This is an oddball question. My wife (living in USA) is supporting her mother who has dementia and lives in Costa Rica. One of the thing she needs to help with is paying the bills (utility etc). Now this can be done using online banking with a local Costa Rican bank. However, we need to register a phone number for two factor authentication with the bank (so that they can send us the SMS code/challenge for online banking). I know I can get a CR phone number by buying a CR pre-paid card at one of the providers (Kolbi-ICE, Movistar...). The issue is that this number needs to work in USA. Which means we will need to pay roaming charges. I think there are no fees for inbound SMS so that helps.
My question: Has anybody else been in the same position? Is there a better way to setup two factor authentication with a bank? Is there a CR phone service that works well in USA?
Thanks for your answers and help in advance.
How do I get local CR phone number to use in USA for banking needs?
Hello,
We have a home in Escazú. Our electric is through CNFL and I pay our bill with a credit card without any problems. I also have a bank account at Scotiabank and I pay our condo fee online right out of our checking account. I never have to use a phone number for verification.
Nancy Bonnet
Get magic jack phone number and you can call USA numbers for free
@ndbonnet - Thanks that was helpful! My wife looked and she can pay electric bill online. Yes, condo fees (HOA) can also be paid online. Water bill still requires in person payment or at participating institution (bank, participating store ...).
Water can be paid automatically from your Costa Rica bank account .We have our bank account with Banco Nacional Costa Rica and is not a problem to pay for the water
@graceborowiak53 Thanks, for that tip. Will look into it.
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