If you are traveling abroad, whether for business or pleasure, and are wondering in what locations you would need to purchase a cell phone rental, Costa Rica is one of those locations. This is because the GSM network that is used by the majority of service providers in the world does not operate well in Costa Rica. Partly for this reason and partly because it is very difficult for tourists to obtain a cell phone number on their own, many service providers in Costa Rica highly recommend that you rent a prepaid cell phone.
There are many advantages and disadvantages involved in choosing a location for a cell phone rental; Costa Rica is no exception. One advantage is that often service providers will deliver your phone to you free of charge at the airport or many popular hotels. However, if you need to have the phone delivered to another location it may not be free. Another nice feature to renting a prepaid cell phone in Costa Rica is that many service providers can provide you with your phone number upon confirmation of your rental. This provides you with ample time for sharing it with your friends and family before you leave on your trip.
In addition to these incentives for renting a prepaid cell phone in Costa Rica, there are also several disadvantages. For example, one is that there is a five minute per day minimum charge for your rental. This charge is a base charge and is applied to your account whether you use your phone five minutes a day or not. In addition, there is often a deposit required up front for a certain number of minutes per day. This is because often people do not realize how much they use their phone when they have it. The set deposit avoids any surprises for both the company and the customer. Often, both are surprised at the end of the trip when the customer owes more than he expected and does not have enough money to cover it all. Many times, the part of this deposit that is still left unused at the end of the trip is returnable.