (like the rainforest!) where you simply won’t get service. But hey, it’s the same case here in upstate New York. Dead zones are common in wooded and mountainous areas.

Getting Your Kölbi SIM Card at the Airport

As of the end of 2019, the Kölbi kiosk that was located at SJO in the baggage claim area has closed. The information here is the same, however, you will need to find yourself a Kölbi ICE  office or store; many are located in malls and there are stores throughout Costa Rica that sell SIM cards or, as they call them in Costa Rica, “chips.” If you visit a Kolbi office or store, most of them have you take a number and sit down. When your number is announced or shows up on the monitor, go to the corresponding desk number. 

To successfully do the SIM switch transaction, you will need your UNLOCKED phone and your passport. For my first SIM card, I told them I wanted service for about a week. The SIM card and the entire transaction cost me about $10. I already knew that I would be able to recharge my phone (add time) almost anywhere if I needed to so don’t fret about not purchasing enough time.

The attendants at the desk will install the SIM card for you. In many cases, the phone requires a nano SIM and they will cut it to fit, so no need to worry. As you probably know, a SIM card comes attached to a larger plastic card that it pops out of. On this card, they will write down your new Costa Rican number. You may get a Kölbi PIN number as well, so don’t lose it, although I don’t recall using my PIN for anything.

Be aware that Costa Rican numbers are eight digits long (and that’s not including the country code of 506 that people use outside of Costa Rica). Once they remove your original SIM card, they may tape it onto this card so you don’t lose it. And don’t lose it! You’ll need to reinstall it on your way back. I came prepared with a Ziploc baggie to put everything in, so nothing would get lost in my carry-on.

Once your new SIM card is inserted into your phone, they will turn it off and power it back up for you to try. Depending on what kind of phone you have, you may need to log into it or log on with your Apple ID. Then, my iPhone blazed into action in all its newfound 4G glory, working better and faster than my service in upstate New York.

For future trips to Costa Rica, always remember the part about turning it off and back on again. More on that in a bit.

Using WhatsApp in Costa Rica

One question they may ask you is regarding WhatsApp. WhatsApp is so heavily used in Costa Rica that almost everyone is assumed to have it. If you do, they will ask you if you want to keep it with the same number. Tell them yes, so all of your contacts and conversations will remain.

If you’re not familiar with WhatsApp, it’s a free app that’s designed to text, call and video call. You can use it to call from one country to another and text, and to video call. It’s also free unlike using your cell service to text or make a phone call. “Regular” texting isn’t popular in Costa Rica as it is in the States. Almost everyone uses WhatsApp. It’s easiest to download the app before you travel. If you have friends and family home that you want to communicate with, they may want to download the app as well.

In theory, you can text loved ones back home by using regular text, however, when they see your message, they’ll see your Costa Rican number and not your contact name. If they know it’s you, no problem. When they text you back, you’ll also see their number instead of their name. Unless you have their numbers memorized, this could get confusing. Another thing that could happen is that you may not get messages from anyone with an Android phone if you use an iPhone. I’ve had this happen to me, and won’t get their messages until I’m stateside again.

What Happens After Installing a Costa Rican SIM Card?

Having never used a Costa Rican SIM card, I had no idea what would happen to my phone. I assumed that by removing my own SIM card, I would lose access to my email, photos and texts, and would be starting from scratch. I mistakenly believed if I wanted to check my email, I’d have to switch back to my own card. This is what stopped me from getting a Costa Rican SIM card for the longest time. Of course, I was wrong, wrong, wrong about all of that! Laugh if you may, but live and learn.

If you’re a newbie too, here’s what happens: After the SIM card switcheroo, all of your apps will still be on your phone and functional. All your pictures, conversations and settings are still there. If you have the WhatsApp app it stays the same. Email? Stays the same. Snapchat? All the same.  Contacts? They’re all there. The only difference is with regular text messages as I mentioned above. I own an iPhone and while you can still iMessage, the person on the receiving end will see your new Costa Rican number instead of your regular number and might not realize that it’s you unless they’re expecting the message. However, they can still respond to you and you’ll get the message.

Now then, if people text your home country number (your regular number) while you’re away, you won’t get those texts until you return your original SIM card to your phone because now, you’re using your new Costa Rican number. Again, you can solve that issue simply by having WhatsApp, as long as the people you are planning on texting also have it. Set that up before your trip.

Checking Your Kölbi Balance

So now you’ve got your Costa Rican phone service and it’s working great. So how long will your service last? Well, that depends on how long you’re staying and what you’re using your phone for. If you’re using Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat non-stop, you will eat up your data. If you’re using your service very little and for only phone calls, you may not need to add any more time.

With your Costa Rican SIM card, if you need to add time it’s called “recharging”.

