Banking Credit Card real-world rate "MEP" transaction repo (Dec2023)

[StatusNomadicus]

@Betsy Ross @earlyretirement @Canada Goose @Wally @BuySellBA @Coffee Enjoyer

2pm people arriving

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794771977686994987

4pm plaza almost entirely full

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794758168658210986

 

[Sunny]

it was one of the most orderly, safe, patriotic gatherings i've ever seen. Argentines (especially in Cordoba, the industrial base province?) might even be more patriotic than estadounidenses based on what i saw. since yesterday was a sort of Fourth of July equivalent, i wasn't sure what to expect. i had some Locro stew (i'd pass on this next time and only eat it once a year, but it was okay) with empanadas and red wine afterward to try to take part. but the Plaza San Martin celebration of Argentina's first government of 25May1810 and the "birth of modern Argentina" is sort of like the USA's 1776 i suppose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_the_May_Revolution

...and entire families were there with children and pet dogs, standing for a couple hours to cheer for Milei. chants were about liberty, patriotism, etc. - the national anthem and other songs were sung by everyone around me. i was dropped-off by my Uber on the west side of the main street, and a small group of union 'workers' (socialists/Commies) were burning something, but i didn't want to get close, since the police looked like they were ready to have things thrown at them. once i got into the plaza, it was orderly, peaceful, and just basically an energetic love for Argentina.

I was waiting for your comments! I'm sad I couldn't be there. It looked like such a perfect autumn day, too. Tell us more, please. What else did you notice? Were you close to the building? Did you get to talk to people? Did people hang out after the ceremony? I'm thinking that it must've been a great day for the area's bars and restaurants.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

@Sunny it was chilly in the shade, but no wind and really nice in the sun. first time for me trying the local Locro soup. pork knuckle/patitas, mondongo, beans, hominy? quite strange. not very sweet, not really flavorful, but interesting.

i don't really like being in crowds, especially when my Spanish isn't perfect and i'm new to this province...so when people started surrounding me, i stayed on the outskirts. there was a drone in the air, but not sure if it was police or news, or if there will be footage. the main news channels had good footage of the event/plaza.

i walked around the cathedral a couple months ago, and so i didn't get very close. the building on the left has a really cool iron gate that i was close to (less people by one of the bands, camera-left). some people asked me things like if Milei was there yet, where he was, etc. but not really; i talked to a nearby restaurant manager and they were very nice and let me try their grub, and only 15,500 Pesos ($13.75 USD) for 2 big bowls of Locro, 5 empanadas, and 1 glass of tasty red wine on a Saturday holiday.

i like to leave events early so i get a good Uber price and don't have to fight crowds (i'm the werido in the USA that leaves concerts during the last song, so i can get out of the parking lot, ahahaha, i'm mentally 95 years old), so i didn't see how long they were there. but i imagine many people brought food, ate street food, or ate at the many restaurants nearby. was a nice day, and even the socialists/"Workers" seemed uninterested in being across the street. the police/nat'l guard/etc. were very organized and it seemed as smooth as possible (but a 2pm start time means the speech will happen at like 2:30pm i found out).

felt good to see the Inauguration and now this pseudo-Pacto-de-Mayo but i'm interested to see how the governors will respond, since i think only the Cordoba Province governor was there. and of course, i was thinking when there were crowds shouting for LIBERTAD! about how IrishLad might be thinking, 'jeez, why are these argentinos so obsessed with politics?'

----------

if anyone can find the speech transcript, please share! this is a very bad version that Grok AI gave me, from a YouTube transcript:

"Good afternoon to everyone. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you to the national government authorities, the general secretary of the presidency, the vice president, and the cabinet ministers. Thank you also to the authorities of the National Congress, the presidents of the legislative blocks, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the provincial authorities, and all of you who have come to celebrate the 214th anniversary of the May Revolution. May 25 is a historic date for Argentines, but it is especially important for us. For us, May is much more than a date on the calendar; it is a doctrine, a set of ideas and principles that represent the best of the Argentine tradition. May is a concept, an idea that summarizes two principles: freedom and democracy.

Freedom is an idea that emerged from the will of a small group of men who, 214 years ago, decided to break the chains of tyranny and declare that the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata would begin the arduous path to building a free and sovereign nation. Because those men and women who gave their lives for the homeland in that revolutionary feat knew that to be free, we first had to be independent. This tradition had great achievements throughout our two centuries of history, from the revolution itself to the sanction of our sacred Constitution of 1853, inspired by the principles of Alberdi and Gorostiaga, two of the great exponents of the generation of 1837, perhaps the most representative of the ideas of May. That generation that poured the principles of May into our founding document was the one that marked the north of the country model that our founding fathers imagined.

