Costa Rica: 3 Best Prepaid SIM Cards Buying Guide (2023)

Costa Rica – meaning Rich Coast in Spanish, is known for its clear beaches, incredible national parks & water-based activities, such as river rafting, canyoning & cave tubing.

With the North Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east, there is no shortage of sea to be found while in Costa Rica (unless you are solely staying in San José).

But the country is not just a beach destination. Monteverde has cool hiking trails and the Cloud Forest Reserve.

San José has interesting museums and plenty of bars (great for nightlife).

And Parque Nacional Manual Antonio has an incredible rainforest – there is no need to be bored while in Costa Rica.

In fact, you probably want to share your Costa Rica travel experience when you are there, and that is your right.

However, you should know that getting a Costa Rican SIM card and using data on that SIM card is better than using the SIM card from your home mobile operator.

If you do, you will be roaming, and international roaming can be super expensive if you do not watch out.

Luckily, Costa Rican SIM cards are inexpensive, and the data packages the local mobile operators, Kölbi, Movistar & Claro, are no match than the standard roaming rates your operators would charge you.

But how much will a SIM card in Costa Rica cost you?

You can get a Costa Rican SIM card for 790 CRC (1.20 USD) or 1500 CRC (2.30 USD) from Claro, 1000 CRC (1.50 USD) from Kölbi, or 1500 CRC from Movistar in their stores. SIM cards are also sold at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) but not at Liberia-Guanacaste Airport (LIR) anymore.

Now you are almost ready to explore Costa Rica and enjoy cheap local rates.

But before you do so, there are quite some things to know about Costa Rican SIM cards and data plans here.

In this guide, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Costa Rica. Let's do this.

Original publication: 29th of December 2019. Last updated: 10th of November 2022.

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Table of Contents

Can You Buy a SIM Card in Costa Rica?

Anyone living in or visiting Costa Rica can buy a Costa Rican SIM card from Kölbi, Movistar & Claro in their stores with some restrictions.

The main restriction is that you can only have five active SIM cards in your name in Costa Rica.

Besides that restriction, you are free to use Costa Rican SIM cards.

You do have to comply with the SIM card registration regulations.

Moreover, you need a phone that supports the frequencies used in the country (preferably all of them to have the most optimal experience while in Costa Rica).

Furthermore, you need to have a SIM-lock-free device.

Where Can You Buy a SIM Card in Costa Rica?

You can get a Costa Rican SIM card in Kölbi, Movistar & Claro stores. They are also sold at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC – Claro only). Liberia-Guanacaste Airport (LIR) does not sell SIM cards anymore.

You can expect to pay the following for Costa Rican SIM cards:

• Kölbi Costa Rica: 1000 CRC
• Movistar Costa Rica: 1000 CRC & 1500 CRC
• Claro Costa Rica: 790 CRC & 1500 CRC

For up-to-date CRC:your currency (let's say USD) exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

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Can You Use Your Phone in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica uses GSM for its cellular communications, meaning that you need a GSM-capable phone to use your phone in the country. CMDA-phones will not work in Costa Rica, but there is about a 99% chance you have a GSM phone anyway.

Besides that, you need to be aware of the ITU regions to determine whether your phone will work in other parts of the world.

Although there are 3 ITU regions, you only need to know these two terms: American frequencies and European frequencies.

Africa, Asia (including the Middle East), Europe & Oceania (ITU Regions 1 & 3) typically use European frequencies, meaning phones bought in those regions can be used in countries using European frequencies without issues.

The Americas (North-, Central– & South America + the Caribbean), ITU Region 2, use American frequencies, which are different from the European frequencies.

Costa Rica use a mix of American frequencies and European frequencies for 3G, depending on the mobile operator. 2G and 4G/LTE are exclusively on European frequencies.

If you bought your phone in the Americas (ITU region 2) and have a low/medium-end device (without Tri-Band or Quad-Band) support, you want to go with Kölbi Costa Rica or Movistar Costa Rica.

