LOCAL SERVICES

1. Banking

Currency (Moneda)

The basic unit of currency in Costa Rica is the colon (plural colones), which is made up of 100 centimos and written as ¢. The New York Times publishes the current exchange rate in the business section of the paper. In addition, you can get assistance calculating conversion rates on the web at http://www.xe.net/ucc/full.shtml. Since the currency markets fluctuate daily in relation to each other, bring along a small calculator to compute the cost of goods in US dollars. Bill denominations are 1,000 (red), 2,000 (blue/green), 5,000 (blue/yellow), and 10,000 (blue) colones (¢).

Coins are minted in 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 and 100 and 500 colones pieces.

Beware: There are large numbers of 5,000 and 10,000 colones bills being circulated by con men that particularly target tourists. Do not change money on the street. The real 5,000 and 10,000 colones note has a watermark to the right of the official signature and a fine line grid on the blue section of the bill not found on the fakes. It is illegal to do business with these street hustlers and you never know when an undercover agent is making the offer to you. You can face a large fine if caught doing this. Also, when breaking large bills in taxis, be sure you are not given counterfeit!

Credit Cards (Tarjetas de crédito)

American Express, Master Card and Visa can be used in major shops in Costa Rica. At Credomatic in San José, both Visa and Mastercard are accepted. If you wish to get cash from your Visa card, go to ATH or Visa Plus machines that are located in downtown Heredia and most parts of the country. Make sure to find out any ATM or Cash Machine charges before using the machines. American Express credit card owners can purchase traveler’s checks in US dollars at the American Express office. When you are outside of San José, carry smaller denominations in bills and coins, as local vendors often do not have proper change for large bills. The Costa Rica Center recommends that you carry some dollar bills with you, as you never know when they will come in handy.

Banks (Los Bancos)

On Monday through Friday, banks open at 8:30 am and remain open until 4:00 pm or 6:00 pm. Some banks in Heredia such as Interfin and Banco Nacional (downtown) are open Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 pm. The majority of banks charge a fee to cash travelers’ checks, but that’s better than the ‘’better’’ rate you can get from the black market (lots of counterfeit bills change hands). Reliable money changers have shops near the Post Office (Correos) and offer good rates. The state-operated Banco Nacional de Costa Rica has branch offices in many small towns, but they are not noted for their efficiency or speed. Bring your passport!

Juan Santamaria Airport has a bank inside the departure terminal that will change currency. When leaving the country you may only convert a maximum of ¢3,000 colones back into US dollars, so use up all of your local Costa Rican currency when you leave the country.

Warning: Do not change money at the money exchange near the baggage claim as rates are significantly lower than the official rate. Also do not use the ATM at the airport, as you may get US dollars, which you will need to change later at a bank (thus, requiring another change fee).

Banks close on public holidays and often anticipate the holiday by closing at noon the day before. You will need to show your passport when exchanging any type of money. Some hotels will also change money for you even if you are not staying there.

Credomatic

24-hour automatic credit machine

Credomatic has offices in San Jose and Heredia. Credomatic is also located in most banks in major towns. You should be able to access your own personal checking account whenever you are in need of cash. Credomatic usually gives the same exchange rate as your credit cards. Memorize your PIN number, which must be 4 digits in length.

Important Note:

There is often a limit on how much you can withdraw from your account daily. Also, you should ask your bank about any charges they may impose for withdrawing money overseas. Check that you activate your credit card for overseas use. If you do not travel outside of the US on a regular basis, some banks and credit card companies may deny use of your credit card outside the US.

Traveler’s Checks (Cheques de viaje)

This is a way to carry money when traveling and, in major cities, traveler’s checks are often accepted as cash. American Express are the most widely recognized. Leave a copy of your traveler’s check numbers at home and keep check receipts in a separate place while overseas. Record the number when you cash a traveler’s check. Your passport (pasaporte) will be needed for identification. In the event they are lost or stolen, traveler’s checks can be replaced if you have the check numbers. Ask the US issuing institution for a list of their offices in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica Center advises that you should set several checks aside just for emergencies.

Take traveler’s checks in small denominations, using American Express, Barclay Bank and Citibank. Traveler’s checks are often not accepted in stores or in the markets.

Important tip: Traveler’s checks can be exchanged at the bank only with an original passport. To exchange dollars (cash) they only need a copy of your passport and your US driver’s license. Some banks charge a high fee for the exchange of travelers’ checks.

Getting money from home

The fastest and easiest way for you to withdraw overseas via ATM is to have cash deposited into your checking account and then use your international debit. (Checks deposited in your bank account may be held for up to 14 days before the funds are made available for withdrawal). Be sure to leave the deposit slips at home.

Another easy, though potentially expensive, way to receive funds is to have the money wired to a correspondent bank in the city where you are staying. A good idea is for both you and your family to have a list of your American bank’s correspondent banks. Then you can decide exactly which bank is closest to you and money can be wired directly to that bank. Take your passport when you claim the funds.

With an American Express card, you can purchase AMEX traveler’s checks overseas.

Western Union has an international fund transfer department, as does American Express. Students can use Western Union Bank to get a wire money transfer from home (USA) and they can get that money in Banco de San Jose in Heredia. However, it is always best to double-check which office is nearest to you when you arrive in Costa Rica.

Lost or Stolen Credit Cards and Traveler’s Checks

After making sure that the item is actually missing, report it to the nearest police station (la policia/comisaria) and get a receipt (un recibo). This report is needed for any steps you must take to replace the missing item.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Cash will not be replaced.

Common Sense

Exercising common sense in everyday situations is the best way to ensure your own safety and protect your belongings during your time in Costa Rica.

