@argeiCanuck Crypto might be difficult for you if you're technologically challenged or "phobic" (to use your words). Not sure about your age group, but I'm 39 and anything tech related usually comes very easy to me. However, to my Dad and step-Mom (both 70-ish), everything is a challenge. I recently had to help her find the CD tray on her new laptop because she didn't realize her laptop has a CD slot and thought the slot was an air vent. It wouldn't be an issue for most people because no one buys laptops with CD tray/slots any more, but she insists on having a laptop that takes CDs, because she insists on buying a new Turbotax CD every year to do the taxes because simply doing it on their website (or downloading their software) is too "complicated." E-filing is also too complicated and so everything must be printed and mailed with stamps. I can't imagine trying to explain Crypto to either of them, and I'm sure they'd never trust it, lol. My dad keeps most of his money locked in a gunsafe because he barely trusts banks. But I digress...
It sounds like your level of tech-savviness is better than theirs, but I'll stick to a couple of "low stress" suggestions for how to workaround your Western Union dilemma. If you're already used to WU, then I might trying using Xoom as it should be a very similar process. You can use the Xoom website, or even easier in my opinion is if you have an existing PayPal account. Xoom is a PayPal company and you can send Xoom transfers via the PayPal website. Simply log in to PayPal, you should find an option to "Send cash for pickup to 110 countries," and from there you choose the receiver's country and enter the amount to see what the different fees are. Xoom's exchange rate isn't as good as WU unfortunately, it's currently 887, whereas WU is currently 939. Using the PayPal website isn't necessary though, you can do all this via the Xoom website as well.
Since you used the word "desperate" to describe your situation, I'm guessing you're not too worried about the difference in exchange rates and fees between WU and Xoom, but I used a test amount of 150.000 pesos so you can see the difference. Sending 150.000 pesos with Xoom currently costs $169.05 USD for the cash itself, then the fee is either $2.99 (funding with a bank account), $4.99 (funding with your PayPal balance), or $8.50 (funding with a debit card). So the total cost for 150.000 pesos is between $172.04 and $177.55. Meanwhile, sending 150.000 pesos with WU currently costs $159.62 USD, and the fee I am being quoted is $8.99 and is the same for both bank account and debit card funding, which brings the total cost to $168.61. So at the end of the day, Xoom will cost a little more than you're used to, but no more than $10 at most. Similar to WU, funding with a debit card should result in the fastest processing time (perhaps in just minutes), whereas funding with a bank account might take a few days.
As far as where to go to pick-up the cash, Xoom seems to have partnered with "Cobro Express" and/or "Giros Express", so you would want to find their nearest location. You can get a dropdown list of locations on the Xoom website. When I select CABA and Buenos Aires for state/city, it lists 27 different Cobro Express locations to choose from. Here is the URL for the Xoom locator:
Xoom Partner Locations
My other suggestion, and since you asked about it (and mentioned $2,000 USD), would be a trip to Colonia to get as much USD as you need to hold you over for a few months. There are (I gather) cuevas in Buenos Aires that will accept incoming PayPal, Zelle, wire, crypto, etc. transfers and then give you USD cash in exchange for a cut of typically 5 to 7%. But let's say you find a safe and trusted cueva, and the cueva agrees to receive an incoming USD transfer of $2,000, then you're probably looking at a fee of between $100 and $140 to the cueva for their services. I'm sure there are cuevas here and there that might take lower percentages, especially for crypto transfers, but it seems like many folks on BAexpats are reluctant to freely give out their cueva information, everything always seems to be hush hush or "I know a guy but I can't share it here, only on Whatsapp."
I've only been here since September, but I quickly grew tired of having to beg people for their cueva info, and if technology is your obstacle, then mine is that I speak almost no Spanish, only basic words and phrases. So I don't have the luxury of being able to visit or call 20 different cuevas to ask them to explain to me via Google Translate how to get my hands on physical dollars (which I need to pay my rent). As a result, taking the ferry to Colonia's been the easy way to go for me.
I've been twice so far, once at the end of September, and again at the end of November (and probably again toward the end of January). I love the excursion and the change in pace, food and scenery (Colonia is a beautiful and historic town). Sure, you can probably do a day trip/tour, but I think an overnight is better and certainly less stressful since you don't have to do customs and immigration twice in one day. I treat it as a little mini-vacation, and grab an Airbnb for the night and have a meal at a nice restaurant (my favorite is called Charco and has delicious food and a fantastic waterfront view). Between the ferry tickets and an Airbnb maybe I'm spending the same or more as I would with a cueva, but for me Colonia is simply more fun, even if I "lose" a day by going there. Both times I've gone I've stocked up on enough USD to last me at least two months, and then I'll just make another trip when I get low again.
To answer your question, getting USD in Colonia has been super easy and just means going to the ATM and nothing else. You don't need any paperwork, no Uruguay bank account or teller counter visits, and no extra paperwork or hassle. The ATM I use is at Banco República (Google Maps link:
Banco República), which is maybe a 15-minute walk or a 5-minute taxi ride from the ferry terminal. Both Airbnbs I have stayed at are within two or three blocks of the bank at most, and the bank is close to the waterfront and many lovely cafes and restaurants.
The ATM at Banco República dispenses USD, so you simply need your debit card. During my most recent visit their ATM fee was $5 per transaction and the ATM's limit per transaction was $600. I bank with USAA and they refund me $10 a month in ATM fees, so I can withdraw $2,400 across four transactions, and it ultimately costs me only $10 total. You should have no problems withdrawing similar amounts, or even more if need be. The ATMs (there are four) are inside the bank so you aren't exposed to people walking down the street, and there are armed security or police inside the bank standing a few feet way. During my last visit one of the ATMs wasn't dispensing USD for some reason, so I tried the one next to it and it was working fine.
The dollars I've received have all been brand new, crisp and uncirculated as if they came straight out of the pack. If the ATM has a daily limit per person, I haven't encountered it yet, but usually it is not the ATM but your bank back home that is blocking the transaction. For example, my bank has a default daily withdrawal limit of $600, but I can temporarily increase it to up to $5,000 via their mobile app or over the phone. I also have a backup checking account and debit card with another bank, so if I run into any issues I can instantly transfer funds between banks using Zelle (I'm not sure what the Canadian equivalent is if there is one) and use my backup debit card if the Colonia ATM decides to stop liking one for some reason.
For me the plus in an all this, besides a fun little overnighter to Colonia, is that I can get enough USD in one trip to completely eliminate the need for WU or cueva visits for a couple months. So the time I spend in Colonia is time saved elsewhere. It's also nice having a small reserve of physical USD on hand, and if I need physical pesos I just visit Calle Florida and sell some dollars to an arbolito at the blue rate. Otherwise I try to use my Visa as much as possible to make the dollars last longer before I go to Colonia again.
I'm sure there are others here who have different and perhaps better suggestions. But if it was me, and I was in need of quick cash ASAP (as you seem to be), I'd consider using a debit card via Xoom and hope that it processes same day, or get on the ferry to Colonia tomorrow morning and (if you have the means) get a few thousand dollars to hold you over until WU starts working for you again. Also, I hate to hear of anyone in a bad spot, so if there's anything I (as a technology lover) can do to help you navigate Xoom or a different money transfer alternative, or if you want to know anything else about Colonia, feel free to send me a PM and I'll try to help.