They support traditional American frequencies on 3G (850 MHz), meaning that you can use their networks (at slower 3G speeds compared to 2100 MHz).

But Movistar also uses European frequencies for 3G (2100 MHz). But 850 MHz provides wider coverage than 2100 MHz.

If you purchased your phone in Africa, Asia, Europe, or Oceania (ITU regions 1 & 3) and have a low/medium-end device (without Tri-Band or Quad-Band) support, you can go with Claro Costa Rica.

All the frequencies Claro uses are European frequencies.

Suppose you have a medium/high-end device with Tri-Band or Quad-Band support. In that case, you can go with any mobile operator, as your phone will support both American frequencies and European frequencies, even on 4G/LTE.

Mobile Operators, Networks & Frequencies in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has three mobile operators:

• Kölbi Costa Rica by Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)
• Movistar Costa Rica
• Claro Costa Rica

The following frequencies are used in Costa Rica:

• 2G: 850 MHz & 1800 MHz
• 3G: 850 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 1800 MHz (Band 8) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)

You can learn more about frequencies in the video below.

To check whether your phone will work in Costa Rica, check out this page by Will My Phone Work (may be outdated or inaccurate at times).

Again, make sure your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will not be able to use any SIM card except the one from your home operator (meaning you have to roam internationally or buy another unlocked phone that does support the frequencies listed above).

If you want to learn how international roaming works, this guide explains it in-depth. If you wonder why it is often so expensive to roam, this article explains the hidden reason they do not want you to know.

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VoLTE & VoWiFi in Costa Rica

Both VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G) – also known as HD Voice) and VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi – also known as WiFi calling) are not offered by the mobile operators in Costa Rica (yet).

This means that when you make a call, your phone will downgrade to 3G (or 2G when 3G is not available) instead of staying connected to 4G/LTE.

This is also why you often cannot use mobile data while calling if not connected to WiFi.

VoWiFi is, as the name implies, calling on a WiFi connection as opposed to on a cellular network.

5G NR in Costa Rica

5G NR is not available in Costa Rica as of 2022, and the Costa Rican government has not made any indications of when they will auction 5G licenses.

Best SIM Card in Costa Rica

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Best eSIM in Costa Rica

Unfortunately, none of the mobile operators offer eSIM to prepaid customers in Costa Rica yet.

Note that the Costa Rican mobile operators require your identification (passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards (will be discussed later).

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for Costa Rica (without personal detail capturing), you can get the Costa Rica (Hot Telecom) eSIM from Airalo.

You have three options:

1. Costa Rica/Hot Telecom 1 GB eSIM for 7 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Costa Rica/Hot Telecom 3 GB eSIM for 30 days
3. Costa Rica/Hot Telecom 5 GB eSIM for 30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

The Airalo links will automatically get you the available Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers – a code is unnecessary.

For an in-depth analysis of the Costa Rica Hot Telecom eSIMs (covering pros and cons as well), check out my Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide.

Or you can get Costa Rica eSIMs from Holafly.

• Costa Rica 6 GB eSIM for 15 days

Use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for exclusive deals when getting Holafly eSIMs, AND get an additional 5% off!

For an in-depth analysis of the Holafly Costa Rica eSIMs (covering pros and cons as well), check out my Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide.

Finally, you also get Costa Rica eSIMs from Nomad.

By the way, the 5 GB Costa Rica Nomad eSIM for 30 days is the most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers.

Use code ADU123 for the best deals available when getting Nomad eSIMs (on the site or their apps), such as getting 3 USD off!

For an in-depth analysis of the Nomad Costa Rica eSIMs (covering pros and cons as well), check out my Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide.

With these eSIMs, you can skip Costa Rica's SIM card registration scheme entirely and use it immediately upon arriving in Costa Rica!

TIP: check out my Best Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Costa Rica, including ones not mentioned above.

Airalo introduced an eSIM for Latin America (Central- and South America): Latamlink. The Latamlink is following the popular Eurolink eSIM for 39 European countries and the fairly new Asialink eSIM for 14 Asian countries.

