Prepaid Debit Card for Tourists?

[rmike]

Not quite an expat yet, but I'll be on an exploratory mission to BsAs soon. Last time I was in town, using my EU and US (debit) cards gave me a reasonable exchange rate for POS payments. Not sure how long that state of bliss will last over a span of 6+ months in 2026 Are there fintech providers that will issue prepaid cards to non-residents? Meaning, no DNI or CUIT---yet. The idea is to use Wise, or a similar service, to top up occasionally. I am aware that going all cash is an option, but I like the idea of not having to drag myself to an WU cash point on a regular basis. Any pointers, opinions, experiences greatly appreciated!

TIA

Mike

 

[LuckyLuke]

Howdy Mike,

Welcome to the forum! I would not recommend ever using a debit card down here. It can be stolen, it can be copies, it can fraudulently charged. You could request a refund on something. It can take months to clear up and meanwhile you will be out of cash. I would suggest a foreign transaction free US credit card. There are many apps that give you a card, but I don't think they will give you a better rate than MEP using your US card. Some of the commissions they charge are quite expensive when you factor the cost of charging the card and the crappy rate. I would avoid Payoneer. Some say WISE gives a good rate, but check their recharge fee.

 

[Che1990]

Search Wander Wallet.

I have downloaded it but not used it yeti, but I used a similar app a few years ago and worked well.

It basically works using crypto and local QR payments which are VERY mainstream here - nearly everywhere accepts QR.

Plus the “dólar crypto” is consistently one of the best exchange rates - a few weeks ago it was about 15% better than using a card.

You would use your USD or Euros to buy USDC (stable coins tied to the USD value) and deposit those in the app. Then simply scan the QR code in store and it exchanges it for you at the crypto rate.

I read Wander Wallet charged 20 cents for each transaction and has a 2% spread.

If you have an EU card, then I believe Uphold has 0% card fees for buying USDC. Kraken gives your EUR bank account details to transfer EUR from your banks account and then convert to USDC.

Wise is anti-crypto but their competitor Revolut has crypto built in.

There are also crypto exchanges here where you go and they exchange your USDC or USDT for pesos cash.

This is how I’ve been getting pesos since 2022, never went back to Western Union as it’s cheaper, easier and instant.

Wander Wallet: https://www.instagram.com/usewanderwallet?igsh=MWhlc3RwZjBpdml2cA==

Crypto exchange in Palermo Hollywood:

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[rmike]

That's a good point about liability if things go south (pun intended). I believe that Schwab offers commision-free cards that come with an investment account. I'll look into it. And @Che1990, usually, I steer clear of crypto for anything but speculative investment. What you wrote there sounds doable, though. I am an old cat, so that's gonna take a while to process Thanks a bunch for your input!