Tracking the foreign card rate vs. the blue rate

[pixer12]

What I've been getting vs. the blue rate since mid-April.

 

[earlyretirement]

Yeah I've been charging a ton the past week and the rate is almost always very close to the Dolar Turista - https://www.ambito.com/contenidos/dolar.html

Yeah you lose some % on using cash but it's too darn easy to use your credit card. Now more and more restaurants take credit cards. Only one place I went to didn't accept credit cards (only debit cards). But everywhere else I've had no problems using my USA credit card.

It's too much of a hassle carrying around a stack of bills and exchanging.

 

[pixer12]

Only thing I don't like about using cards here is that you can't also leave a tip using your card, like in the states. I often avoid waiter service restaurants because I don't carry enough cash generally for a tip.

 

[Che1990]

Totally agree. The rate is not as good on card but its sooo much easier and more practical than carrying cash, going to Western Union or depositing in a bank account here.

Great for buying things on MercadoLibre or through Rappi too, instead wasting time going to a store to buy - and we all know how long that can take in BA with the queues etc.

The time saved makes it worth it.

 

[barbablanca]

For me paying with a card works out exactly 10% worse off than WU.
Sometimes it feels like a lot to pay for convenience.
But some other times the inconvenice reminds how BIG it can get!

 

[sts7049]

what's that, about $5?

 

[Che1990]

For me paying with a card works out exactly 10% worse off than WU.
Sometimes it feels like a lot to pay for convenience.
But some other times the inconvenice reminds how BIG it can get!

View attachment 8861

The worst!

I do a mix of cash through a cueva, WU, card and crypto - but yeah cash is getting even more ridiculous.

You often don’t know how much to carry with you as prices are rising so quickly. Bulging pockets with a wedge of notes is a nightmare

 

[earlyretirement]

Only thing I don't like about using cards here is that you can't also leave a tip using your card, like in the states. I often avoid waiter service restaurants because I don't carry enough cash generally for a tip.

I always just make sure I have cash for tips. 10% is the norm here. The most annoying thing about cash is simply that I never have small bills. I just end up always letting the taxi drivers keep the change even when I have 500 or 1,000 peso bills as I feel like a jerk asking for change back sometimes or many times they say they don't have change.

How do you all handle taxis when they say they don't have change when you only have 1,000 peso notes? My wife will tell them if they don't have change that's their issue and they have to make change and then they reluctantly remove some 100 peso notes. I typically just let them keep the change.

 

[FrankPintor]

I always just make sure I have cash for tips. 10% is the norm here. The most annoying thing about cash is simply that I never have small bills. I just end up always letting the taxi drivers keep the change even when I have 500 or 1,000 peso bills as I feel like a jerk asking for change back sometimes or many times they say they don't have change.

How do you all handle taxis when they say they don't have change when you only have 1,000 peso notes? My wife will tell them if they don't have change that's their issue and they have to make change and then they reluctantly remove some 100 peso notes. I typically just let them keep the change.

Same, I don't think there's any good solution to this. Sometimes the guy we change money with includes a wad of 500 Peso notes and that's enough to manage this kind of situation.

 

[earlyretirement]

Same, I don't think there's any good solution to this. Sometimes the guy we change money with includes a wad of 500 Peso notes and that's enough to manage this kind of situation.

Yes, I guess if I got some 500 peso notes that would help but all the exchange places I've been to only have had 1,000 peso notes. Heck, even the 1,000 peso notes are only worth around $2 US now. But it does add up rounding up on taxis when you take many per day. I guess I'll have to be more like my wife. I've always given tips to taxi drivers but some of these taxi rides are only like 1,100 or 1,200 pesos and % wise it's just too much to tip.

I need to go to Barbablanca's casa de cambia! I'd gladly take some 100 peso notes.

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