Cordoba materializes the vision of those great men. From the revolution itself to the sanction of our Argentine Constitution, we saw the incorporation of the province of Buenos Aires to the confederation of Argentina in 1860, which allowed us to establish the bases and principles envisioned by our heroes of May. What happened after the incorporation of Buenos Aires to the nation and the adoption of the principles of May, as reflected in our Constitution, is one of the most spectacular stories of progress in Western history, in the history of humanity. Argentina, which until 1860 was a country of barbarians, became a world power in 35 years.

It is the base of the base. It was a nation impoverished and illiterate, divided by sterile disputes between small men who aspired to be monarchs in their land. Argentina became the darling of the West, the explosion of wealth, growth, and progress that the adoption of the principles of May generated had no parallel in history, perhaps only comparable to the American Revolution and the progress of the United States as a nation. A whole generation of leaders understood that beyond personal ambitions, our founding fathers had marked a course for our nation, and that course was embodied in a Constitution designed essentially to secure life, liberty, and private property for Argentines. That generation, which put into motion the principles of May and built a world power from a land of barbarians, was the generation of the 1880s, a generation that today has given us some of the best exponents of the principles of May, such as Mitre, Sarmiento, Avellaneda, Roca, and also Pellegrini, the great pilot of storms. The sacred principle of our preamble, which sought to constitute the national union, consolidate justice, consolidate peace, provide for common defense, promote the general welfare, and fundamentally secure the benefits of freedom for ourselves, for our posterity, and for all men who want to inhabit the Argentine soil, and indeed, they did it.

Unfortunately, at a certain point in our history, we decided to abandon the principles that had brought so much prosperity and progress to our lands, and we let ourselves be deceived by the siren songs of those who buried Argentina in the deepest darkness for decades. I will not go into the reasons for our failure here. Our only ambition is to lay the foundations for a different future for our children. Because in essence, we are nothing more than direct descendants of the tradition of the revolutionaries of May. We defend no other principles than those established by the great heroes of the Revolution, the generation of 1837, the generation of 1880, and all those men and women in our history who have fought to defend the ideas of freedom on our lands. As Esteban Echeverría, one of the great thinkers of our homeland, said, the thought of May is ours. Our ambition is to see it fully realized, whatever the success of our efforts and hopes, whatever the destiny that awaits us.

For that reason, on March 1, in the opening speech of the honorable Congress of the nation, we stood before the political leadership of Argentina and offered to sit down at a table and reaffirm once again the principles that made our nation great. I am not here under the sun of May in the learned Cordoba, the productive heart of our nation, to reiterate that call. I want to announce here in Cordoba that not only will we continue to work to make the May Pact a reality in Argentina, but also once the base law and the fiscal package are approved, the national executive will create the May Council to complete this sacred task. This council will be composed of a representative of the national government, a representative of the Argentine provinces, a representative of the Chamber of Deputies, a representative of the Senate, a representative of the trade unions, and a representative of the Argentine business community, and it will be responsible for working on the bills that will materialize the principles adopted in the May Pact.

I also want to take this opportunity to announce that once the base law and the fiscal package are approved, the national government will move forward with a significant reduction in taxes. We know that this decision will be difficult for the national treasury, but we have made a commitment to the Argentine people, and we will start to return the taxes to them through a reduction in tax rates because there is no possible destiny for our nation if we do not remove the weight of the state from the shoulders of the Argentines of good will. We have to give thanks to the daughter who allowed us to come because she had a very important holiday and allowed us to be here with all of you.

We have inherited a bomb that combines the worst of the three worst crises in Argentine history: the Rodrigazo, the hyperinflation of Alfonsín, and the 2001 crisis. The fact is that we are doing the greatest adjustment not only in the history of Argentina but also in the history of humanity. We received an annual inflation rate of 17000 in December, and this giant that we have as a minister of the economy is taming it. In fact, we are subverting a cycle in our political history that, beyond intentions, has been a resounding failure. But that cycle is over.

