Costa Rica
Cards, ATMs and cash in Costa Rica: what to expect
Yes — cards work in most hotels, restaurants, tour operators and supermarkets in Costa Rica, so you do not need to carry everything in cash. Carry colones for sodas, parking, buses and small shops. Draw from bank-branded ATMs in daylight, decline the machine's conversion rate, and pay in colones when the terminal offers you a choice.
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GuideCosta Rica
Key facts
- Cards accepted
- Hotels, restaurants, tour companies, supermarkets, larger shops
- Cash still needed
- Sodas, parking, public buses, small shops, tips
- Currency
- Costa Rican colón (CRC, ₡); US dollars widely accepted in tourist areas, change often in colones
- Best ATM behaviour
- Use bank-branded machines inside branches or malls, in daylight, and decline dynamic currency conversion
- Rental-car deposit
- US$1,000–5,000 blocked on a credit card if you decline the rental company's collision cover
- Restaurant bill
- 10% service charge and 13% VAT usually already included
- Card network outages
- Occasional; keep a cash backup for a day or two
Details
Costa Rica is the most card-friendly country in Central America, but it is not card-only. Mid-range and up hotels, most restaurants in tourist areas, tour operators, car-rental desks, supermarkets and larger shops take Visa and Mastercard without fuss. American Express is less reliable outside San José and big resorts. Small sodas (local eateries), roadside fruit stalls, parking attendants, some national-park entrances and public buses are cash-first, and a few take only colones.
Plan on a two-wallet approach: a card for anything over roughly US$20, and ₡20,000–40,000 in small notes for the day. That covers a casado lunch, a beer, parking and a tip without hunting for an ATM in a village.
ATMs are common in San José, the Central Valley, Liberia, Jacó, Quepos, La Fortuna and Tamarindo, and thin on the Caribbean coast and in remote areas such as Tortuguero, Drake Bay and the Osa Peninsula. Withdraw before you head out. Bank-branded machines attached to a branch, or inside a mall or supermarket, are the safer choice; stand-alone machines on a street corner are the ones to skip, especially after dark.
Two things decide what a withdrawal actually costs you. First, the operator fee, which the machine shows before you confirm. Second, dynamic currency conversion: when the ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and choose colones. The conversion is done at a rate set by the machine owner, not your bank, and it is usually worse.
Card skimming exists in Costa Rica, as in most of the region. Cover the keypad, use one card for ATMs and keep a second card stored separately, and check your statement online while you travel. If a machine swallows your card, do not leave the area without talking to the branch — during opening hours they can often retrieve it.
| Situation | Card or cash | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel, tour operator, supermarket | Card | Visa and Mastercard standard; Amex patchy outside cities |
| Restaurant in a tourist town | Card | 10% service charge and 13% VAT usually already on the bill |
| Soda, fruit stall, parking | Cash | Colones; small notes help |
| Public bus | Cash | Colones, exact fare useful |
| National park entrance | Either | Some take cards, some cash only — check |
| Rental car deposit | Credit card | US$1,000–5,000 blocked if you decline the company's collision cover |
| Remote areas (Tortuguero, Osa, Caribbean) | Cash backup | Withdraw in the last town before you go |
Tips
Withdraw larger amounts less often. A single ₡100,000–200,000 withdrawal costs one operator fee instead of three, and you can break the notes at a supermarket.
Keep a second card, and a photocopy or photo of both, stored apart from your wallet. If one is blocked or swallowed, you still have a way to pay.
Ask for the bill in colones. Some tourist-area restaurants quote in US dollars and apply their own rate; paying in colones on a card usually gets your bank's rate instead.
Tipping is already built into most restaurant bills through the 10% service charge. Extra is optional, and cash is the easy way to leave it.
Carry a few US dollar notes as an emergency backup. They are widely accepted in tourist areas, but expect change in colones at a rate you did not choose.
Tell your bank you are travelling, and check your daily withdrawal and purchase limits before you fly — a rental-car deposit can sit on your card for weeks.
- Withdraw in daylight, at a bank branch or inside a mall
- Decline conversion to your home currency at ATMs and terminals
- Keep ₡20,000–40,000 in small notes for the day
- Carry two cards, stored separately
- Check your balance online every few days
FAQ
Questions people ask
Are credit cards widely accepted in Costa Rica?
Yes. Hotels, restaurants, tour operators, supermarkets and larger shops take Visa and Mastercard almost everywhere tourists go. American Express is patchier outside San José and big resorts. Carry colones for sodas, parking, buses and small shops.
Which ATMs have the lowest fees in Costa Rica?
Bank-branded machines at branches, malls and supermarkets are the usual choice, and the operator fee is shown before you confirm. Fees change, so compare on the screen and withdraw larger amounts less often to pay one fee instead of three.
Should I pay in local currency or my own?
Choose colones. When an ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, that is dynamic currency conversion at a rate set by the machine owner, and it is usually worse than your bank's rate.
Can I use US dollars in Costa Rica?
In tourist areas, often yes, and change usually comes back in colones. Sodas, buses and small shops generally want colones. Treat dollars as a backup, not your main money.
Is it safe to use ATMs in Costa Rica?
Use bank-branded machines in daylight, cover the keypad, and avoid stand-alone machines on quiet streets after dark. Skimming happens, so check your account online while you travel and keep a second card stored separately.
Do I need cash for national parks and buses?
Public buses take colones in cash. Park entrances vary — some take cards, some do not — so carry enough cash for the day's tickets before you arrive. Check the current rule when you book.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check
Sources
- officialInstituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT)
- officialBanco Central de Costa Rica
- secondaryWikivoyage – Costa Rica