Surcharge for using a foreign card at a restaurant

[Tilda]

Even if the foreign card is debit it can take up to 40 days for the business to recover the money. So, in today’s economy they don’t want to risk it. That’s the explanation I got here in Villa at least. So they apply the same surcharge that they do to credit cards for the same reason.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

Real New York bagels. Boiled. The owner is a New Yorker.

Then I am off for a bagel run! Thank you.

 

[JeffR]

I always try to use cash as much as possible. However, when I have used my Wise debit card I have never had a surcharge, in Argentina or any other country.

 

[Lisandra]

I now realize that the biggest benefit which I derive from this website is the opportunity to remind myself of the reasons why I left the United States in the first place, long ago.

So, to those who own and administer this BA Expats website - thank you.

 

[Frinkiac8]

I run into merchants who will do this occasionally where I am in Salta. Always while paying with the MercadoPago or whatever that white and blue card reader thing is. Not limited to foreign cards, any time you want to pay with a card. They just add 10% of the total price before running the transaction...so if you are buying 30k worth of stuff they will tell you if you want to use a card they will run it for 33k. Kind of a pain, but ultimately the convenience of not having to haul around bricks worth of pesos is usually still worth it for me.

 

[jantango]

I have met Sheikob, friend of friends. He is a straight shooter, honest guy. If he is charging that, its because the CC companies are charging him, or the exchange rate is so low he needs to do this to get the same amount as an Argentine debit card.

I mentioned this topic today in a phone conversation with a porteno. A friend from abroad arrives this week to rent his apartment for a vacation stay. I wanted his opinion as to whether or not a 10 percent charge on foreign credit cards is legitimate. He was surprised to.hear this is happening and suggested further investigation for my friend. He hasn't read anything published about the surcharge to foreigners who spend dollars and euros that help the economy.

It's a matter of whether businesses want to receive foreign customers or not. Either way they are making money. To be fair they should add the surcharge to local credit card users as well.

 

[Silvie]

So this afternoon we had some bagels at a really great US owned spot in Palermo called Sheikob's Bagels. Everything was seemingly awesome but when I went to pay, the cashier told me the restaurant charges a 10% surcharge for using foreign credit cards. I eat out a lot (but not usually at touristy places) and have lived here for 15+ years and this may have happened once or twice in the past but a long time ago. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if it’s going to become “a thing” now. Obviously we paid cash, since the delta between the blue and the MEP is basically non existent at the moment. The most typical experience is to be told that you can get a discount in cash, but very rarely have I experienced an actual surcharge for a card. Is this something others are seeing? Maybe at places that attract a lot of foreigners? I’ll reiterate that the bagels were excellent, so I’m not trying to knock the place. Just a little miffed.

It's illegal. They may only tell you that there is a discount if you pay cash but it doesn't matter to them where the card is from. If they really do that, don't go there again.