I want to start finishing these words with a brief reflection. These first five months have been difficult, not only because we inherited the worst economic and social crisis in our history, but also because a political cycle has closed that, despite good intentions, has been a resounding failure. But that cycle is over. I understand that for many protagonists of that cycle, it is difficult to accept the fall of that old regime, and I understand that it is difficult for them to imagine their place in this new Argentina. But I want to reiterate something I have said before, and that is that we are far from pursuing personal vendettas or petty revenge. We have only one interest before us, the interest of the majority of Argentines who chose to live in freedom.

Because, as Mariano Moreno said, we prefer a dangerous freedom to a peaceful servitude. Today, we stand before a new turning point in our history, and I invite you to join us in a new dream for Argentina, a dream that is to pick up the glove of the heroes of May, to put aside personal and political ambitions, and to become a generation of patriots who dare to rebuild the greatness of our nation, a new generation of May that makes the noise of broken chains and inaugurates a new era of glory for our beloved nation.

In the name of the May Revolution of 1810, in the name of the generation of 1837 that imagined a country that secured the benefits of freedom for all those who wanted to inhabit our soil, and in the name of the generation of 1880 that poured the ideas of the May Revolution into our land, I invite you to inaugurate a new era of gold for Argentina. May God bless the Argentines and may the strength of heaven accompany us. Long live freedom, long live freedom, long live freedom. Thank you very much."

 

[Sunny]

@Sunny it was chilly in the shade, but no wind and really nice in the sun. first time for me trying the local Locro soup. pork knuckle/patitas, mondongo, beans, hominy? quite strange. not very sweet, not really flavorful, but interesting.

I just saw a photo you posted and, well, if that's the locro you were served, no wonder you did not care much for it. Maybe that's the way cordobeses make it, but that's not how traditional locro is made. One thing is for sure, there's no mondongo in a proper locro.

The basic ingredients should be cubed beef, salchicha parrillera, panceta, chorizo, zapallo criollo argentino, batata, white beans, white corn (yes, hominy), white onion. In some provinces they may add tripa gorda and/or chorizo colorado or it will be made with butternut squash and without batata). Locro should be topped with a generous scoop of quiquirimichi (KEEkeereeMEEchee 🤣🤣🤣). The sauce on the locro you had does not look like proper quiquirimichi). Don't give up on this delicious stew. I make a very tasty one, maybe one day you'll get to taste it 😊. In the meantime, here's a good recipe (and good technique) that produces a locro very close to the one I make:

i talked to a nearby restaurant manager and they were very nice and let me try their grub, and only 15,500 Pesos ($13.75 USD) for 2 big bowls of Locro, 5 empanadas, and 1 glass of tasty red wine on a Saturday holiday.

That's a decent price. In CABA you'd pay close to 10K for the empanadas and a locro dish of that size at least 4,500 pesos each.

i like to leave events early so i get a good Uber price and don't have to fight crowds (i'm the werido in the USA that leaves concerts during the last song, so i can get out of the parking lot, ahahaha, i'm mentally 95 years old),

😂😂😂 I've been like that my entire life.

Thanks for commenting on this.

 

[Vince]

good thing it isn't getting more expensive in Dollars; you must be mistaken. where did you hear that from? i've been researching this country for 6 months now, on the ground, running numbers, operating www.x.com/ArgentinaMEP and i have continuously reported how things are. where are you living? what are you claiming is getting more expensive?


i couldn't hang with you in your lifestyle, and i'm, what, 2 decades younger? keep at it! and of course, we all want you to take care of your health as well, so we can have you around for as long as possible. hopefully you're getting good sleep these days. i noticed that Argentines have access to Tryptophan supplments, but Melatonin has been quite elusive in this country (opposite of USA).


yeah but also that's just the 5% loud minority; there are millions of people in the USA alone (take the Midwest, for example) who hustle and don't post every second on their life on social media. these people may seem invisible online, but i find that the world of TikTok and Facebook has very little in common with how people actually live. online, you'll lose hope because the Commie hordes scream about racism and universal basic income (socialism welfare like Natives have in the USA, which kills them) ... but in real life, if we put our phones down, most people are hard-working and peaceful, wanting to take care of their families and have stability.


it was one of the most orderly, safe, patriotic gatherings i've ever seen. Argentines (especially in Cordoba, the industrial base province?) might even be more patriotic than estadounidenses based on what i saw. since yesterday was a sort of Fourth of July equivalent, i wasn't sure what to expect. i had some Locro stew (i'd pass on this next time and only eat it once a year, but it was okay) with empanadas and red wine afterward to try to take part. but the Plaza San Martin celebration of Argentina's first government of 25May1810 and the "birth of modern Argentina" is sort of like the USA's 1776 i suppose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_the_May_Revolution

