Settling your utility and other bills in Costa Rica

• Online banking: Probably the best system that you’ll ever avail to keep up with the confusing influx of utility bills in your home. You see, almost all of the banks in Costa Rica are offering bill payments. All you have to do is just instruct the bank to pay your bills and they will just take care of the rest. They will immediately transfer the amount you paid to the account of the utility company (water, electric, telephone etc.). This sounds like a breeze for internet-savvy individuals. However, for those who are not so keen in computer transactions, you may actually go to the bank and instruct the employee to set aside a certain amount per month to settle your bill.

Always remember to avoid going to internet cafes and type away your personal information and password on the terminal. There may be spyware programs or hacking tools installed that may compromise your personal account. If you do need to go to one, make sure that you immediately change your password if you feel that it is no longer secure.

You can always wait for a printed bill before you settle your dues. However, you are informed in advance in this guide that most of the paper bills arrive at different dates and sometimes gets delayed. You may find that your phone bill just arrived after the due date and when you checked your phone, it has been cut off. You are also at risk for late fees and other interest charges if the bills are not paid in time. Therefore, it still pays to be vigilant and always keep track of everything. You can always mark your calendar in order to be reminded when to pay a particular utility bill.

There are several areas in Costa Rica that has no mail service. You will be surprised to see a man on a motorcycle passing by your area and will deliver the bill or mail. Sometimes, they just leave the bills on the gate and it could be at risk of getting lost or worse, stolen by neighbors. Now, they’ll see some of your personal information!

• Check payment: This method of payment is not advisable. This payment process is rarely used in Costa Rica. Another thing that you need to know about checks is that it takes a few days before it is cleared. By then, your utility services may have been cut off. Of course, you don’t want the inconvenience of having to suffer the following days without phone service or electricity.

You can always go to the bank and do the transaction, as aforementioned. There’s a big possibility that you will be greeted with a long queue especially on days that most people are expected to settle their bills. Instead of getting high blood pressure for excessive waiting, you can always befriend a fellow customer and converse about anything. Before you know it, you are the next customer that will be serviced by the teller. Time flies faster and you have just gained a friend!

• Credit card payment: This is another good option for you. On the first method (online payment), you can actually access your bank account and transfer funds to settle your bills. In credit cards, you can do the same. You can still log-in to your credit card account and check if bills can be settled that way. You can always call the customer service of your credit card facility and ask for assistance.

By the way, debit cards are usually accepted for purchases but not necessarily to settle the bills.

Now that you are fully informed, there’s no doubt that you can easily adjust to life here in Costa Rica. Of course, it always pays to be vigilant.