ATM - highest withdraw limit

[janeahonen]

Hey guys,
do you know what is the ATM that allows the highest withdrawals? I am okay with losing a bit on a worse exchange rate compared to WU or other methods, but so far I've been only able to find ATMs with a 30.000 limit and an 8.000 processing fee.

 

[Wally]

Hey guys,
do you know what is the ATM that allows the highest withdrawals? I am okay with losing a bit on a worse exchange rate compared to WU or other methods, but so far I've been only able to find ATMs with a 30.000 limit and an 8.000 processing fee.

Yeah the ATM machines here really suck. They all pretty much have a really low limit with the 8,000 peso processing fee which makes them a rip off unless you have a bank that reimburses you for fees like the Charles Schwab card. They rebate ALL ATM fees. I have this account and it's great!

Charles Schwab

You can try this ATM machine in San Telmo. Some are saying there is a skimmer on it but you can take your chances. Some said they withdraw with NO ATM fees but just beware.

Banking - Beware of the Fee Free ATM at Defensa and Independencia - Has a Skimmer on it to Steal PIN!

Just a warning that I used an ATM at the corner of Independencia and Defensa yesterday and it let me withdraw for no fee with my Visa debit card. I thought it was my lucky day as all the other ATM machines are charging me high fees. But it must have had a skimmer or something else to steal my...

www.expatsba.com

But ask your local friends and they can probably hook you up with a cueva that you can wire funds to and they will give you cash. Most charge around 5% to 6%. Or can you send a Western Union to yourself? That's what most expats do with their ATM card. It's usually instant and you can pick up the funds ASAP.

Send and Track Money Online Now | Western Union

Send and track money from the United States with Western Union's international money transfer services.

www.westernunion.com

Xoom also works really well.

Send Money Online | Xoom, a PayPal Service

Transfer money online securely and easily with Xoom and save on money transfer fees. Wire money to a bank account in minutes or pick up cash at thousands of locations.

www.xoom.com

 

[Uncle Wong]

Wally's advice is good. I was using Western Union but I got locked out of my account and a nightmare setting up a new one. For some reason it won't work. I was depending on that!

Funny on this old article from not that long ago:

HOW TO AVOID INSANE ATM FEES: ARGENTINA — Oops I Booked Again - Solo Female Travel Blog

ATM withdrawal fees in Argentina can amount to as much as 10-15%... With a low ATM withdrawal limit this makes withdrawing cash in Argentina...

www.oopsibookedagain.com

Much of it isn't valid except to bring lots of cash to Argentina if you will be here a while! These days you can use your credit card for a great rate. But I spend cash on a lot of things like my rent where they demand US dollars. I was using Airbnb but the owner rented direct to me for a good savings. I just went over to Uruguay and I could take out lots of USD there and brought them so you can look into that if you're there a long time.

Can you use Western Union @janeahonen? That works really well and when it was working for me was instant. I'd send myself a payment on the app and I would go pick it up just minutes later.

 

[earlyretirement]

I second the Charles Schwab checking account with unlimited ATM rebates worldwide. I travel about 100 days a year and I use mine all the time and they always rebate ALL of them back the following month.

Definitely think about Western Union as the others mentioned. It's quick and easy. These days I just use my USA credit cards and the rate is very good. VERY few reasons to use an ATM machine in Buenos Aires as the withdrawal limit is very low and the fees are high if you don't get reimbursed.

But 8,000 peso fee sounds high on the ATM withdrawal fee. Did this go up? @Darksider415 reported on this thread he can withdraw 40,000 pesos at a time and they are charging 3,700 peso fee. But that was a few weeks ago so it could have gone up. If so, that is highway robbery!

Newcomer - Foreign Credit Card purchases at MEP rate?

Forgive this newbie but I'm coming to Buenos Aires for 1 month in a few weeks. I read that foreigners can use their credit cards from their home countries (I am American) and I will get a special exchange rate. I read some old articles and I found these...

www.expatsba.com

 

[Betsy Ross]

I second the Charles Schwab checking account with unlimited ATM rebates worldwide. I travel about 100 days a year and I use mine all the time and they always rebate ALL of them back the following month.

Definitely think about Western Union as the others mentioned. It's quick and easy. These days I just use my USA credit cards and the rate is very good. VERY few reasons to use an ATM machine in Buenos Aires as the withdrawal limit is very low and the fees are high if you don't get reimbursed.

But 8,000 peso fee sounds high on the ATM withdrawal fee. Did this go up? @Darksider415 reported on this thread he can withdraw 40,000 pesos at a time and they are charging 3,700 peso fee. But that was a few weeks ago so it could have gone up. If so, that is highway robbery!

I had a friend in town and she also told me some ATM machines are charging 8,000 pesos now! That is crazy considering you can only take out maximum of 40,000 pesos. I told her to just use Western Union! We all take WU for granted but many people coming to Argentina have never used it before. My friend told me she thought they went out of business years ago! Ha, ha!

I told her to do that and she feels so silly paying those sky high ATM fees. She took out a $300 USD worth of pesos today. She got 923 pesos to $1 USD today. And she signed up and got her first transfer free! So you should get that offer too I'd think.

Send and Track Money Online Now | Western Union

Send and track money from the United States with Western Union's international money transfer services.

www.westernunion.com

 

[janeahonen]

Wally's advice is good. I was using Western Union but I got locked out of my account and a nightmare setting up a new one. For some reason it won't work. I was depending on that!

Funny on this old article from not that long ago:

HOW TO AVOID INSANE ATM FEES: ARGENTINA — Oops I Booked Again - Solo Female Travel Blog

ATM withdrawal fees in Argentina can amount to as much as 10-15%... With a low ATM withdrawal limit this makes withdrawing cash in Argentina...

www.oopsibookedagain.com

Much of it isn't valid except to bring lots of cash to Argentina if you will be here a while! These days you can use your credit card for a great rate. But I spend cash on a lot of things like my rent where they demand US dollars. I was using Airbnb but the owner rented direct to me for a good savings. I just went over to Uruguay and I could take out lots of USD there and brought them so you can look into that if you're there a long time.

Can you use Western Union @janeahonen? That works really well and when it was working for me was instant. I'd send myself a payment on the app and I would go pick it up just minutes later.

I am getting some error with setting up my Western Union, so an ATM would be an easier option. Also, I would only need $100 - $200 since I am paying mostly with my card and only staying here for a month. If I don't find any better option I might try to find someone with cueva as @Wally has recommended.

 

[Avocado]

I am getting some error with setting up my Western Union, so an ATM would be an easier option. Also, I would only need $100 - $200 since I am paying mostly with my card and only staying here for a month. If I don't find any better option I might try to find someone with cueva as @Wally has recommended.

Try to use the Western Union app if you can. That typically has less bugs than the website. But lately some people are having issues. But that's the easiest thing. You're smart using your credit cards but you can't leave tip on that for most places. A month is a long time to stay with no cash. ATM is going to add up. If Western Union doesn't work Try Money Gram or Xoom. Paypal owns Xoom so you can PayPal money to it as well. Between one of the 3 you should be good to go.

 

[Jenn]

Are there any ATM machines that have higher withdrawal limits? It sounds like maximum of 40,000 pesos? I just signed up for a Charles Schwab account to get reimbursements but can I find an ATM machine that will allow me to take out more money?

 

[Darksider415]

Are there any ATM machines that have higher withdrawal limits? It sounds like maximum of 40,000 pesos? I just signed up for a Charles Schwab account to get reimbursements but can I find an ATM machine that will allow me to take out more money?

This is Argentina. The withdrawal limit is now 35000 instead of 40000 with a foreign card, and it’s 8300 per withdrawal now, as least at my local Galicia branch.

My Banco Ciudad account, as long as I use one of their ATMs, will let me take out 100k/day, but only 15k/day from other banks.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

But 8,000 peso fee sounds high on the ATM withdrawal fee.

confirmed 8,540 Pesos for each ATM withdrawal, on all Banelco machines (attached photo from 17Feb2024).

i've been withdrawing every week or 2 and it's recently stabilized at 8540 ARS for some reason (Charles Schwab debit/ATM Visa card of course)

maximum i've ever gotten in Argentina is 35,000 Pesos, which right now you can see the total cost was:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1759327998849732916

or, about $43 USD to get 34,500 Pesos on average, once the fee is reimbursed at the end of the month (total rate with fee included comes to 999 or just almost exactly 1000 ARS/Dollar)

She took out a $300 USD worth of pesos today. She got 923 pesos to $1 USD today. And she signed up and got her first transfer free!

this would be really good data to confirm on @ArgentinaMEP - it is showing 1108.50 Pesos/Dollar on WU right now, so 923 would be incredibly low...not really worth it at all, since credit cards have been giving 999 ARS/USD: https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/home.html

