No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveWhere Can I Rent A Cell Phone?

Where Can I Rent A Cell Phone?

We found many companies renting different types of cell phones – several that work with, or are part of, rental-car companies or hotels. So to streamline your travel plans, it’s worth asking ahead to see if your hotel or rent-a-car can offer you a phone. Options for renting a chip for your own phone appear to be more limited.

Magda Hernández, the owner of Cell Service (296-5553, 394-5904, 380-6663), told us her company offers both regular and satellite phones. For a cellular phone, customers must provide a credit card for a deposit of $300; the rental costs $5 per day with an additional charge of $0.60 per minute for local calls, $1.50 per minute for international calls.

A satellite phone – which, as the name implies, works through a satellite signal instead of cell-phone towers, and therefore offers the advantage of reliable service even in remote areas – requires a deposit of $1,300, a daily fee of $25 (a reduced fee is available for rentals longer than a few days), and a per-minute charge of $2.99. Hernández said the satellite phone option is popular with customers planning trips to Chirripó, in the Southern Zone, or Isla del Coco, off the Pacific coast. It’s also handy for clients planning to visit more than one country during their trip, because it works anywhere.

Cell Service offers delivery and pickup anywhere in the Central Valley, including JuanSantamaríaInternationalAirport, or can send a phone elsewhere. The company works with hotels including the Real Intercontinental in the western San José suburb of Escazú and the Four Seasons Resort in the northwestern province of Guanacaste. Cell Service also occasionally rents chips for phones; contact Hernández for more information.

Dollar Rent-a-Car (443-2950) offers cell-phone rentals on their own, or in combination with car rentals. If you’re renting a car, the phone comes free of charge, though you’ll pay a daily minimum of five minutes’ worth of calls whether or not you use the phone. Phones equipped only for local calls ($0.49 per minute) or for international calls ($1.79 per minute) are available, according to Marco Castro of Dollar. Clients renting a phone but not a car must also pay a $300 deposit for the phone.

Economy Rent-a-Car also offers phone rentals through its GSM Rent-a-Cell service (231-5410).

Meanwhile, the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) offers a slick new service for cell phone users planning to travel from Costa Rica to other countries. For more information, visit www. grupoice.com.

 

Trending Now

Former Costa Rican President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Faces Trial

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, who served as Costa Rica’s president from 1998 to 2002, returned to court on today, to face charges in the so-called...

Costa Rica National Parks to Measure Tourism Impact

Costa Rica will now be able to measure the impact of tourism in its national parks, thanks to innovative environmental technology from The NeverRest...

Honduras Community Demands Justice in Environmental Murder Case

Three defendants accused of murdering an environmental activist in Honduras 11 months ago appeared before a court this Thursday for a preliminary hearing, the...

Guatemala Prisons Erupt in Violence With Guards and Workers Taken Hostage

Gang members rioted this Friday in two prisons in Guatemala and took several guards and civilian employees hostage, a week after uprisings in which...

Costa Rica Anglers Catch Rare Orange and Albino Nurse Shark

Anglers on a fishing trip off Costa Rica's Caribbean coast caught a nurse shark unlike any seen before: bright orange skin and stark white...

Viral Shot at US Open Captures Paolini in Rare Form

A photo from the 2025 US Open has spread quickly online, pulling in views from tennis fans and casual observers alike. Italian photographer Ray...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica