20% Surcharge For Travel

[dennisr]

I'm flying on Boliviana Air... so I assume that the website was Bolivian.

http://www.boa.bo/bienvenido

They have four web sites to select from: Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Spain. You must have selected Argentina because it was your departure point. A natural selection I would think, but costly. If it has an ".ar" in its address, it is going to cost you an extra 20%.

 

[Napoleon]

I had to pay a 20% tax at EZE on the extra bag of stuff that I took back to the States a couple of weeks ago.

So I guess... ".ar" or when paying in person IN "ar".

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

http://www.boa.bo/bienvenido

They have four web sites to select from: Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and Spain. You must have selected Argentina because it was your departure point. A natural selection I would think, but costly. If it has an ".ar" in its address, it is going to cost you an extra 20%.

I probably did choose Argentina originally... but I just went to the website again and choose Bolivia, and then Brazil and then Spain. And each time I was charged the 20%.

 

[dennisr]

I probably did choose Argentina originally... but I just went to the website again and choose Bolivia, and then Brazil and then Spain. And each time I was charged the 20%.

You are correct. Think I would ask about the 20% fee when not purchased at an AR site. Did a quick check on Orbitz and LAN with your itinerary and no 20% surcharge. Do not know what to think. Everything is subject to change in Argentina at a moments notice. Give them a call, everything to gain.

 

[shoush]

soooo, the other day i changed my flight with united, i had to pay the 250usd change fee, naturaly i called united and asked if i could pay it at their office...with pesos! they said sure! I went there, and ALMOST got away with paying around 1200 pesos until her "companiero" reminded her about the 20% surcharge! oh well, i paid 1550 pesos and saved about 600! still happy about paying around 180usd instead of 250!

 

[goodboyjakey]

Nobody seems to have clarified the second part of this directive that 'prohibit the sale of tickets and tour packages to non-residents'( no mention of a 20% tax). Surely this cannot be right as it would stop people from lawfully exiting the country. So if I go to the bus station in Mendoza and try and buy a ticket for Chile or at Buquebus for a ferry to Uruguay, I will be told I cannot leave? What about all the backpackers and tourists who are wandering around South America, does it then mean that they are stuck here and what message does that send out to potential visitors?

 

[HettieinBA]

Tried to buy flights on AA this afternoon and I got right the way through to the last page when red writing came up to say that the address on my card (Argentina) meant the purchase could not be completed. No options or 20% additional offered just simply 'no can do'

 

[syngirl]

Tried to buy flights on AA this afternoon and I got right the way through to the last page when red writing came up to say that the address on my card (Argentina) meant the purchase could not be completed. No options or 20% additional offered just simply 'no can do'

Sorry I should have updated my husband's experience, so after fighting to get his ticket price to 1226, a few days later American contacted him to say his card had been declined and that they would hold the ticket for him if he could come in and pay in person, but that he should contact his CC company to make sure no problems with card. well of course no problems with card, he had more than enough room for the purchase. So he ended up paying in person with the extra 30 bucks surcharge for the privilege of doing so AND they told him that since he was paying in person they would have to charge the 20% on the spot.

so Hettie I suspect the same would go for you -- you can probably hold the ticket online, but then have to go in person to pay, American will get their extra 30 bucks for seeing you in person and AFIP gets their 20%. I have no idea why it was this way, but it does make sense to me now that a few weeks ago when we were at American to pick up the other Airmiles tickets there were all of these people their paying for web purchases in person, which at the time I thought was some weird local paranoia over not liking to use their CC online, but now I think is probably some quirk in the system....

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

Nobody seems to have clarified the second part of this directive that 'prohibit the sale of tickets and tour packages to non-residents'( no mention of a 20% tax). Surely this cannot be right as it would stop people from lawfully exiting the country. So if I go to the bus station in Mendoza and try and buy a ticket for Chile or at Buquebus for a ferry to Uruguay, I will be told I cannot leave? What about all the backpackers and tourists who are wandering around South America, does it then mean that they are stuck here and what message does that send out to potential visitors?

I am a non-resident and I haven't had any problems buying plane or bus tickets leaving the country-- although I did pay the 20% tax.

 

[sleazemerchant]

Tickets can still easily be purchased in pesos at any American Airlines ticket office. The best way to do this is to make a reservation on AA.com, put it on hold, and go to your nearest AA ticket office (one on Santa Fe/ Suipacha, another on Pueyrredon a block south of Las Heras) to pay for the reservation. They will add a $25 USD ticketing fee and the 20% AFIP surcharge, but even after all the nonsense that $1000 USD quoted price on AA.com ends up costing you only about $700 USD.