The Latamlink eSIM comes in four variants: 1 GB/7 days, 2 GB/15 days, 3 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers, to be used in Costa Rica and 18 other Latin American countries:

Holafly also has an eSIM covering most of Central- and South America (although the eSIM is called South America eSIM).

But honestly, the Latamlink eSIM is superior (but you can consider the Holafly Central America eSIM if you want 6 GB of data instead in 13 countries – just do not forget about code PHONETRAVELWIZ if you go with Holafly).

TIP: Check out my eSIM lookup tool for an overview of local mobile operators offering eSIMs to prepaid customers and travel eSIMs I use and love (for eSIMs in Costa Rica and eSIMs worldwide) and my Best Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Costa Rica.

Best International/Travel SIM Card for Costa Rica

If you want to buy the best international/travel SIM card for Costa Rica, I recommend going with SimCorner's 12 GB Costa Rica Travel SIM card for 30 days. Consider SimCorner's South America Travel SIM card, also with 12 GB, valid for 30 days in Costa Rica and (Central+) South America, including Nicaragua and Panama.

SimCorner's South America SIM card can, in addition to the aforementioned countries, also be used in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico & Uruguay.

You can also get the SimCorner International Travel SIM card (new: also available as an eSIM) 6 GB of data valid for 15 days to be used in Costa Rica and 100+ countries, including the ones mentioned above and Panama, Paraguay & Puerto Rico.

You can use the Simcorner International Travel SIM card in the following countries:

Instead of spending between 5 USD to 15 USD for SIM cards in each country, get a SimCorner travel SIM card covering numerous countries for just one price!

Use discount code PHONETRAVELWIZ for extra savings!

SIM Card Registration in Costa Rica

SIM card registration, with the use of your passport information, is mandatory in Costa Rica. This will be done at the point of purchase.

In addition to registering your SIM card with the mobile operator, you have to register it with the national regulator SUTEL (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones).

In most cases, the mobile operator will do this on your behalf.

If not, you have to do it yourself online (in Spanish only).

Costa Rica Mobile Speeds, Mobile Internet Prices & Insights

Being redone.

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Currency in Costa Rica

Costa Rica uses the Costa Rican Colón with the symbol CRC (which will be used throughout this guide).

However, prices are often listed as just ₡ . For example, 25 CRC = ₡25.

For reference, below are some exchange rates between CRC and USD (US Dollars):

• 10 CRC = 0.01 USD
• 100 CRC = 0.15 USD
• 1000 CRC = 1.35 USD
• 10 000 CRC = 13.30 USD
• 100 000 CRC = 132.90 USD

For up-to-date CRC:your currency (let's say USD) exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Costa Rican Prepaid SIM Cards

Below, I will guide you through Kölbi Costa Rica by Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), Movistar Costa Rica & Claro Costa Rica, and go through:

• Background information
• Mobile coverage
• SIM card types, prices, and availability
• Recharge / top-up information
• Combo plans, data plans, and special packs (such as social media packs) 

With that being said, let’s see what Costa Rica has to offer to us.

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Kölbi Costa Rica by Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE)

Kölbi Costa Rica, just Kölbi, is the largest mobile operator in Costa Rica.

It is also the fastest mobile operator in the country.

Kölbi is the mobile brand by Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) – a government-run electricity and telecommunications company.

The mobile brand had a monopoly until 2011.

Since then, it has faced competition from Movistar Costa Rica and Claro Costa Rica.

To this day, Kölbi has a market share of more than 50%.

Kölbi uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 1800 MHz
• 3G: 850 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 1800 MHz (Band 3) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• VoLTE: No
• VoWiFi: No

This is what you will learn about Kölbi:

* Coverage
* How to Get a Kölbi SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Kölbi Costa Rica

Kölbi has the best coverage throughout Costa Rica.

Below is Kölbi's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Kölbi's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Kölbi Costa Rica

You can buy a Kölbi SIM card for 1000 CRC with 6000 CRC in credit (2000 CRC/month over three months – valid for seven days each month) and unlimited WhatsApp data for 12 months if you recharge at least 3000 CRC in Kölbi stores. Kölbi SIM cards are not sold at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC).