...and entire families were there with children and pet dogs, standing for a couple hours to cheer for Milei. chants were about liberty, patriotism, etc. - the national anthem and other songs were sung by everyone around me. i was dropped-off by my Uber on the west side of the main street, and a small group of union 'workers' (socialists/Commies) were burning something, but i didn't want to get close, since the police looked like they were ready to have things thrown at them. once i got into the plaza, it was orderly, peaceful, and just basically an energetic love for Argentina.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794770809963331638

So nice to get your live report. It all looked fabulous watching the news and Twitter but these days anything can be spin but was very nice. It all looked very positive energy and even the socialists couldn't dampen the mood.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Thanks @StatusNomadicus for posting about your experience in Cordoba. I have a few friends there and they said it was a joyous day. There is a lot of love for Milei in Argentina but especially Cordoba.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

there's no mondongo in a proper locro.

i don't actually know what was in it, but based on 6 months buying meat at butcher shops in Argentina, my lady and i guessed it was some pork feet and mondongo. but, it could have been tripe. no idea! i'll definitely try it again in a different province (hoping for Mendoza in a month, depending on Migraciones). https://www.clarin.com/recetas/platos-principales/locro-mondongo_7_AIngJQydD.html

even the socialists couldn't dampen the mood.

commies gonna be commies. sounds like it was just rubber bullets and mace. i saw a medium fire, but didn't stick around to get things thrown at me. i;m glad i wasn't wearing a La Libertad Avanza shirt or anything, since i had to walk between the "socialists" and the cops.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794569849001431386

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794573494770094305

especially Cordoba.

it does seem like people are more relaxed here, yet more traditional/conservative. maybe like how Alberta province is, in Canada? my best guess. i was surprised, though, to see Cordoba voted for Milei the most (74% election) yet now in May2024 the most recent poll showed Mendoza is the front-runner province for Libertarianism now:

Mendoza 63%
Cordoba 61.9%
San Luis 60.1%
La Rioja 59.4%
Corrientes 56.9%
Tucuman 56.6%
Salta 56.2%
Neuquen 55.1%
CABA 47.5%

 

[Vince]

i don't actually know what was in it, but based on 6 months buying meat at butcher shops in Argentina, my lady and i guessed it was some pork feet and mondongo. but, it could have been tripe. no idea! i'll definitely try it again in a different province (hoping for Mendoza in a month, depending on Migraciones). https://www.clarin.com/recetas/platos-principales/locro-mondongo_7_AIngJQydD.html


commies gonna be commies. sounds like it was just rubber bullets and mace. i saw a medium fire, but didn't stick around to get things thrown at me. i;m glad i wasn't wearing a La Libertad Avanza shirt or anything, since i had to walk between the "socialists" and the cops.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794569849001431386

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794573494770094305

it does seem like people are more relaxed here, yet more traditional/conservative. maybe like how Alberta province is, in Canada? my best guess. i was surprised, though, to see Cordoba voted for Milei the most (74% election) yet now in May2024 the most recent poll showed Mendoza is the front-runner province for Libertarianism now:

Mendoza 63%
Cordoba 61.9%
San Luis 60.1%
La Rioja 59.4%
Corrientes 56.9%
Tucuman 56.6%
Salta 56.2%
Neuquen 55.1%
CABA 47.5%

I think his popularity numbers should grow all throughout Argentina over the next year.

 

[Larry]

I think his popularity numbers should grow all throughout Argentina over the next year.

Actually I think his numbers will fall this year all over Argentina once people figure out that recession will get worse, unemployment goes up, businesses go bankrupt and no one can afford anything.

 

[Sunny]

i don't actually know what was in it, but based on 6 months buying meat at butcher shops in Argentina, my lady and i guessed it was some pork feet and mondongo. but, it could have been tripe. no idea! https://www.clarin.com/recetas/platos-principales/locro-mondongo_7_AIngJQydD.html

Well, yeah, that's why the title of that Clarín article says locro with mondongo, because it is not the traditional recipe - btw, that recipe does not include onion, that's weird.

i'll definitely try it again in a different province (hoping for Mendoza in a month, depending on Migraciones).

https://www.clarin.com/recetas/platos-principales/locro-mondongo_7_AIngJQydD.html
Why does it depend on migraciones?

