We cannot use our iPhones, as phones, here in Costa Rica. We do not have international service through our carrier, AT&T Mobility, and even if we did, calls would cost us $2.89 a minute!
We had heard, from other travelers, that we could rent cell phones in Costa Rica, with which we could call anywhere in the country, but the rental rate was something like $7-$10 per day - out of our reach for our 70 days here.
Once here, we learned that we could buy a simple and inexpensive cell phone for $20-$40. The phone would come with a prepaid SIM card, and the cost of the phone with SIM card would depend upon the number of minutes purchased.
Today, we went to a local electronics store to buy a phone. We were shown a model that came with 75 minutes prepaid for about $35. At another store, we were shown a phone for $52 that included 120 prepaid minutes. With these phones, we can call anywhere in Costa Rica, but not outside the country. We were all set to buy one at the first store, until we discovered that we had to show a passport before they would sell us one. Unfortunately, neither of us had our passport with us. Why we would need to show a passport to buy a phone puzzles me. Perhaps I'll learn the reason eventually. As Bob says, "that's just the way they do things here."
Well, live and learn. We will be back tomorrow, passports in hand.
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