Kölbi has no eSIMs – not even for postpaid customers.

Note that the Costa Rican mobile operators require your identification (passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to use an eSIM for Costa Rica (without personal detail capturing), you can get the Costa Rica (Hot Telecom) eSIMs from Airalo (1 GB/7 days – very popular with PTW readers, 3 GB/30 days & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers).

The Airalo links will automatically get you the available Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers – a code is unnecessary.

Or you can get Costa Rica eSIMs from Holafly.

• Costa Rica 6 GB eSIM for 15 days

Use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for exclusive deals when getting Holafly eSIMs, AND get an additional 5% off!

Finally, you also get Costa Rica eSIMs from Nomad.

The 5 GB Costa Rica Nomad eSIM for 30 days is the most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers.

Use code ADU123 for the best deals available when getting Nomad eSIMs (on the site or their apps), such as getting 3 USD off!

Airalo introduced an eSIM for Latin America (Central- and South America): Latamlink. The Latamlink is following the popular Eurolink eSIM for 39 European countries and the fairly new Asialink eSIM for 14 Asian countries.

The Latamlink eSIM comes in four variants: 1 GB/7 days, 2 GB/15 days, 3 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers, to be used in Costa Rica and 18 other Latin American countries:

TIP: check out my Best Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Costa Rica, including ones not mentioned above.

Be aware that there is no VoLTE or VoWiFi with Kölbi.

Dial *888# to access the Kölbi menu.

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Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Kölbi Costa Rica

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Kölbi Costa Rica

Kölbi has four data-featured plans:

• Planes Dominio Prepago/Prepaid Domain Plans (combo)
• Paquetes en Todas/All in Packages (data – yes, really)
• Paquetes Internet Prepago/Prepaid Internet Packages (data add-on)
• Paquetes De Internet Para Entretenimiento/Internet Packages For Entertainment (app-specific data add-on)

All plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 8888 or dialing *888#.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Planes Dominio Prepago (Prepaid Domain Plans) – Kölbi Costa Rica

The Planes Dominio Prepago (Prepaid Domain Plans) are combo bundles with data, minutes & SMS.

The following Planes Dominio Prepago are available, which can be activated by dialing *888#:

Price	Plan	Data	Social Data	Local Minutes	Local SMS	Validity
5040 CRC	Dominio Prepago 1	2 GB	3 GB 1	35 minutes	30 SMS	30 days
8065 CRC	Dominio Prepago 2	4 GB	3 GB 1	50 minutes	30 SMS	30 days
12 095 CRC	Dominio Prepago 3	5 GB	5 GB 2	100 minutes	30 SMS	30 days

¹ for WhatsApp
² for Facebook, Instagram, Waze & WhatsApp

Paquetes en Todas (All in Packages) – Kölbi Costa Rica

The Paquetes en Todas (All in Packages) plans are data bundles.

Paquetes en Todas can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 8888 or by dialing *888# and selecting option 3:

Price	Plan	Data	Social Media Data	Validity	Activation Code
200 CRC	En Todas 1	50 MB	40 MB 1	1 day	ET1
600 CRC	En Todas 3	200 MB	100 MB 1	3 days	ET3
1300 CRC	En Todas 5	300 MB	200 MB 2	5 days	ETP5
2500 CRC	En Todas 10	500 MB	400 MB 2	10 days	ETP10

¹ for Facebook, Instagram & WhatsApp
² for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter & WhatsApp

Paquetes en Todas auto-renew. To disable auto-renewal, text Salir Internet to 8888.

Paquetes Internet Prepago (Prepaid Internet Packages) – Kölbi Costa Rica

The Paquetes Internet Prepago (Prepaid Internet Packages) are data add-ons for Planes Dominio Prepago. They cannot be purchased as standalone plans.

Paquetes Internet Prepago can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 8888 or by dialing *888# and selecting option 3:

Price	Plan	Data	Validity	Activation Code
2500 CRC	Paquete 1 GIGA	1 GB	15 days	1GIGA
4000 CRC	Paquete 2 GIGAS	2 GB	30 days	2GIGAS

Paquetes de Internet para Entretenimiento (Internet Packages for Entertainment) – Kölbi Costa Rica

The Paquetes de Internet para Entretenimiento (Internet Packages for Entertainment) are data plans for games, music streaming, social media & video streaming apps for Planes Dominio Prepago. They cannot be purchased as standalone plans.

Paquetes De Internet Para Entretenimiento can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 8888 or by dialing *888# and selecting option 3:

Price	Plan	Social Data	Validity	Activation Code	Deactivation Code
1000 CRC	Paquete Juego	Unlimited	7 days	JUEGO	Salir JUEGO
1500 CRC	Paquete Social	Unlimited	7 days	SOCIAL	Salir SOCIAL
4000 CRC	Paquete Música	Unlimited	30 days	MUSICA	Salir MUSICA
4000 CRC	Paquete Video	10 GB	30 days	VIDEO	Salir VIDEO

Paquetes De Internet Para Entretenimiento auto-renew. To disable auto-renewal, text the Deactivation Code to 8888.

APN/Internet Settings – Kölbi Costa Rica

• Name: Kolbi 4G Internet
• APN: kolbi4g

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Movistar Costa Rica

Movistar Costa Rica, just Movistar, is the second-largest mobile operator in Costa Rica.

Movistar, as a brand, is active in Central America, South America & Spain.

Movistar uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 1800 MHz
• 3G: 850 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 1800 MHz (Band 3)
• VoLTE: No
• VoWiFi: No

This is what you will learn about Movistar:

* Coverage
* How to Get a Movistar SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Movistar Costa Rica

Movistar has extensive coverage throughout Costa Rica.

Below is Movistar's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Movistar's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Movistar Costa Rica

You can buy a Movistar SIM card for 1500 CRC in Movistar stores.

Movistar has no eSIMs – not even for postpaid customers.

Note that the Costa Rican mobile operators require your identification (passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to use an eSIM for Costa Rica (without personal detail capturing), you can get the Costa Rica (Hot Telecom) eSIMs from Airalo (1 GB/7 days – very popular with PTW readers, 3 GB/30 days & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers).

The Airalo links will automatically get you the available Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers – a code is unnecessary.

Or you can get Costa Rica eSIMs from Holafly.

• Costa Rica 6 GB eSIM for 15 days

Use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for exclusive deals when getting Holafly eSIMs, AND get an additional 5% off!

Finally, you also get Costa Rica eSIMs from Nomad.

The 5 GB Costa Rica Nomad eSIM for 30 days is the most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers.

Use code ADU123 for the best deals available when getting Nomad eSIMs (on the site or their apps), such as getting 3 USD off!

Airalo introduced an eSIM for Latin America (Central- and South America): Latamlink. The Latamlink is following the popular Eurolink eSIM for 39 European countries and the fairly new Asialink eSIM for 14 Asian countries.

The Latamlink eSIM comes in four variants: 1 GB/7 days, 2 GB/15 days, 3 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers, to be used in Costa Rica and 18 other Latin American countries:

TIP: check out my Best Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Costa Rica, including ones not mentioned above.

Be aware that there is no VoLTE or VoWiFi with Movistar.

Dial *686# or text MINUMERO to 606 to see your Movistar phone number.

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Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Movistar Costa Rica

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Movistar Costa Rica

Movistar has three data-featured plans:

• Paquetes de Internet Prepago/Prepaid Internet Packages (data)
• Super Recarga/Super Recharge (data)
• Entretenimiento/Entertainment (app-specific data)

All Movistar plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 606.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Paquetes de Internet Prepago (Prepaid Internet Packages) – Movistar Costa Rica

The Paquetes de Internet Prepago (Prepaid Internet Packages) are, as the name implies, data plans.

