Earning dollars, spending pesos

[grosso95]

^Thanks

 

[obiwanderkenobi]

...

@earlyretirement - I just landed a couple of weeks ago and need to find a cueva that can give me USD. Been lurking around the forum about a month or so and I remember reading a thread where someone mentioned there are cuevas here that will accept USD Paypal transfers and then give you physical USD cash in return for a 5% cut or something like that. Any advice or leads, either here or via PM, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[grosso95]

^He is going to charge you to set you up with his "personal banker".

If you can learn to use crypto, you can buy usdt with card on binance. Paypal is usually not great for personal transactions.

 

[obiwanderkenobi]

^He is going to charge you to set you up with his "personal banker".

If you can learn to use crypto, you can buy usdt with card on binance. Paypal is usually not great for personal transactions.

Yeah, I gathered that. Since my Spanish isn't great (yet), I guess I don't mind a reasonable "donation" for easy info if it saves me from having to bounce around Buenos Aires and figure it out on my own. I guess I see it as someone offering me a ride and me giving them some gas money to say thank you.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but basically I'm already in BA and need to obtain physical USD cash on a regular basis. I'm a U.S. citizen with U.S. bank accounts and income, so I would be both the sender and the receiver. I have a trip planned to Colonia in a few days and plan to get as much USD as possible from the ATMs while I'm there, but I've read that the ATM per transaction limits are very small, the fees are high, and of course there's the time involved and the added cost of having to pay for a BuqueBus ticket and whatnot. Basically, I'd like the Colonia trip to just be a one-time event and am looking to avoid going to Colonia on a recurring basis.

I've seen various posts in other threads, such as this one ( https://baexpats.org/threads/western-union-money-transfer.40976/post-427110 ) and this one ( https://baexpats.org/threads/sending-physical-u-s-dollars-to-argentina.41415/post-370511 ) which mention there are BA cuevas or financieras that accept USD transfers via ACH, Zelle, Paypal, etc. and then they give you USD cash. I haven't been in BA long enough to know where to find a trustworthy cueva that can pay me in US dollars, so hoping someone reading this can point me in the right direction. Paying a cueva a fee of 2 to 5% certainly has to be cheaper than going to Colonia every month.

I've also read that an option is just going down to Calle Florida with a bunch of pesos and buying US dollars directly from the arbolitos, but I'm not sure what kind of exchange rate I would get, and to me that seems more risky than establishing an ongoing relationship with an honest cueva.

 

[jantango]

But the reality is Argentina has NO clue what you're doing. So just enter on a tourist visa and work for your company. No one will know and it's not worth stressing over. That's one of the things I'd do differently. When I came to Argentina I did EVERYTHING by the book and worried too much what was "legal".

NOTHING works in Argentina and it's chaotic so stop stressing about things you shouldn't be. Relax and enjoy making $US and spending pesos. Argentina can't even police their own citizens. Do you think they will care what you're doing?

The BEST advice I can give to those in your position is to relax and don't over think things. Follow a common sense approach. You can see how you like Argentina. Buenos Aires is chock full of digital nomads and it will get even busier once Milei wins. You're going to see more and more foreigners in BA. For better or worse, it's coming and prices are all going to go up. So enjoy the cheap rates for things while it lasts.

There may come a time when River222 would like to open a bank account. A DNI comes in handy for that so one can transfer dollars from the US to a local bank account in BA.

So you admit you did everything "by the book" at the same time you give advice to relax and forget the laws here because no one will notice. Why?

 

[earlyretirement]

@earlyretirement - I just landed a couple of weeks ago and need to find a cueva that can give me USD. Been lurking around the forum about a month or so and I remember reading a thread where someone mentioned there are cuevas here that will accept USD Paypal transfers and then give you physical USD cash in return for a 5% cut or something like that. Any advice or leads, either here or via PM, would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, DM me. I can help you. Yes, I know people that can do Paypal. Not an issue.

^He is going to charge you to set you up with his "personal banker".

If you can learn to use crypto, you can buy usdt with card on binance. Paypal is usually not great for personal transactions.

YES, I do have a consultation fee. But you know what? My reputation is like GOLD in the Buenos Aires community so it's 100% risk free. I'd say it will be worth the money. Because once you have my contacts, you have them for LIFE. These people I've been dealing with for 20 years and NEVER let me down. I've literally done hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions in Argentina and never lost even $1 with my trusted contacts. So yeah, you're going to pay a small donation so I can make sure you are not sketchy and legit. But yep, just so you don't whine like grosso95 about being "bait and switched" for guaranteeing a transaction and gaining access to an elite group of financial people in BA.

99% of the people in Buenos Aires will exit scam you eventually. I know because most people that have come to me have already gotten cheated many times. When they finally want to get it right they come to us.

There may come a time when River222 would like to open a bank account. A DNI comes in handy for that so one can transfer dollars from the US to a local bank account in BA.

So you admit you did everything "by the book" at the same time you give advice to relax and forget the laws here because no one will notice. Why?

Absolutely long term a DNI is helpful but honestly it's not worth the hassles until the OP knows 100% they want to stay in Argentina. Better to see first. Most ex-pats are perma-tourists and that's ok in a country like Argentina.

 

[earlyretirement]

Yeah, I gathered that. Since my Spanish isn't great (yet), I guess I don't mind a reasonable "donation" for easy info if it saves me from having to bounce around Buenos Aires and figure it out on my own. I guess I see it as someone offering me a ride and me giving them some gas money to say thank you.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but basically I'm already in BA and need to obtain physical USD cash on a regular basis. I'm a U.S. citizen with U.S. bank accounts and income, so I would be both the sender and the receiver. I have a trip planned to Colonia in a few days and plan to get as much USD as possible from the ATMs while I'm there, but I've read that the ATM per transaction limits are very small, the fees are high, and of course there's the time involved and the added cost of having to pay for a BuqueBus ticket and whatnot. Basically, I'd like the Colonia trip to just be a one-time event and am looking to avoid going to Colonia on a recurring basis.

I've seen various posts in other threads, such as this one ( https://baexpats.org/threads/western-union-money-transfer.40976/post-427110 ) and this one ( https://baexpats.org/threads/sending-physical-u-s-dollars-to-argentina.41415/post-370511 ) which mention there are BA cuevas or financieras that accept USD transfers via ACH, Zelle, Paypal, etc. and then they give you USD cash. I haven't been in BA long enough to know where to find a trustworthy cueva that can pay me in US dollars, so hoping someone reading this can point me in the right direction. Paying a cueva a fee of 2 to 5% certainly has to be cheaper than going to Colonia every month.

I've also read that an option is just going down to Calle Florida with a bunch of pesos and buying US dollars directly from the arbolitos, but I'm not sure what kind of exchange rate I would get, and to me that seems more risky than establishing an ongoing relationship with an honest cueva.

Definitely Paypal is NOT the preferred method but I use ACH, Zelle all the time with mine. It's super simple. Basic concept is a tremendous amount of trust as YOU are the one sending first. But you will instantly get the cash same day or next day if you're sending after business hours. I do it all the time.

Colonia is NOT a great option and you have costs of your time. Buquebus ticket both ways, ATM fees and as you mentioned it's limited. You CAN set up a US dollar account but these days most banks around the world do NOT want American clients due to red tape hassles and reporting required by IRS. I had a HSBC US dollar account in Uruguay but remember you have a risk of being robbed!! That is your biggest risk! I personally have witnessed people leaving the bank in Buenos Aires and Montevideo and getting robbed. The bank tellers text their friends that you're leaving with $X money. I posted threads about it here if you look back in OLD posts.

Calle Florida also you have to factor in ALL your costs and risks. You're going to lose % both ways on the spread. Sometimes you CAN get lucky and Western Union pays more than blue rate but you will get kicked buying US dollars. Plus the added risks of getting robbed which you MUST factor into the equation. A friend recently got robbed at gunpoint that has been doing this for 20 years. He got complacent but people are desperate now in BA.

At the end of the day you need established contacts that are safe to deal with and that you can do repeatable business with. ALL my contacts are trustworthy. I've been posting on this forum for 13 YEARS.

 

[Rich One]

Doing a WU transfer to yourself, can be paid in dollars at WU Colonia ?. Any Xp's

 

[Caribbean Cool]

Definitely Paypal is NOT the preferred method but I use ACH, Zelle all the time with mine. It's super simple. Basic concept is a tremendous amount of trust as YOU are the one sending first. But you will instantly get the cash same day or next day if you're sending after business hours. I do it all the time.

Colonia is NOT a great option and you have costs of your time. Buquebus ticket both ways, ATM fees and as you mentioned it's limited. You CAN set up a US dollar account but these days most banks around the world do NOT want American clients due to red tape hassles and reporting required by IRS. I had a HSBC US dollar account in Uruguay but remember you have a risk of being robbed!! That is your biggest risk! I personally have witnessed people leaving the bank in Buenos Aires and Montevideo and getting robbed. The bank tellers text their friends that you're leaving with $X money. I posted threads about it here if you look back in OLD posts.

Calle Florida also you have to factor in ALL your costs and risks. You're going to lose % both ways on the spread. Sometimes you CAN get lucky and Western Union pays more than blue rate but you will get kicked buying US dollars. Plus the added risks of getting robbed which you MUST factor into the equation. A friend recently got robbed at gunpoint that has been doing this for 20 years. He got complacent but people are desperate now in BA.

At the end of the day you need established contacts that are safe to deal with and that you can do repeatable business with. ALL my contacts are trustworthy. I've been posting on this forum for 13 YEARS.

Reading here it sounds like scamming is universal in Buenos Aires. I have never been scammed here nor have done it......but I am ready to get started so I can join the club. So where do I sign up? I am willing to walk down the street with my backpack open......I could leave some dollars in my shirt pocket so all could see....I could walk up and down Florida offering to buy dollars ABOVE the blue rate....or...maybe rent a kid and ask for donations. Any good ideas would be considered.

 

[obiwanderkenobi]

Doing a WU transfer to yourself, can be paid in dollars at WU Colonia ?. Any Xp's

I don't think that's possible, but even if it were, it still would require me to go to Colonia on a regular basis. I'm going in a few days and the roundtrip BuqueBus ticket was over $100 USD, so I'm not keen on repeating if I can help it. Finding someone reliable in Buenos Aires would be ideal I think.

Reading here it sounds like scamming is universal in Buenos Aires. I have never been scammed here nor have done it......but I am ready to get started so I can join the club. So where do I sign up? I am willing to walk down the street with my backpack open......I could leave some dollars in my shirt pocket so all could see....I could walk up and down Florida offering to buy dollars ABOVE the blue rate....or...maybe rent a kid and ask for donations. Any good ideas would be considered.

I've only been here for two weeks, so I'm hoping to avoid being scammed for at least another month or two, lol. LATAM airlines scammed me on the way here, but that's a story for different thread.