Dolar turista

[Dim Witty]

Can you pay for all your daily purchases and bills using a CC issued for a foreign bank and be charged the tourist rate for years on end?

 

[redlobster]

Can you pay for all your daily purchases and bills using a CC issued for a foreign bank and be charged the tourist rate for years on end?

Of course! Just invent a random exchange rate, give it a catchy name, set it to whatever feels fair, and your U.S. bank will happily adopt it.

 

[Dim Witty]

Of course! Just invent a random exchange rate, give it a catchy name, set it to whatever feels fair, and your U.S. bank will happily adopt it.

I don't understand. So, given the present rate, if I buy something for about 1,500 pesos, I'll be charged a dollar?

 

[IamWaldo]

I don't understand. So, given the present rate, if I buy something for about 1,500 pesos, I'll be charged a dollar?

it's the other way around
dolar turista is for things that you buy outside argentina with an argentinian card

i would keep an eye on MEP or CCL (https://www.rava.com/perfil/DOLAR CCL)
that's the price you pay roughly with a card.
it's about ~1.150-1.200

 

[Dim Witty]

Iam, I'm thoroughly confused now. I just read this: The benefit is automatically activated when tourists use their internationally issued American Express, Mastercard or Visa credit, debit, or prepaid cards. Every time a tourist makes a payment in Argentina with their card, the exchange rate is 10% better than the official rate.

 

[IamWaldo]

Iam, I'm thoroughly confused now. I just read this: The benefit is automatically activated when tourists use their internationally issued American Express, Mastercard or Visa credit, debit, or prepaid cards. Every time a tourist makes a payment in Argentina with their card, the exchange rate is 10% better than the official rate.

i don't know what to say..

or you believe me or you don't.

i don't make up the rules

 

[Dim Witty]

i don't know what to say..

or you believe me or you don't.

i don't make up the rules

It's been a pleasure- Have a lovely evening.

 

[Ries]

Obviously using a foreign credit card gives you a better exchange rate than the official one right now. But that can change, unpredictably. Many people have other mitigating factors- immigration status, the need to prove to migraciones a regular deposit in an argentine bank account, for instance. And who you needto pay affects things too. Airbnb, credit cards no problem. However if you need to pay expensas on a residence, regularly pay utilities, ABL, or other common daily living expensas, credit cards are often not usable. Many of my day to day purchases are to places that Only take efectivo or transferencias. For a tourist, credit cards can be viable, but the more rooted in the culture and economy you become, the more you absolutely need an argentine bank account.

 

[lunar]

Obviously using a foreign credit card gives you a better exchange rate than the official one right now.

According to official visa exchange rate site
1USD = 1156
Central bank rate: 1USD = 1130.

It's like 2% difference today. Does a 2% difference really qualify as 'obviously' better?

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The "dólar turista," as IamWaldo mentioned above, applies to Argentine tourists shopping abroad with their Argentine cards. If it is still in use, they are charged a highly disadvantageous rate of 1,534 pesos per dollar. So, when they buy something for 1 dollar, 1,534 pesos are charged to their account. If the official exchange rate were used instead, only 1,130 pesos would be charged.

 

[AdrianB]

There were also a few days in recent months where Visa rate was worse than official. So definitely it's far from obvious now.