Text the Activation Code to 606 to activate Paquetes de Internet Prepago:

Price	Plan	Data	Validity	Activation Code
80 CRC	Paquete Hora	25 MB	1 hour	HORA
200 CRC	Paquete Básico 30 MB	30 MB	1 day 1	BASICO
300 CRC	Paquete Día 100 MB	100 MB	1 day	DIA
300 CRC	Paquete Diario 100 MB	100 MB	1 day 1	DIARIO
600 CRC	Paquete Nocturno Ilimitado 100 MB	100 MB 2	1 day 1	NOCTURNO
600 CRC	Paquetes 2 Días 400 MB	400 MB	2 days 1	2DIAS
1300 CRC	Paquete 4 Días 600 MB	600 MB	4 days	4DIAS
2500 CRC	Paquete Semana 1 GB	1 GB	7 days	SEMANA

¹ auto-renews
² 100 MB between 7:00 – 23:00, unlimited between 23:00 – 7:00

Super Recarga (Super Recharge) Plans – Movistar Costa Rica

The Super Recarga (Super Recharge) are data plans.

The following Super Recarga are available:

Price	Credit	Data	Social Data	Local Minutes	Validity
1000 CRC	1000 CRC	300 MB	Unlimited 1	10 minutes	4 days
2000 CRC	2000 CRC	1 GB	Unlimited 2	15 minutes	6 days
2500 CRC	2500 CRC	1.2 GB	Unlimited 2	20 minutes	7 days
4500 CRC	4500 CRC	2 GB	Unlimited 2	45 minutes	15 days

¹ for WhatsApp
² for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Waze & WhatsApp

Entretenimiento (Entertainment) Plans – Movistar Costa Rica

The Entretenimiento (Entertainment) are data plans for chat, music streaming & video streaming apps.

Text the Activation Code to 606 to activate Entretenimiento:

Price	Plan	Data	Validity	Activation Code
2000 CRC	Música Ilimitada	5 GB 1	30 days	MUSICA
2000 CRC	Conectados 10 GB	10 GB 2	30 days	CONECTADOS
3000 CRC	Video 25 GB	25 GB 3	30 days	VIDEO

¹ for Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, Google Music (read: YouTube Music), Spotify, SoundCloud
² for BlueJeans, Google Hangout, Microsoft Teams, Skype, WebEx & Zoom
³ for Amazon Video, Disney+, HBO Max & Netflix

APN/Internet Settings – Movistar Costa Rica

• Name: Movistar 4G Internet
• APN: internet.movistar.cr
• Username: movistarcr
• Password: movistarcr

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Claro Costa Rica

Claro Costa Rica, just Claro, is the smallest mobile operator in Costa Rica.

However, it has the best overall network experience.

Claro, as a company, is active in Central America and South America.

Claro uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 1800 MHz
• 3G: 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 1800 MHz (Band 3)
• VoLTE: No
• VoWiFi: No

This is what you will learn about Claro:

* Coverage
* How to Get a Claro SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Claro Costa Rica

Claro has the best 4G/LTE coverage experience in Costa Rica.

While Kölbi has the best overall coverage, Claro is the best option in various rural areas.

If you are staying in villages or towns, be sure to ask your host of the hotel staff what the best option is in your town – Claro may be a better option than Kölbi Costa Rica.

Here is Claro's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Claro's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Claro Costa Rica

You can buy a Claro SIM card for 790 CRC with 50 MB of data, unlimited WhatsApp data, 20 local minutes & 10 local SMS, or 1500 CRC with 1500 CRC credit in Claro stores. Claro SIM cards are also sold at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC).

Claro has no eSIMs – not even for postpaid customers.

Note that the Costa Rican mobile operators require your identification (passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to use an eSIM for Costa Rica (without personal detail capturing), you can get the Costa Rica (Hot Telecom) eSIMs from Airalo (1 GB/7 days – very popular with PTW readers, 3 GB/30 days & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers).

The Airalo links will automatically get you the available Phone Travel Wiz exclusive offers – a code is unnecessary.

Or you can get Costa Rica eSIMs from Holafly.

