Does AT&T work in Costa Rica?

AT&T is among the most renowned cell phone providers in the United States and across the globe that provides reliable and fast service to meet your telecommunication and internet needs. In this article, we will review whether AT&T would work well in Costa Rica.

If you are an individual who craves adventure and a thrill-seeker, Costa Rica may be the best place to go on a holiday. Costa Rica is known for multiple activities including skydiving, kayaking, whitewater rafting, and cliff diving and zip-lining tours among others. Previously, if you’d ask whether any cellular service would work in Costa Rica, perhaps the answer would be no because network coverage hadn’t reached this area yet. The addition of new networks in Costa Rica has changed this narrative and completely saved you the hassle that comes with non-communication.

Well, AT&T does work in Costa Rica. However, there are still certain places such as eco-lodges, remote boutique resorts and isolated beaches, where your cell phone may not work because there is no coverage. If cell phone coverage is a big deal for you as you go on your trip, ensure to always check in advance whether the places that you are visiting have cell service.

So, how does AT&T work in Costa Rica? 

Generally, AT&T offers various 30 days global passport packages that are priced between $30 and $120. Each of these packages include 150-800 MB of data, free texting and they reduce the cost of voice calls to $0.35-$1.00 per minute.

In as much as this works and you have successfully signed up for an AT&T phone plan, it doesn’t always mean that your phone will work in Costa Rica. Although most of the phones work in Costa Rica and are quite reliable, you still need to go through phone checkers to ensure compatibility otherwise your communication channels may be slightly blocked and you would not be able to keep in touch with our family and friends as you would want to.

Tips on using AT&T in Costa Rica

1. Get a Costa Rican Phone Number

At times, the international plan may be quite costly for you especially if you are on long holiday. It is much cheaper to use a local line as you are able to pay just like every other Costa Rican and save yourself a ton. You can always find a good phone with limited internet capabilities, voice calls and text service with a thirty day talk and data plan from the Kolbi Kiosk that’s in the Cariari mall for under $30.

2. Be very careful and read fine prints when roaming

Well, you may have unlimited data, calls and texts on our home plan but it may be very unlikely that includes international roaming in Costa Rica. Roaming is often the way through which you can access the internet when abroad and the only way to escape crazy charges if you have signed up for an international plan in advance. Otherwise, when you leave town your phones service is handed off to another network who may probably charge you over 6 bucks per minute to sue their towers. Which I must say, is quite costly.

If you don’t want your phone bills to end up being higher than your vacation, you may want to get a local Costa Rican phone number. Also, in the even that you have decided to roam, just text your friends or family. Texting is a lot cheaper than calling although you should also be very careful when doing this because your unlimited data is not necessarily applicable in Costa Rica and even the littlest $0.10 has the potential to add up to the hugest amount if you don’t do it right.

A summary table for texting charges

3. Always use Wi-Fi whenever you can

The best way to avoid any roaming charges or anything related to connectivity is to always use Wi-Fi whenever you can. None of the plans, carriers, GSM, band , CDMA or any other cell phone stuff matters so much when you are actively connected to Wi-Fi. You would really be using all the apps on your phone for free. When connected to a Wi-Fi, you are free to continuously tweet without any worries, share pictures and posts on Instagram, Facebook and snapchat and you can even listen to music and watch HD videos for your entertainment.

You also get the chance to use VOLP services such as Skype and Facetime to make free local and international phone calls via the internet instead of having to go through the hassle of having to use a cell phone tower. The only problem is that you would be entirely limited to restaurants, hotels and malls to successfully connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Conclusion

In as much as AT&T works in Costa Rica, you can always avoid roaming charges and unnecessary bills by purchasing a local SIM card and using Wi-Fi whenever you can.

FAQs

1. How can I avoid international data charges when using AT&T in Costa Rica?

You can always use Wi-Fi or purchase a local SIM.

2. Does AT&T charge for international text messages?

Yes, it does.