Costa Rica
eSIM.Fast 5G data plans. Instant activation, no SIM swap.

The best Costa Rica eSIM combines wide coverage, clear pricing, and instant setup. Flysimio runs on Claro — networks that cover San José, the Arenal Volcano area, Manuel Antonio, and the Monteverde cloud forest, plus the Nicoya Peninsula beaches. Plans are prepaid with no contract and no roaming surprises, so the price you see is what you pay. Your QR code arrives by email seconds after checkout and installs in under a minute, every plan includes free mobile hotspot, and there's a 7-day money-back guarantee. Land at San José or Liberia already connected — no airport SIM queue. Pura vida.

Getting online in Costa Rica takes about two minutes. First, confirm your phone supports eSIM — iPhone XS (2018) and newer and most Android flagships from 2020 qualify. Choose your Costa Rica plan on Flysimio and pay with card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay; your QR code arrives by email within seconds. On Wi-Fi before you fly, open Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM (iPhone) or Network & Internet → SIMs → Add eSIM (Android) and scan it — a manual code is included too. Keep your home line as default until arrival. When you land at San José or Liberia, your Flysimio line connects automatically to a Costa Rican network — no kiosk, no physical SIM.

Most travellers over-buy. For maps, messaging, and email, roughly 300 MB a day is plenty, so a 3–5 GB plan covers a week comfortably. Add social media, wildlife photos, and music and you'll want about 700 MB a day — a 10 GB plan suits a two-week trip across the volcanoes, cloud forest, and coast. Heavy streamers, video callers, and anyone tethering a laptop should plan for 1.5 GB or more per day or choose an unlimited daily plan. One note: national-park interiors like Corcovado and the Monteverde trails run offline, so download maps first. Use the calculator above to size it, and top up mid-trip if you run low.

Flysimio runs as a second line beside your usual SIM, so you keep your home number for calls and texts while your Costa Rican data flows over the eSIM — standard dual-SIM behaviour on iPhone XS and later and most Android phones from 2018. After installing, set the Flysimio eSIM as your cellular-data line and turn on Data Roaming for that line only; it simply lets the eSIM connect to Costa Rican networks, with no roaming fees. Keep your home SIM on for messages and calls, or switch it off to avoid your own carrier's charges. If you're unsure about your model, the compatibility page confirms it before you buy.

Every Flysimio Costa Rica plan includes mobile hotspot at no extra cost and without throttling, so you can tether a laptop or tablet or share with a travel companion and use your full allowance freely. As a data-only eSIM it has no Costa Rican phone number, but that rarely matters: WhatsApp — the default for messaging in Costa Rica — plus FaceTime and Google Meet handle calls and messages over data, and your home number stays reachable on your primary SIM. You stay connected from the rainforest to the coast without the per-minute charges of traditional roaming.

For a few days around San José and Arenal, a small 1–5 GB plan on a 7-day validity is the most economical choice. For a two-week loop through the volcanoes, cloud forest, and beaches — or a longer stay — a 10–20 GB plan or an unlimited daily option lets you navigate, stream, and share without watching a meter. Because Flysimio gives you six months to activate, you can buy before you leave and the validity only starts when your eSIM first connects in Costa Rica. No contract, nothing to cancel — the plan stops when it's done, and you can top up or rebuy for your next trip.

One payment, a set amount of data, a set validity window — no contract, no credit check, nothing that renews. The reason an eSIM suits Costa Rica particularly well is that the country has no real airport tourist-SIM culture: you cannot count on a staffed counter at SJO or Liberia the way you can in Bangkok, and hunting for a Kolbi top-up shop in San José on your first afternoon is a poor use of a holiday. Installing before you fly means you are connected when you clear customs, which matters most if you are collecting a rental car — most counters now expect you to have Waze or Google Maps running before you drive out, and the route to Manuel Antonio or Monteverde is not one to improvise. Our plans run on Claro. Kolbi, the state operator, has the broader reach into the mountains and the Osa Peninsula and we do not use it, so for deep-jungle itineraries check the coverage notes below rather than assuming full national parity. How buying an eSIM works walks through it.