Mobile payments and digital wallets, curated for travelers visiting Costa Rica.
Costa Rica hit record digital payment use in 2026, and cards now work almost everywhere tourists go: hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, tour operators. Contactless Visa and Mastercard are the visitor's main tool, since SINPE Móvil, the phone-number transfer system locals use for everything, requires a Costa Rican bank account. US dollars are widely accepted but change comes back in colones at rough rates. Keep small colones bills for rural buses, roadside sodas, beach parking, and tips.
Costa Rica's national instant payment system, run by the central bank. Locals pay everyone by phone number, from sodas and taxis to farmers markets, through their regular banking apps.
Multi-currency card that handles Costa Rica's dual pricing in dollars and colones. Withdraw colones at ATMs and tap to pay at card-friendly businesses nationwide.
These apps need data
Guac eSIM covers Costa Rica with plans from $1.50 per GB. Install it before you land and activate instantly.
SINPE Móvil is the top-rated payments app in Costa Rica. Costa Rica's national instant payment system, run by the central bank. Locals pay everyone by phone number, from sodas and taxis to farmers markets, through their regular banking apps.
There are 2 payments apps available in Costa Rica as of 2026.
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