We recommend that you divide your money in half and carry it in separate places on your body when in public. A good place to keep it is in a money pouch, draped around the neck and worn on the inside of clothing. Another option is to put it in a fabric ‘’wallet’ pinned to the inside waist seam of your jeans, slacks or shorts. In addition to money, other valuables such as your credit cards and passport should be kept in similar locations.

Carry only the funds you anticipate needing during the day. Clean out your wallet and take only the absolute essentials. Leave your purse at home, as it makes you a target when you are out in crowded areas such as a bus station (la estación de autobuses), a busy market (el Mercado), entertainment centers (las galerias commerciales), movies (el cine), etc.

We recommend that you wrap a rubber band around money if you are planning to keep it in your front pocket, and then keep it underneath another item in your pocket. In other words, make it difficult for pickpockets to take your hard-earned cash from you. Purses should always be in front of you when shopping or in crowded places.

Remember to immediately notify the police of any robberies or serious incidents.

Budgeting

Most students on study abroad programs are traveling on a limited budget. Because spending habits differ widely from student to student, it is impossible to provide a set amount for all students. You should take into account the following expenses when determining your budget for the program.

Think of your spending as expenses that are necessary for your survival in the program (fixed costs) and expenses that are beyond the cost of the program (variable cost). The general rule of thumb is to take twice as much as you think you will need. Whatever you take you will spend.

The following worksheet will help you create an estimated budget for your time in Costa Rica. It is divided into fixed and variable costs. After you complete the fixed costs, you will have an idea how much you will need weekly and the variable costs will help you determine the additional money you will need to budget for the trip (when building your budget, consult sections X.A and X.B to determine what is and is not included in the program).

*Airport departures tax is not included in program fees. You will need to pay this tax at the airport every time you leave Costa Rica ($26.00).

Keep in mind that this is a guide for planning your budget and not intended to cover all situations that can and will come up during the course of the program. However, with planning you will be able to anticipate what you will need.

2. Mail

Regular mail and packages should be sent to the following address, but keep in mind our advice below:
Student’s name
Global College - Costa Rica Center
Apartado 8496- 1000
San José, Costa Rica
Central America

Urgent mail and packages via DHL/UPS/FedEx should be sent to the following physical address:
(Please specify the phone number as well)

Student’s name
From Copymundo 50 meters west, white house on the right.
(Del Copymundo, 50 metros al oeste, la casa blanca a mano derecha)
Heredia, Costa Rica
Telephone number: 011-506-260-6672.

Letters from Costa Rica to the United States usually take from one to two weeks to arrive. Letters from the U.S. to Costa Rica usually take between eight days and two weeks.

It is not easy to receive large packages from home. Packages that have been sent third class take an exceedingly long time to arrive. First class packages can normally arrive in a shorter time, anywhere from 2-4 weeks. In any case, the recipient has to go to a branch post office twice to complete the paperwork necessary to claim any large package. Duty is charged on everything, including clothing (new or used) and gifts, and it can be more than 100% of the original cost of the item. The cost is often evaluated based on what the price is in Costa Rica, rather than what was paid for it. (Books are sometimes an exception.) Because of this, many students choose to tell their families and friends not to send them packages.

Packages small enough to fit in a post office box (cassettes, manila envelopes, photos, etc.) can be claimed at the main post office and there is no duty charged on them.

For Federal express mail, please include our telephone number: (011-506-260-6672).

3. Telephone

When calling Costa Rica from the United States, the number must be preceded by the code: 011. If you are calling from another country, you will need to find out what codes are used by the phone system of that country.

Our telephone number is (506) 260-6672 and the fax number is (506) 260-9656. There is always someone at the center from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Costa Rica time. It is not hard to make international phone calls, and the cost is about the same as in the US.

The Center has a Vonage Digital Internet Phone that is normally used for Admissions. Nonetheless, students can access this phone to make emergency calls to relatives and friends in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rica at no cost. The Vonage phone number is 718-5540396.

AT&T offers a "USA Direct" service by dialing 0800011-4114, which allows you to use your domestic AT&T calling card number to call the States. MCI offers the same service by dialing 0800012-2222. Other calling card numbers, collect calls, person to person, etc. may all be done through the international operator.

The least expensive way is direct dialing from the US if you can arrange a time for your parents or friends to call you. All home stays have telephones, but due to problems that have occurred in the past, you cannot charge international calls to their telephone.

Cell phones are available at a cost of $50 for connection plus the price of the device, which fluctuates between $90-$250. This does not include the monthly rate. The Costa Rican telephone company is a monopoly that is run by the government. The company is called ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad) and they only allow Costa Rican citizens to receive telephone lines. Therefore, they do not use sim cards in Costa Rica. If you want to have a cell phone while you are here, I recommend you contact your cell phone provider in the US and investigate international options and roaming charges. For the past two years, students have not had cell phones and they claim that they are not necessary. They have phones at their host family's house, at the center, and they use www.skype.com to make cheap international calls.

4. Electrical Requirements

Your electrical devices will work exactly the same way they do in the United States. You do not need to bring any kind of adaptors. We do strongly recommend you bring a protector for electrical fluctuations for your laptop.

5. E-mail and Internet

E-mail and access to internet is available at the Costa Rica Center for all students, either through our computers or through your laptop. Through our network, students can connect their laptops to the wireless system. We provide a wireless card in case your laptop does not have one. In order to connect to the internet at the Costa Rica Center, laptops must have the following minimum requirements: Pentium III, Ram memory of at least 128Mb, Windows 98, Me 2000 or XP and a PCMCIA Type 2 slot. If you do not have this in your laptop, you can use the desk computers available to students at the Center.

Students will be provided with a student LIU account while studying at the center which will facilitate communication with the Center’s faculty, staff and other Global College centers in the world. The Costa Rica Center Administration provides immediate assistance with computer-related issues.