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Cell phone service to US

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exPAt5511
  7/16/2022 18:18 EST

Whats the cheapest cell service to call back to the states. I would like to live in Costa Rica but need a good cell reception and ability to zoom as well. I'm going to need to make about 10 hrs of calls per week.

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privatepilot
  4/13/2023 20:05 EST

Try Magic Jack. You can download it to your phone and the annual rates are very reasonable. As long as you use a U.S. Phone number, calls to the US will be toll free. Hope this helps.

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designguru
  4/13/2023 10:58 EST

Use Whatsapp. It is free. you don't need cell tower signal... just wifi. Most areas have pretty good wifi. I use whatsapp to text and voice and video chat with all family and friends in the US. They all have whatsapp on their phones... most Iphones already have it, or the download is free.
I haven't added money to my phone here since 2019... because I basically ONLY use whatsapp. you only end up using your paid time when you call landlines both here and outside CR.
As for Wifi... there are different cost packages... get the one that works for you. I pay approx $35/mo. I live rural and it works excellent.
hope this helps, t

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mariposa77
  7/18/2022 15:07 EST

Does anyone use Google Voice for calls to the US? I use it all the time in the US, but haven't really tried it out in CR.

In the US you just need a Google account, internet connection, and to connect it to a non-VOIP (voice-over-the-internet) phone.

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ILuvCR
  7/18/2022 11:16 EST

you can get a subscription to call land lines or cells (non-Skype) & text to the U.S. for pennies per minute through your Skype account.

The voice quality is usually pretty good.

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lindyluvsCR
  7/18/2022 09:39 EST

I use Magic Jack, but it takes a while to get out of bed and sometimes drops your call. But is $40 a year. With its crabbiness, I prefer it. I don't like having to stare at someone or vice versa when on the phone.

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Costa Rica Legal Residency is an articulately bi-lingual boutique firm with 15 + years of successful experience and exclusive focus on Costa Rica Temporary and Permanent Residency, Renewals, Digital Nomad, and Citizenship. Located minutes from the Department of Immigration.

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Immigration Help Costa RicaImmigration Help Costa Rica

Costa Rica Legal Residency is an articulately bi-lingual boutique firm with 15 + years of successful experience and exclusive focus on Costa Rica Temporary and Permanent Residency, Renewals, Digital Nomad, and Citizenship. Located minutes from the Department of Immigration.
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ExpatChas2023
  7/18/2022 09:31 EST

WhatsApp is free, but users on both ends must have the app. I use Open Phone via Wi-Fi to call back to the US, such as to banks and businesses not using WhatsApp. $10 a month. I use Movistar/Liberty prepaid for CR calls when recipient doesn’t have WhatsApp, also $10 a month for me.

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durphym
  7/17/2022 11:55 EST

I'm going to elaborate a little on what Taosmountainhouse posted in response to your question. We live in Montezuma with cable service and cablemodem from what is now Liberty formerly Cabletica. We use wifi as often as we can for all our calls local and international. Our internet service is somewhat limited compared to what is available for example in San Jose. My current download speed is 13.99 mbps and upload speed is 1.49 mbps. We have a 15mbps plan. It is maximum for us from Liberty in this area. We use two cell phones: one local that uses Kolbi and a US cellphone that uses T-mobile. If we need a network connection we use the local phone. We only use the wifi network on the T-mobile phone. It works for us.

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Taosmountainhouse
  7/16/2022 21:28 EST

You will be able to have high speed internet connections almost anywhere in CR. So. you can make wifi calls easily, and the carrier for your cell phone can be whatever works best for you where you live. We use T mobile in San Jose and along the South Pacific without an issue.

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