Special dollar account for tourists

antipodean

Registered
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Messages
1,957
Likes
2,852

According to this updated report, the “dólar gringo” for non-resident tourists to buy pesos would be at 180 instead of the official at 90 something.
Welcome to the Cuban model 2.0.

Example: If changing US$2000 it would get your “tourist bank account” AR$360.000, while changing at a cueva or arbolito would get you AR$380.000 or so versus the exchange booth at BNA Ezeiza giving you only AR$198.000. If you put it all on your foreign credit card it should get you A$230.000 (unless they use the same dólar gringo afterall, something still TBC)

I’m guessing many would be willing to bypass the risk of a dodgy guy yelling “cambio cambio” on Florida for AR$20.000 and settle for a net gain of AR$162.000 bonus pesos...

Somehow I don’t imagine Argentine businesses catering to tourists maintaining their prices linked to the official for much longer knowing “rich” tourists will be getting deep discounts and would have been prepared to pay a higher price anyway... thank goodness for PreViaje covering 50% of my domestic vacations in 2022! (Oh wait, Argentines are getting deep discounts too...)
 
so basically now, this dolar gringo is the dolar oficial. this program is just their devaluation in disguise.
 
29 October 2021 by Pablo Wende
Banks will have to fight a battle with "arbolitos" to capture tourism dollars. Opening new accounts for foreigners will be extremely cumbersome....
 

According to this updated report, the “dólar gringo” for non-resident tourists to buy pesos would be at 180 instead of the official at 90 something.
Welcome to the Cuban model 2.0.

Example: If changing US$2000 it would get your “tourist bank account” AR$360.000, while changing at a cueva or arbolito would get you AR$380.000 or so versus the exchange booth at BNA Ezeiza giving you only AR$198.000. If you put it all on your foreign credit card it should get you A$230.000 (unless they use the same dólar gringo afterall, something still TBC)

I’m guessing many would be willing to bypass the risk of a dodgy guy yelling “cambio cambio” on Florida for AR$20.000 and settle for a net gain of AR$162.000 bonus pesos...

Somehow I don’t imagine Argentine businesses catering to tourists maintaining their prices linked to the official for much longer knowing “rich” tourists will be getting deep discounts and would have been prepared to pay a higher price anyway... thank goodness for PreViaje covering 50% of my domestic vacations in 2022! (Oh wait, Argentines are getting deep discounts too...)



One must consider a potential fee, by the US bank, for generating an international transfer..!..? Guess it varies from bank to bank.
Also the local tourist account cuenta de ahorro, must be opened online in dollars and pesos. Some local banks may apply a fee for receiving an international transfer..?
The tourist account for non residents is closed when the tourist leaves , can not withdraw cash dollars and the leftover balance can be transferred back to the originating bank abroad?

Very few tourists may use arbolitos ..! tourists ask the concierge and will be directed to a blue rate exchange place....

Tourists from Chile, Brasil, Perú, Uruguay, may not have dollar accounts?
 
Last edited:
There is a much bigger problem with all of this.

The tourists don't automatically get a rate of 180. (At least according to the articles published about this so far.)

The person who wants this rate must additionally investigate and open an investment account in Argentina (a cuenta comitente), transfer dollars to this account, buy Argentine bonds in dollars, sell them in pesos, then transfer the money back to the peso account. (And, of course, they have to learn about how to do all of these things. Correctly. And hope that they don't run into problems. What a fun way to pass a vacation!)

So, they can do all of those things, and receive a rate that today is about 180 pesos/dollar, or they can stroll down calle Florida and get almost 10% more (today 194) in about five minutes, with no bureaucracy or government involvement, with no $5000 limit, and with the ability to sell any extra pesos at the end of the vacation in the same simple way.

Just another absurd, ill-conceived, dead-before-it-starts plan from peronia.
 
There is a much bigger problem with all of this.

The tourists don't automatically get a rate of 180. (At least according to the articles published about this so far.)

The person who wants this rate must additionally investigate and open an investment account in Argentina (a cuenta comitente), transfer dollars to this account, buy Argentine bonds in dollars, sell them in pesos, then transfer the money back to the peso account. (And, of course, they have to learn about how to do all of these things. Correctly. And hope that they don't run into problems. What a fun way to pass a vacation!)

So, they can do all of those things, and receive a rate that today is about 180 pesos/dollar, or they can stroll down calle Florida and get almost 10% more (today 194) in about five minutes, with no bureaucracy or government involvement, with no $5000 limit, and with the ability to sell any extra pesos at the end of the vacation in the same simple way.

Just another absurd, ill-conceived, dead-before-it-starts plan from peronia.

This only make sense for the permatourist, someone who is here for many months or years and wants to have a card to use.

The casual one or two week tourist, forget about it.
 
This only make sense for the permatourist, someone who is here for many months or years and wants to have a card to use.

The casual one or two week tourist, forget about it.
You really think a "permatourist," who knows how things work here, is going to go to all that trouble, and regularly receive a lot less money for doing so?
 
Back
Top