If you’re using your phone a lot, it’s in your best interest to check your Kölbi balance, or SALDO, once in a while. There are a few ways to do this. The first way is through the automated menu of the “Kölbi Store” (“Tienda Kölbi”). Dial *888# and wait for a menu. You will be choosing the first option “consulta saldo”. After that, 1 again for “mi saldo” and you will be told the balance.

The second way is to text the world SALDO to 8888. You should receive a text with your balance.

You can also create an account at Kölbi online and check your balance whenever you’d like. Of course, you will need to know some basic Spanish to do this.

If you find that your balance is low, you may want to recharge. In my opinion, going below 1,000 colones is getting low.

Adding Extra Time to Your Kölbi Number in Costa Rica

If you need to add to your balance, what’s the best way to do it? There are two ways I recommend, either in person or by using the Kölbi website. I recommend recharging in a larger amount simply so you don’t have to worry about it. However, if you prefer, you can add as little as  2,000 colones and that’s less than $4.00.

In-person: All over Costa Rica, in stores or in little booths just about everywhere, you can add minutes. Just look for the Kölbi logo, or whichever service you’re using. All you need to do is go in and tell them you want to add time to your phone. You could say, “Buenos días. Me gustaría poner 2000 colones (or whatever amount) en mi numero de Kölbi.” Tell them how much money you want to add and give them your number. They do the transaction. It always helps to have your number written down ahead of time so you don’t have to hunt it down on your phone. This literally only takes minutes to do. Sometime later, you’ll receive a text confirming. I didn’t receive my text immediately, but later in the day.

There is also the option of using the Kölbi website after creating an account. You can store your credit card info on the site, and it’ll be there ready for you at any time. You can use it in Costa Rica or from your home country.

Returning to the States With My Costa Rican SIM

Eventually, that horrible time comes when it’s time to leave Costa Rica. I decided to leave my Kölbi SIM card in my phone until I was stateside and past immigration and customs. I felt no need to use it after I boarded the plane and was in the air. That way I could use it all through the morning at SJO airport.

After getting through customs and relaxing in Atlanta with something to eat, I switched out my SIMs, and in came the flood of texts that had been sent to my United States number over the last week. You may need to explain to those people why you haven’t answered their texts, ha ha!

Returning to Costa Rica With My Kölbi SIM Card

I also decided that when I go back to Costa Rica, I didn’t want to go through the entire SIM card process again. I had my SIM card and my number, and now I wanted to keep it. So, before I left Costa Rica, I added about 5,000 colones (under $10) and figured that would keep it active until I returned a couple of months later. The plan worked beautifully. The next time I traveled to Costa Rica, I did SIM card surgery on my phone before landing in SJO, and when I arrived, BAM! There was my awesome 4G service ready for me.

In hindsight, I probably should have added some money at least once while I was in the States. Here’s why:

If you’re sure you’re coming back to Costa Rica and would like to keep your number, you can keep it active by adding money to the number every month and a half or so.  Just create an account on the Kölbi website. I usually add 2000 colones or so to my number each time and it usually ends up costing me about $5.00. If you are not planning on returning to Costa Rica for at least a year or more, it’s probably not worth it to keep the number. You can get a new SIM card and new number if you return.

If you plan on reusing your SIM card when you return to Costa Rica, make it easy on yourself. I carry my SIM card in a Ziploc bag in my carry-on and I always bring a SIM card tool or two. I own this handy SIM tool keychain, or you can purchase these SIM card tools and share them with all the people that forgot to bring them. You’ll be a hero! If you’re middle-aged like me (sigh) you might want to remember a pair of reading glasses, because I can’t see a thing!

*On one recent trip back to Costa Rica, I was disappointed to find out that my number was not working after I inserted the SIM card and landed in Costa Rica. If this happens to you, there’s a trick. Remember how I mentioned turning the phone off and then back on? This should get your phone working. If you can’t get it running no matter what you do, visit a Kölbi office and have them reactivate your phone. It may have been deactivated if you haven’t been reloading it. In the worst-case scenario, they can always give you another number. 

Using the Kölbi Website

Using the Kõlbi website is easy and convenient. I recharge my Costa Rican number from New York without any problems. Just create an account with your Costa Rican phone number and your name. You can recharge (an amount in colones) and check your balance right from this handy-dandy website. The website is in Spanish, however, Google should give you an option to translate to English or other languages if you need.

Kölbi also has an app that you can use to recharge your phone number. I have the app but have not used it to recharge, but I know that it syncs when you recharge via the website.

Make sure when you recharge that you use the actual Kölbi website.

A Few Final Thoughts on the SIM Switch-Out

In the end, I have been completely happy with my Kölbi cell phone service. I hope that if you opt for a SIM card (whichever service you choose) it works as well for you. Sorry for getting a little long-winded on the subject, but I know before I did it the first time I found it very confusing.

Now I only wish I had done it sooner.

Have you had any cellphone disasters in Costa Rica? If so, feel free to vent in the comments below.