35% tax when buying flights in pesos?

[lukegrunger]

Hi Guys, excited to visit Argentina from Colombia next month but am a bit confused with flights and whether it's worth buying in arg pesos to get a better price.

Though the airlines don't seem to allow payment in pesos for argentinian flights, some third parties do. Gotogate and Mytrip for example. It would save a few hundred pounds/dollars.

When I see the link to them on skyscanner, however, it says "Esta tarifa NO incluye percepción 35% RG 4815/20 ni 30% impuesto PAIS. Ambos podran ser cobrados por tu institucion financiera".

If I pay with a foreign card in pesos I should get the MEP rate, but will I then get slapped with a massive tax after?

When I booked a domestic flight with aerolineas argentians there were no adittional flights and I was charged the MEP rate (about 1000 pesos to the pound sterling).

On the gotogate website it says about a third or quarter of the ticket price is taxes but it doesn't specity waht.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[gringoexpress]

Gotogate are thieves and if you keep using them, one of these days, they'll screw you way out of anything you may have saved. Now, that being said, see if you can book the same route direct with the airline in pesos. I saved 40% doing just that with Latam last week. Ymmv with other airlines, but usually it comes out cheaper if the transaction will go through in pesos.

 

[lukegrunger]

Gotogate are thieves and if you keep using them, one of these days, they'll screw you way out of anything you may have saved. Now, that being said, see if you can book the same route direct with the airline in pesos. I saved 40% doing just that with Latam last week. Ymmv with other airlines, but usually it comes out cheaper if the transaction will go through in pesos.

I can't seem to get it priced in pesos with latam or any others. They just seem to offer USD or other currencies. Was yours internal by any chance?

 

[lukegrunger]

And no issue with the tax?

 

[lukegrunger]

I'm seeing the peso option on latam's argentina website now but it actually works out more expensive, even with the more favourable exchange rate.

 

[gringoexpress]

I'm seeing the peso option on latam's argentina website now but it actually works out more expensive, even with the more favourable exchange rate.

It's a crapshoot every time. Airlines use black magic and sorcery to set rates so don't try using logic and reason to make sense of it. Check rates for both airports in Buenos Aires, check prices direct with the airlines, and if buying in pesos is more expensive don't buy in pesos.

 

[sts7049]

the tax is applied to locals who are paying with local cards to "make up" for the outflow of dollars that creates buying the ticket.

i don't think you will get the MEP rate buying a ticket from outside the country. even if you use one of those third parties your CC company might know where the transaction was realized from depending on how you do the payment.

what might work is if you use a VPN to locate yourself in ARG, then search and buy a ticket through the airlines. then, using your CC the payment should go through with the MEP rate.

 

[lukegrunger]

the tax is applied to locals who are paying with local cards to "make up" for the outflow of dollars that creates buying the ticket.

i don't think you will get the MEP rate buying a ticket from outside the country. even if you use one of those third parties your CC company might know where the transaction was realized from depending on how you do the payment.

what might work is if you use a VPN to locate yourself in ARG, then search and buy a ticket through the airlines. then, using your CC the payment should go through with the MEP rate.

When I booked an internal flight in Argentina from outside the country the other day I got the MEP rate. Any reason why I wouldn't with an international flight?

 

[Redpossum]

When I booked an internal flight in Argentina from outside the country the other day I got the MEP rate. Any reason why I wouldn't with an international flight?

Because Argentina

 

[lukegrunger]

Because Argentina

Should have reworded that . Is it likely ?