Provided Cell Phone

1. Unlimited Data Plan for Cell Phone

If you would like to use the supplied smartphone for personal calls or internet surfing, take advantage of our unlimited data plan for an additional $5.00 per day or $25 per week (see below). It has proven invaluable for the Google Translate function alone — especially when seeking medical attention. So if you need a bit of Spanish assistance, unlimited data is your amigo! You could be near fluent by the end of your vacay.

Plan Includes:

• Unlimited outbound calls throughout Costa Rica (make hotel reservations, change airline tickets, stay in touch with relatives, etc.)
• Unlimited inbound international and domestic calls. This is your own phone number in Costa Rica; provide this phone number to anyone in the world to contact you. We can issue your cell phone number before the start of your rental, so that you can advise your friends and relatives of your number while traveling in Costa Rica. Telephone numbers can be issued within 72 hours of scheduled arrival.

To call internationally, you may purchase pre-paid phone cards at most convenience stores. These phone cards may be used in conjunction with the supplied cell phone, allowing you to better control international phone call costs.

2. Terms of Use

Please treat the supplied cell phone as if it was yours. If you signed for the phone, you’re responsible for it.

If you do not return the phone at the end of the rental, or if it’s deemed unusable for any reason, including viruses, you will be billed for the replacement/service of the phone as indicated on the rental agreement (currently $300).

To avoid this replacement charge, understand that any additional data/apps on the device, hotspot usage, and/or the quality of the transferred data is the renter’s sole responsibility.

Vamos does not guarantee 100% uptime and service is provided "as is".

3. Cellular Coverage

Cell phone service in Costa Rica is supplied by the governmentally owned and controlled monopoly, the Costa Rica Electric and Telecommunications company (ICE), but there are also private companies that offer service, such as Claro CR and Movistar.

Most of Costa Rica`s main population centers has cell service. However, out-of-the-way, mountainous, rainforest, and distant areas may not have service or reception may be poor.

For more details on cell phone coverage areas, please visit www.GrupoICE.com. This is the official website of the telecommunications company ICE — and it`s in Spanish.

Alternatively, you may click the following link to view and print out a Cellular Coverage Map

4. Free Option

At Vamos, we try to offer free options whenever possible to add value to our clients’ vacations by saving them a few extra dollars here and there. The use of our cell phone is one of convenience (mainly for us as much as for the clients), but someone may want to opt to use their own phone while in Costa Rica. While it’s technically feasible, it may not be supported on your particular plan.

"Can I use my cell phone in Costa Rica?"


The short answer is "Yes", but the reality is more of a definite "Maybe".

At present, several phone companies from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, plus many other countries across the globe have roaming contracts with Costa Rica’s Electric and Telecommunications company (ICE).

To check whether your cell phone provider has an agreement with Claro CR, ICE, or Movistar, please review the following website.

• First, click on the "Roaming Partners" link under the appropriate listing.
• Select your home country from the drop-down box to see all of the partnered cell phone companies.
• Check the bandwidth and megahertz (Mhz) value of your phone to find a match.
• If so, it should also work in Costa Rica — however this doesn’t mean it’s free.
• Ask your local provider for further details, such as conditions and rates — as these may costs between $1.50 to $3.20 per minute of airtime.

Please Note: The information provided on the reference website may change on a daily basis. Vamos takes no responsibility to the correctness of the supplied information.