• Costa Rica 6 GB eSIM for 15 days

Use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for exclusive deals when getting Holafly eSIMs, AND get an additional 5% off!

Finally, you also get Costa Rica eSIMs from Nomad.

The 5 GB Costa Rica Nomad eSIM for 30 days is the most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers.

Use code ADU123 for the best deals available when getting Nomad eSIMs (on the site or their apps), such as getting 3 USD off!

Airalo introduced an eSIM for Latin America (Central- and South America): Latamlink. The Latamlink is following the popular Eurolink eSIM for 39 European countries and the fairly new Asialink eSIM for 14 Asian countries.

The Latamlink eSIM comes in four variants: 1 GB/7 days, 2 GB/15 days, 3 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers & 5 GB/30 days – most popular with PTW readers, to be used in Costa Rica and 18 other Latin American countries:

TIP: check out my Best Costa Rica eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison of several eSIMs for Costa Rica, including ones not mentioned above.

Be aware that there is no VoLTE or VoWiFi with Claro.

You may have to dial *25276 to activate your Claro SIM card.

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Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Claro Costa Rica

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Claro Costa Rica

Claro has two data-featured plans: Paquetes Prepago M@s/Prepaid M@s Packages (combo) & Paquetes Internet/Internet Packages.

Paquetes Prepago M@s (Prepaid M@s Packages) – Claro Costa Rica

The Paquetes Prepago M@s (Prepaid M@s Packages) are combo plans with data, minutes & SMS.

You can activate Paquetes Prepago M@s by texting the Activation Code to 111 or by dialing *555#:

Price	Plan	Data	Social Data 1	Local/International Minutes 2	Local SMS	Validity	Activation Code	Deactivation Code
1000 CRC	Paquete M@s 3	300 MB	500 MB	10 minutes	20 SMS	3 days	planmas3	finplanmas3
2000 CRC	Paquete M@s 7	1 GB	500 MB	20 minutes	50 SMS	7 days	planmas7	finplanmas7
3000 CRC	Paquete M@s 10	2 GB	500 MB	30 minutes	100 SMS	10 days	planmas10	finplanmas10
4500 CRC	Paquete M@s 15	3 GB	700 MB	45 minutes	200 SMS	15 days	planmas15	finplanmas15
6000 CRC	Paquete M@s 15+	4 GB	700 MB	70 minutes	200 SMS	15 days	planmas15p	finplanmas15p
10 000 CRC	Paquete M@s 30	5 GB	700 MB	85 minutes	300 SMS	30 days	planmas30	finplanmas30

¹ for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter & Waze – WhatsApp data is unlimited
² to Canada, Central America, Panama & the United States

Paquetes Prepago M@s auto-renew. To disable auto-renewal, text the Deactivation Code to 111. The plans can also be deactivated on the app.

Paquetes Internet (Internet Packages) – Claro Costa Rica

The Paquetes Internet (Internet Packages) are, as the name suggests, data plans.

You can activate Paquetes Internet by texting the Activation Code to 444 or by dialing *555#:

Price	Plan	Data	WhatsApp Data	Validity	Activation Code
100 CRC	M@s Navego 30 MB	30 MB	N/A	1 day	30mb
300 CRC	M@s Navego 150 MB	150 MB	Unlimited	1 day	150mb
400 CRC	Noches Ilimitadas	Unlimited	N/A	1 night (22:00 – 6:00)	noche
600 CRC	M@s Navego 300 MB	300 MB	Unlimited	1 day	300mb
1000 CRC	M@s Navego 400 MB	400 MB	Unlimited	3 days	400mb
2000 CRC	M@s Navego 1 GB	1 GB	Unlimited	7 days	1gb
4500 CRC	M@s Navego 3 GB	3 GB	Unlimited	15 days	3gb

APN/Internet Settings – Claro Costa Rica

• Name: Claro 4G Internet
• APN: internet.ideasclaro

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

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The Preferred Way to Stay Connected When Traveling in Costa Rica

Getting a SIM card from Kölbi or Claro would do you well when considering a Costa Rican SIM card.