What is the most used payment method in Costa Rica?
SINPE Móvil, the central bank's phone-number transfer service, is the most used method by count: it settled 747.5 million transfers in 2025, more than two million a day. In stores, contactless debit cards still edge out cash, and online, international credit cards carry about two thirds of spending.
In detail
SINPE Móvil, the central bank's phone-number transfer service, is the most used method by count: it settled 747.5 million transfers in 2025, more than two million a day. In stores, contactless debit cards still edge out cash, and online, international credit cards carry about two thirds of spending.
Payment by card in Costa Rica
Cards are everywhere in Costa Rica, and almost all of them are contactless. The MEIC's half-year report counted 6,981,436 debit cards and 3,010,639 credit cards in June 2025, with credit cards up 295,606 in six months. Visa and Mastercard carry nearly all of them, and American Express is issued by BAC and, since August 2025, acquired by Banco Nacional as well. In person, debit beats cash: a Mastercard survey found 73% of Costa Ricans used a debit card for in-store purchases against 69% for cash.
Payment by bank transfer in Costa Rica
For merchants, SINPE Móvil is a de facto instant payment method: a taxi, a soda or a market stall simply shows a phone number. Gateways such as Tilopay and ONVO now confirm these payments automatically at checkout, and SINPE TFT credit transfers to an IBAN cover larger B2B flows.
More detail in our #PayWorldTour guide Payment methods in Costa Rica.