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Jorge Abila

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I'm a local living in Buenos Aires

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Americas > Argentina > Buenos Aires > Useful Info
Submitted on Apr 02, 2020 Useful Info

Money Money Exchange ATM Cash Credit Card

Best way to get money in Buenos Aires for travelers

  • Visa and MasterCard are pretty widely accepted in Buenos Aires, but many places charge fees for using credit cards, on top of that I know most credit cards have currency exchange fees, so it's often much cheaper to pay for things by cash
  • Argentina's currency is Pesos, but confusingly enough its symbol is $, same as US dollars. So when you see $ in prices here keep in mind it's Argentinian pesos not US dollars
  • In Buenos Aires, you can get cash either from ATMs or by exchanging cash:
  • ATMs: while convenient, this is very expensive to use. Most ATMs in the country have withdrawal limit of 4000-6000 pesos or less per transaction, translating to about USD$60-$90. They charge a fee of around 450 pesos or more per transaction, translating to about USD$7. This means you're looking at paying around 7-10% of your withdrawal in fees, on top of whatever your own bank charges you for overseas withdrawal. Lastly, most ATMs limit you to 2-3 transactions per day, so if you need to take out larger amounts you will need to do so across multiple days
  • Currency exchange: this is likely the best options for most travelers to Buenos Aires. You can exchange at EZE airport (the main airport serving the city and where all international flights from other than from Uruguay is coming from) at the Banco de la Nacion branch. Alternatively, you can exchange at one of the many cambios, or money exchangers, in the city (you can find them on Google Maps or just walk around downtown area and you'll see them). Finally, for the best rates, you can go to Calle Florida (located here), a busy street in central Buenos Aires, where there are a lot of unofficial money exchangers. Here are some useful tips:
  • US dollars and Euros are the two best currencies to exchange. They will be accepted at all exchangers and have the best rates. Pound Sterling and Japanese Yen are also fairly widely accepted, but usually worse rates. Other currencies are less accepted
  • Bring only $100USD or €100EUR bills for exchange. Money exchangers (both official and non-official) don't like to accept smaller denominations, and will give you worse rates for exchanging smaller denominations. For other currencies, same thing bring the biggest denominations of the currency. Also make sure the notes are in beautiful condition, no torn bills, and so on

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