Costa Rica official currency is: colón (named after Christopher Columbus, known as Cristóbal Colón in Spanish) The plural is colones.
Colones come in paper denominations of 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000, and 50.000. Coins come in denominations of 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500. Older coins are silver and slightly larger than the newer versions. Most of the newer coins are gold-colored, except for the 5 and 10 colones coins, which are silver.
All banks will exchange US dollars and many will exchange British pounds or euros. Travelers checks can be cashed at banks or exchange bureaus for a commission of 1% to 3%. Some hotels accept travelers checks for payment, but many do not.
ATMs (known as cajeros automáticos) are widely available in Costa Rica. Some banks charge a fee for using an ATM abroad, so check with your bank before traveling to Costa Rica. Credit cards are widely accepted at midrange and upscale hotels and restaurants. Most credit cards include a transaction fee for international purchases.
