Western Union money transfer

Because Blue is 970 atm, and Dolar Tarjeta is 731
The rate of conversion using your international Visa Mastercard credit card is not the “Dólar Tarjeta”, it is usually 2.5-7% less than MEP. Today all day it is 1 USD = 848.303990 ARS. Dolar Tarjeta is the rate for an argentina credit card to buy something from outside the country.
 
Because Blue is 970 atm, and Dolar Tarjeta is 731

10-15% I can handle, sure, but that gap is more like 25%
Where are you getting 731?

I just paid 23,600 pesos for some food 1 hour ago and the charge on my visa is $27.82 USD (1:848 rate).

Say you exchange $500 at what you posted above:

FX: 1.00 USD = 927.0000 ARS
Fee: 32.99 USD

The "real rate" you receive is 1:869 when factoring in the fee. AND you're long in pesos while you spend that $500.

What am I missing here?

WU is no longer viable imo.
 
The rate of conversion using your international Visa Mastercard credit card is not the “Dólar Tarjeta”, it is usually 2.5-7% less than MEP. Today all day it is 1 USD = 848.303990 ARS. Dolar Tarjeta is the rate for an argentina credit card to buy something from outside the country.
Exactly. I am not sure why someone would bother with WU anymore, carrying around a backpack full of cash to buy a coffee to save like a few pesos per dollar (assuming the peso holds value while you spend through).
 
Exactly. I am not sure why someone would bother with WU anymore, carrying around a backpack full of cash to buy a coffee to save like a few pesos per dollar (assuming the peso holds value while you spend through).
It's currently 10% difference (Western Union vs Visa) for GBP and seems to be pretty similar for USD as a general rule, which can be meaningful enough depending on how much you are spending.

But overall I agree. Western Union = long queues + often getting 200 & 500 pesos notes + have to hold pesos which of course devalue = worth just using Visa.
 
I think people are getting confused with some terms, so I'm going to try and provide an update that is at least accurate for October 12th 2023:

Dólar Tarjeta/Turista/Qatar/Ahorro: Via Resolución General AFIP N° 5430/2023 this week, there was a unification of the exchange rates' taxes at 100% of the "official" exchange rate, i.e. whatever the rate shown on Google is, it's at least x2 if you make a FOREIGN purchase with your ARGENTINE ISSUED debit or credit card. The average has been $731 pesos per dollar (the BNA minorista sell rate x2), but can be higher, depending on your bank/fintech. The $300 limit has been removed, every cent spent is charged this new rate.

Dólar Bolsa/MEP: No changes, cheaper stock market dollar. This remains the reference price for which Visa, Mastercard, and Amex cards ISSUED ABROAD settle purchases MADE IN PESOS at. As of 16:30 on 10/12/2023 this is 848.30 ARS = $1 USD for Visa for example. If you sell your dollars via MEP fintechs (i.e. Reba), you'll get around $870 and change, but you have to be registered/have a DNI/en blanco to do this.

Dólar CCL/WU: More expensive stock market dollar/reference price for WU; the government is pouring millions of dollars in to it to keep it from rising more, and Western Union is getting slower at updating their payout rate when it goes up, and faster at decreasing it when it goes down. As of 16:30 on 10/12/2023 this is $1 USD = $927 with WU. If you sell your dollars via dual listed securities with an Argentine brokerage firm you'll get around $970 and change per dollar, but you have to be registered/have a DNI/en blanco to do this.

Dólar Official/Google/BCRA/BNA: This has been frozen at ~$350 ARS per dollar since the PASO devaluation. Expectations are it will go up again once it's clear Massa is going to lose anyways since the Ks no longer have to worry about "plan llegar".

Arbitrage: This is increasingly popular and wasting millions of the BCRA's dollars as people are now getting up to 30% discounts on remittances and purchases simply by selling their dollars on Florida Street or via WU, and then using their debit/credit cards issued in Argentina to pay for things. Some forum members have talked about doing this previously, i.e. paying their water bill in the US with their Argentine debit card, and how it actually saves them money, because you sell dollars for $1,000 each on Florida Street, deposit the pesos, and then pay with your plastic and are charged $731 pesos per dollar. I don't condone or condemn people doing this, but I can't help but appreciate the irony of the Argentine government giving the richest people free money because it continues to pretend a dollar is worth less than 1,000 pesos.
 
For the euro you currently get
With visa : 1 euro-> 879 arg persos
With WU : 1 euro-> 978 arg pesos( comes with frustrations and long filas....)
 
Current WU USD for transfers of USD (as of noon today when logged into the US website):

$200/ $15.99
$300/$19.99
$400/$24.99
$500/$24.99
$600/$29.99
$700/$34.99
$800/$36.99
$900/$41.99
$1000/$46.99
these fees are for bank deposits ...... cash pickup is considerably more ...... I transferred $600 for cash pick-up and the fee was $37.99
 
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