Using Ria Vs. Xoom

[agape4argentina]

Sure, other people can send you money. That's kind of the idea in general. However, since I get a direct deposit to my account in the states for work, I was hoping to eliminate a middle man and send directly to my account here in Argentina (which xoom allows).

For an update, the transaction to my landlord is going through after a quick check from the fraud department ensuring it was me who made the transaction.

 

[ElCordobés]

In light of what might be an agreement...you can still catch a good rate. Ria usually takes a day or two to update their exchange...If you missed the window to catch the local rate at its peak...Ria's is still 11.834. As close as it gets to blue. I haven't had a problem yet with them. (Just remember a US IP address. You need a VPN or other way to spoof your IP location or you may temporarily lock your account).

 

[agape4argentina]

Yes, I have a VPN already but my transaction was cancelled as soon as they saw I was sending money to myself. Have you been able to do this?

 

[steveinbsas]

Yes, I have a VPN already but my transaction was cancelled as soon as they saw I was sending money to myself. Have you been able to do this?

Could you please tell us which VPN service you are using and if it is "free" or a paid service. Thanks!

One way around the prohibition of sending money to yourself using RIA would be to "partner up" with another expat and send funds to each other.

Perhaps the best way, assuming you already have a Charles Schwab account, would be to have a friend who has a Charles Schwab debit card send you the funds through RAI after you transfer the necessary amount into their Schwab account (which can be done by phone without sending a fax).

With Schwab it is also possible to have a check sent (with a faxed authorization) to anyone in the USA who would be wiling to make the transfer using RAI. The fax can also create a "standi9ng order" to issue checks of any amount desired with a phone call to customer service. There is no charge ofr a check sent first class mail (from California), The charge for second day delivery via UPS is $20 USD.

And Schwab has the best CSRs in the world.

 

[agape4argentina]

Could you please tell us which VPN service you are using and if it is "free" or a paid service. Thanks!

One way around the prohibition of sending money to yourself using RIA would be to "partner up" with another expat and send funds to each other.

Perhaps the best way, assuming you already have a Charles Schwab account, would be to have a friend who has a Charles Schwab debit card send you the funds through RAI after you transfer the necessary amount into their Schwab account (which can be done by phone without sending a fax).

With Schwab it is also possible to have a check sent (with an faxed authorization) to anyone in the USA who would be wiling to make the transfer using RAI. The fax can also create a "standi9ng order" to issue checks of any amount desired with a phone call to customer service.

And Schwab has the best CSRs in the world.

I'm an affiliate with blacklogic.com (I think they're out of Toronto), and it's been a good VPN for me. If you sign up through my link I think I get a few pennies: https://www.blacklog...aff.php?aff=148. At any rate, my next idea is exactly what you mention--partnering with another friend of mine here and basically send money to each other. It may seem a little strange but when you figure you're getting a 15% bump in the value of your money (and smaller bank/cc fees via Ria), it seems well worth the headache.

 

[ElCordobés]

Yes, I have a VPN already but my transaction was cancelled as soon as they saw I was sending money to myself. Have you been able to do this?

To ensure no problems, I send to my wife (deposit to our joint Argie bank account)...it saves me the 20 questions. I have a friend who was able to get around it by calling Ria, but I would worry you'd get the wrong rep and they could lock you out. Another work around is to have family send. (I concur with steveinbsas) Schwab is a great option.

Re: VPNs. I use TunnelBear which has a free level 500Mb to 1Gb (I use paid for streaming for unlimited) and it very easy to set up/use from PC, Android, iOS and Mac (I have done all) and it spoofs many countries...just pull down preferred country from the app/program and you can change whenever you want. StrongVPN is what I used for fiveyears until recently. It's a little more complicated, but generally a solid option.

 

[steveinbsas]

Does anyone know if RIA money transfer is connected with MORE Argentina?

 

[agape4argentina]

I was under the impression that both Ria and Xoom use More as their third-party contact in Argentina, but I'm not sure.

 

[ElCordobés]

I was under the impression that both Ria and Xoom use More as their third-party contact in Argentina, but I'm not sure.

Ria uses Argenper. I have used both services.

 

[agape4argentina]

Ok, so an update to this thread. To send money to my landlord I used Ria via the "bank account" option whereby the fees were minimal. I DO NOT recommend this as it make the transaction take up to 3-4 business days to process. I am still waiting for this money to be deposited--there is some hang up with my recipient's bank or the third-party (Argenper) and my recipient. I have no idea why the funds haven't yet been deposited, but it seems to me that the communication between Ria and Argenper is sub-standard.

However, I did choose to do a small transfer to myself again to see how it would work using the debit card feature. In this case it was a $100 USD transfer from me to me, with a $5 debit card transaction fee. THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT. The funds were confirmed within the hour, and the transfer was completed in under 2 business days. Quick note: on the Ria site it says I was supposed to receive $1,164 ARS, but in reality I received $1,160. Probably some admin fee. However, considering the ease of the transaction, quick turnaround, better exchange rates, and lower fees, I am going to try again with a more significant amount.

Hope this thread is helping you out there.