Are there any ATM machines that have higher withdrawal limits? It sounds like maximum of 40,000 pesos? I just signed up for a Charles Schwab account to get reimbursements but can I find an ATM machine that will allow me to take out more money?

never seen one. the Locals can use their machines to get 100 bills out at a time, but i've never gotten it to work with 4 different ATM cards. there is some sort of limit on 35 bills, 35,000 Pesos, so it's basically unaffordable unless you are sure your Schwab fees will get refunded. WesternUnion for sure the best bet, unless the numbers are off on the website like BetsyRoss is hearing

8300 per withdrawal now

i've been getting 8,540 per withdrawal at Santander and others, FYI. not sure why it would be different...it seems like almost all ATMs are Banelco brand/software

@janeahonen what's the trouble with WU? you can call or go in-person to get help (but they aren't usually very pleasant, like a lot of BsAs businesses) - if you need a hand and don't have family that are tech-savvy, i can try to assist (leaving Belgrano soon, so probably via this forum only)

 

[James Bond]

This is Argentina. The withdrawal limit is now 35000 instead of 40000 with a foreign card, and it’s 8300 per withdrawal now, as least at my local Galicia branch.

My Banco Ciudad account, as long as I use one of their ATMs, will let me take out 100k/day, but only 15k/day from other banks.

Thanks for this updated info. This is the most annoying thing to me being able to take out so little money. I don't bother with it as it's such a small amount of money.

 

[Jenn]

This is Argentina. The withdrawal limit is now 35000 instead of 40000 with a foreign card, and it’s 8300 per withdrawal now, as least at my local Galicia branch.

My Banco Ciudad account, as long as I use one of their ATMs, will let me take out 100k/day, but only 15k/day from other banks.

Thank you for this information!

confirmed 8,540 Pesos for each ATM withdrawal, on all Banelco machines (attached photo from 17Feb2024).

i've been withdrawing every week or 2 and it's recently stabilized at 8540 ARS for some reason (Charles Schwab debit/ATM Visa card of course)

maximum i've ever gotten in Argentina is 35,000 Pesos, which right now you can see the total cost was:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1759327998849732916

or, about $43 USD to get 34,500 Pesos on average, once the fee is reimbursed at the end of the month (total rate with fee included comes to 999 or just almost exactly 1000 ARS/Dollar)


this would be really good data to confirm on @ArgentinaMEP - it is showing 1108.50 Pesos/Dollar on WU right now, so 923 would be incredibly low...not really worth it at all, since credit cards have been giving 999 ARS/USD: https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/home.html


never seen one. the Locals can use their machines to get 100 bills out at a time, but i've never gotten it to work with 4 different ATM cards. there is some sort of limit on 35 bills, 35,000 Pesos, so it's basically unaffordable unless you are sure your Schwab fees will get refunded. WesternUnion for sure the best bet, unless the numbers are off on the website like BetsyRoss is hearing


i've been getting 8,540 per withdrawal at Santander and others, FYI. not sure why it would be different...it seems like almost all ATMs are Banelco brand/software

@janeahonen what's the trouble with WU? you can call or go in-person to get help (but they aren't usually very pleasant, like a lot of BsAs businesses) - if you need a hand and don't have family that are tech-savvy, i can try to assist (leaving Belgrano soon, so probably via this forum only)

Thank you for this helpful recent information. I am slated to arrive in 2 weeks.

 

[MikeRoss]

This is Argentina. The withdrawal limit is now 35000 instead of 40000 with a foreign card, and it’s 8300 per withdrawal now, as least at my local Galicia branch.

My Banco Ciudad account, as long as I use one of their ATMs, will let me take out 100k/day, but only 15k/day from other banks.

This matches my experiences. It is frustrating we can't withdraw more at one time.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

It is frustrating we can't withdraw more at one time.

update from General Paz neighborhood of Cordoba city: i took out 36,000 Pesos with zero ATM fee at the big Hypermarket. this hasn't happened in 3 months until i got here. anyone else gotten more than 36 bills, and not paid an ATM fee? it was a different type of ATM, not the usual Banelco one.

 

[MikeRoss]

update from General Paz neighborhood of Cordoba city: i took out 36,000 Pesos with zero ATM fee at the big Hypermarket. this hasn't happened in 3 months until i got here. anyone else gotten more than 36 bills, and not paid an ATM fee? it was a different type of ATM, not the usual Banelco one.

