Foreign credit cards purchases at MEP rate

[Caribbean Cool]

Gracias

Thought about using Credit Cards at the MEP rate.......When you are being attended at Hospital Aleman you can pay in cash pesos only up to a certain amount....and that amount is relatively small, about $100 or so in dollars. Over that amount, you have to pay by credit/debit card. That makes it very difficult for those of us with limited banking exposure here in Argentina. Being able to pay at the MEP rate using a foreign-based credit card seems to me to be a really great improvement... especially if the medical problem is really serious and then expensive.

 

[booms]

Anyone know how Visa credit cards are currently treating the MEP issue? Just got mine, did a test transaction, it's gone into pending at the official rate.

 

[earlyretirement]

Anyone know how Visa credit cards are currently treating the MEP issue? Just got mine, did a test transaction, it's gone into pending at the official rate.

Read the MANY texts. This is how Visa does it. It initially gets posted at the official rate and then you get a rebate a few days later. All normal.

 

[Quilombo]

Anyone know how Visa credit cards are currently treating the MEP issue? Just got mine, did a test transaction, it's gone into pending at the official rate.

Read the MANY texts. This is how Visa does it. It initially gets posted at the official rate and then you get a rebate a few days later. All normal.

That's how Mastercard (and Amex according to 1 person) does it, Visa is/should be instant, and whatever the rate is here: https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html

 

[Argentino45]

That's how Mastercard (and Amex according to 1 person) does it, Visa is/should be instant, and whatever the rate is here: https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html

Visa gets the mep rate when it's approved, during pending it's at the official rate

 

[sts7049]

yeah, visa stopped being instant after the idiots tried to take advantage of the system

 

[arvest]

yeah, visa stopped being instant after the idiots tried to take advantage of the system

Can you clarify? How were people taking advantage of the system?

 

[sts7049]

it was back in January, some people online were buying stuff and changing their currency to ARS and taking advantage of the exchange rate. page 30 or so of this thread I think. it disrupted things for a few days but when it returned it wasn't instant anymore

 

[Paige55]

Update on Amex. I paid a tab using my US Amex card last month. The charge appeared on my statement as pending for a number of days then didn't show up at all on my AMEX online account. For about a month. At the end of the month the charge showed up at official rate and was cleared through my credit card company. A week later a rebate was issued that brought it up to the dolar turista rate, I'm assuming. 1ARS=$355USD at the end of February. I hope this helps. Looks as though AMEX is boarding the dolar turista but it's not as quick a turnover as VISA, which changes from official to turista as soon as the charge moves from pending.

 

[hdanh00]

Update on Amex. I paid a tab using my US Amex card last month. The charge appeared on my statement as pending for a number of days then didn't show up at all on my AMEX online account. For about a month. At the end of the month the charge showed up at official rate and was cleared through my credit card company. A week later a rebate was issued that brought it up to the dolar turista rate, I'm assuming. 1ARS=$355USD at the end of February. I hope this helps. Looks as though AMEX is boarding the dolar turista but it's not as quick a turnover as VISA, which changes from official to turista as soon as the charge moves from pending.

Yes, for me it took about 9 days for Amex to post the rebate. my charge was in March, so maybe they sped things up.