Argentina prices almost everything in pesos, and the practical question for a visitor is how to get them without losing money on the way. The honest answer changes: exchange rules, the rate applied to foreign cards and cash-machine conditions have been revised many times in recent years. This guide therefore gives no rates. It explains how each option works and what to check shortly before you travel.
Changing cash
- Authorised exchange houses and banks. They ask for your passport and give a receipt. They may refuse, or pay less for, notes that are torn, written on, stained or from an old series, so bring clean notes.
- At the airport. The arrivals hall has exchange counters and cash machines. They are convenient for your first expenses; for larger sums, compare with exchange houses in the city.
- Street changers. In the centre you will hear offers to change money. There is no receipt, nobody to complain to and a real risk of counterfeit notes. For a visitor it is not worth it.
Paying by card
Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and most shops in the city take cards. What you finally pay in your own currency depends on the rate your card issuer applies, which follows the rules in force at the time. Ask your bank before you leave and check the first purchase on your statement.
Carry two cards from different networks and tell your bank you are travelling. Street fairs, kiosks and some small shops prefer cash.
Cash machines
For foreign cards, machines apply a limit per withdrawal and a fee charged by the local bank, on top of whatever your own bank charges. The cost is shown on screen before you confirm. They work as a fallback; as your main source of pesos they tend to be expensive.
Other ways to pay
Locals pay a great deal by QR code through digital wallets, and some of these accept foreign users. Money-transfer services with cash pick-up also exist. In both cases compare the rate and the commission first.
How much cash to carry
Enough for the day: tips, a taxi, a street market. Keep the rest in the safe where you are staying. Do not change everything at once, because changing leftover pesos back costs money.
Paying for your transfer
With LatamTransfer the price is per vehicle and agreed before the trip. The payment method is settled in the same quote, so you do not need to hunt for pesos the moment you land. See the guide on how to pay the driver and how to book.