That is great news about no ATM fee. Could you just repeat the process and withdraw 36,000 more pesos? Any limit to the # of times you can withdraw with the same card?

 

[StatusNomadicus]

@MikeRoss i will try, next time. i tried to take out 50,000 Pesos yesterday and it wouldn't work. so the number here at the Hypermarket is somewhere between 36-49 bills allowed. and with no fee, much better than the $8-9 USD fees each time to take out 35 bills, then having to wait for ATM Fee reimbursement by Schwab Bank.

attached is what the ATM looks like, in a Libertad market. "Cajero Express" branding

in this building in Cordoba (capital) https://maps.app.goo.gl/hqwtjkrcBxSSysJw8

 

[Che Vos]

@MikeRoss i will try, next time. i tried to take out 50,000 Pesos yesterday and it wouldn't work. so the number here at the Hypermarket is somewhere between 36-49 bills allowed. and with no fee, much better than the $8-9 USD fees each time to take out 35 bills, then having to wait for ATM Fee reimbursement by Schwab Bank.

attached is what the ATM looks like, in a Libertad market. "Cajero Express" branding

in this building in Cordoba (capital) https://maps.app.goo.gl/hqwtjkrcBxSSysJw8

Thank you for posting this advice. Please let us know if other ATM machine don't charge in Cordoba. I will go there to visit my cousin studying there in some months.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

I will go there to visit my cousin studying there in some months.

as much as you ignore my questions on all threads, and continually repeat the same stupid sh*t here, please don't go to Observatorio/Güemes area - it is incredibly shady, and i wouldn't want anyone getting hurt/robbed. General Paz has been lovely, but Nueva Cordoba/Guemes was actually quite horrible, despite what info i was told online.

careful in Cordoba Province, CheVos - they voted 74% for Milei

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Just got my ATM fee rebates from Charles Schwab bank for the month of February 2024. for those who don't have one, and haven't seen them in action, here's what your statement will look like on the last day of the month:

02/29/2024

ATMREBATE

ATM Fee Rebate

$62.17

until this changes, and it hasn't for a long time, Schwab is the #1 ATM/debit card for traveling. no foreign currency fees, they cover all ATM fees, and it's a Visa so you can use it anywhere.

update on Cordoba ATM fees: i tried using a "Bancor" bank in General Paz barrio in Cordoba, and none of the machines would give me any Pesos whatsoever. i tried 5 of the 8 there, and it looks like other people were changing machines, too. some old guy told me to try a lower number, so i tried 50,000 to 35,000 to 20,000 to 15,000 to 10,000 and it said "exceeded limit" - i had not taken cash out for several days, and i had $600 USD balance, so it made no sense. i left a bad review on Google and will try another today. Cordoba is only nice in the capital in Ciudad Universitaria and General Paz - there are some bad areas just like BsAs, and there are many more wild dogs (which makes traveling hard with my dog, because i have had to kick/threaten stray dogs that are getting aggressive)

 

[Betsy Ross]

Just got my ATM fee rebates from Charles Schwab bank for the month of February 2024. for those who don't have one, and haven't seen them in action, here's what your statement will look like on the last day of the month:

02/29/2024

ATMREBATE

ATM Fee Rebate

$62.17

until this changes, and it hasn't for a long time, Schwab is the #1 ATM/debit card for traveling. no foreign currency fees, they cover all ATM fees, and it's a Visa so you can use it anywhere.

update on Cordoba ATM fees: i tried using a "Bancor" bank in General Paz barrio in Cordoba, and none of the machines would give me any Pesos whatsoever. i tried 5 of the 8 there, and it looks like other people were changing machines, too. some old guy told me to try a lower number, so i tried 50,000 to 35,000 to 20,000 to 15,000 to 10,000 and it said "exceeded limit" - i had not taken cash out for several days, and i had $600 USD balance, so it made no sense. i left a bad review on Google and will try another today. Cordoba is only nice in the capital in Ciudad Universitaria and General Paz - there are some bad areas just like BsAs, and there are many more wild dogs (which makes traveling hard with my dog, because i have had to kick/threaten stray dogs that are getting aggressive)

That is horrible that you couldn't use the ATM machines there. Did you see if they are all on the same network. For some reason, some ATM's in BA don't work for me sometimes as well. I rarely use the ATM machines even though I have a Schwab due to the lower withdrawal limits.