Banco online with no headaches?

[gonzalob54]

I just want to be able to have a simple and free bank account to pay my bills from home without having to deal with people, colas, tramites et al. Also needs to accept my WU transfers promptly hassle-free. Probably asking a lot from this chaotic argentine financial system, but any suggestions are welcome..

 

[Neil]

I just want to be able to have a simple and free bank account to pay my bills from home without having to deal with people, colas, tramites et al. Also needs to accept my WU transfers promptly hassle-free. Probably asking a lot from this chaotic argentine financial system, but any suggestions are welcome..

If you have DNI These...otherwise outta luck!

 

[gonzalob54]

Yes I have DNI. After living 40 yrs in the US I came back and find it very hard to readjust to life in Argentina.

 

[Neil]

Yes I have DNI. After living 40 yrs in the US I came back and find it very hard to readjust to life in Argentina.

Yes, I hear ya...I use Brubank works well for all bill pays, W.u transfer not working, but you can go to W.u and using Brubank token + DNI deposit transfer into account right at window. Instant deposit..saves walking out with a pile of pesos..

 

[dsp27]

Of the ones mentioned Brubank is BY FAR the best. However, be warned that as of recent and I don't think much has changed -- none of those accept WU payments so you would have to open a "conventional" bank account, many offer the first year free. I opened an ITAU account (1st yr free) exactly to be able to receive WU payments -- it's all done online so highly recommend it. They mail you the debit card and you would only need to visit a branch once at some point if you need to get a tarjeta de coordinads to transfer out (it takes 5 min to get it on the spot).

If you want to open a conventional bank account and have no credit history in AR then go on https://www.veraz.com.ar/ECOMMERCE/datos-reclamo.ecom?id=1&subId=18 and register yourself with the credit bureau otherwise your application will be rejected until you update your info (it's simple and quick). You don't need to do this for Brubank or the other digital banks. Also be aware that Brubank and most digital banks have large backlogs and are currently taking a very long time to process applications.

 

[antipodean]

Itaú as dsp27 says. I second that. It is a serious bank and supported by branches and ATMs of its own. Opening online. Account is free plus there are cash back benefits for debit card purchases and they adjust your balance monthly to keep up with inflation. Seems I am getting about 2k free per month with little use.

Mostly importantly, Western Union works with Itaú (I have problems getting WU to accept my Santander account and it does not work with Wilobank, my first online AR bank.)

I opened it during this lockdown in order to receive WU transfers and the card took about a week and a bit to arrive. The pin number did not arrive in the days following so I called them and they reset the pin so all I needed to do was go to any ATM and choose a new one. Easy enough to set up online and app banking also.

You may also want to consider using Mercadopago to receive you WU transfers in the meantime (you need to go to a Pago Facil branch and they credit it to your Mercadopago account instead of paying you cash) You can use this platform to pay bills etc or transfer, make purchases or transfer to a bank account.

 

[rhonashere]

OK wow ITAU sounds a dream. Do not think of using HSBC, Galicia or Santander Rio to receive WU or overseas payments................unless you want mountains of excruciating bureaucracy that changes every month and horrendous mistakes from the bank staff that honestly must have been born yesterday.

Also Brubank is awesome for monthly bills and expenses apart from AFIP or am I missing something here?

 

[gonzalob54]

Seems like ITAU requires not to have another bank acct. somewhere to be able to register? I was going to switch from my Macro acct. to ITAU transfering my balance from there.. any ideas?

 

[dsp27]

Seems like ITAU requires not to have another bank acct. somewhere to be able to register? I was going to switch from my Macro acct. to ITAU transfering my balance from there.. any ideas?

Yea, I am very happy with ITAU so far. Have had zero problems. Customer service on twitter responds within a day -- often in a few hours.

Where does it say you cannot have another account? I had 2 other accounts before I opened a free one with ITAU.

Just open the account on your PHONE -- https://www.itau.com.ar/abritucuenta/Paginas/default.aspx --using the camera to take photos as required to be ID-ed. And before you submit the app register with VERAZ as I explained above.

If you have any questions ask ITAU on twitter -- as simple as that.

P.S. Depending on the promo -- ITAU will pay you 2-3% a month of your avg monthly balance for 6 months after opening as adjustment for inflation
It's only for 6 months thou not forever.

 

[lost]

One more option is Galicia Move https://www.galiciamove.com.ar/ . It is Banco Galicias response to Brubank/Wilobank/Rebanking. You open it online and get your debit card in the mail. Includes an account in USD and one in ARS. No monthly fees. And as it is in reality a Banco Galicia caja de ahorro account you can receive WU transfers.