 

[StatusNomadicus]

should grow

you'd think in Cordoba, but it went from 74% to 62% in Cordoba Province (a 12% drop), and Mendoza went 71% to 63% (only an 8% drop). of course these polls aren't trustworthy; i meet workers every day who are optimistic and pleased with how consistent Milei has been against the casta and the K minions like Larry

once people figure out that recession will get worse, unemployment goes up, businesses go bankrupt and no one can afford anything.

oh, there he is! hi, commie, remember how no one wants you on an Expat forum? this is exactly why; you offer nothing, and only repeat the same "Milei's fault" line. can you make some sort of argument based on something other than your personality cult obsession? do you have Trump Derangement Syndrome as well, or just MDS?

for those who aren't political shills like repeat-mode Larry, "President-elect Javier Milei said Monday that it could take between 18 and 24 months to bring Argentina's rampant inflation under control, as he outlined his plans to reform the economy." https://www.france24.com/en/live-ne...-take-two-years-to-tame-argentina-s-inflation

no actual Milei voter or Libertarian thinks anything today in the May2024 economy is related to the current presidency; obviously the 1000-Peso BlueDollar rate of Dec2023 from the Apr2020 rate of 121 has nothing to do with Milei's cabinet, but instead the insane spending, corruption, nepotism, and inflationary printing of the Peronist government. imagine being such a TV-Man-brainwashed moron that you think going from 121 Blue Dollar to 1000 is okay, but Milei ending "diversity programs" and other money-laundering from the Ks is evil. Larry: leave us alone and go post on your communist/socialist forums elsewhere. no one wants you here.

migraciones?

thanks for the recipes; my current kitchen is tiny, so i'm eating Lomitos and other takeaway food for a month, but i'll get back to cooking soon. i have a Precaria for 90 days and will have to deposit Pesos into my BNA account (another post on this to get guidance and show what they want at Migraciones these days), but my lady still needs to do her appointment next month, so i'm staying close to Cordoba Capital until we're both done for a couple months, then i'd like to see Jujuy/Salta/Mendoza. locals say the North is the most beautiful, but also many of them say they go to Mendoza and it isn't too expensive. but mosquitoes are all over Salta/etc. in the north. lots of research to do this winter

 

[Sunny]

thanks for the recipes; my current kitchen is tiny, so i'm eating Lomitos and other takeaway food for a month, but i'll get back to cooking soon.

Poor you two, having a tiny kitchen is the pits. Hopefully, you have a good takeout/buffet nearby.

then i'd like to see Jujuy/Salta/Mendoza. locals say the North is the most beautiful

It really is, fall and winter are the best seasons to visit. Yes, the mosquito problem in Salta continues. A couple of weeks ago they were still seeing dengue infections in that province, but in July or August the weather usually is dry, almost no rain. We are also thinking of visiting the Northwest this winter, most likely in early August.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

takeout

Lomitos nearby; no need for panic!

early August.

i'm looking up places for a month or two from now, depending on weather, flight/car prices, Airbnbs, so see you then!

MEP-wise, i am backed-up and will post a ton tonight, but i wanted to say:

MEP posted is 1281, real-world is 1184 MasterCard, and Western Union is 1298!!!! get your Western Union price locked-in now, if you have a zero-fee coupon or offer! i just took out 400 USD last week at 1205, so i would have gotten tons more Pesos if i had waited

 

[GraceH]

Lomitos nearby; no need for panic!

i'm looking up places for a month or two from now, depending on weather, flight/car prices, Airbnbs, so see you then!

MEP-wise, i am backed-up and will post a ton tonight, but i wanted to say:

MEP posted is 1281, real-world is 1184 MasterCard, and Western Union is 1298!!!! get your Western Union price locked-in now, if you have a zero-fee coupon or offer! i just took out 400 USD last week at 1205, so i would have gotten tons more Pesos if i had waited

Glad you are ok. Yes WU is very high but all of a sudden my fees they are quoting seem like they also went up.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

fees

the not-signed-in quote i'm seeing as of 06Jun2024 is:

---

1.00 USD = 1,298.0000 ARS

---

Transfer amount 500.00 USD

100% OFF 34.99 USD Transfer Fee

Transfer total 500.00 USD

Total to receiver

---

649,000.00 ARS


my lady just did a fee-free transfer for over 500 USD and it worked with a USA debit card within 30 mins, at the 1298 rate. hopefully you guys get it locked-in before the weekend! i suspect it will go down, but who knows with this world economy (Nasdaq stocks at all-time-high today thanks to NVIDIA??)

MEP real-world is 1194 MasterCard as of 06Jun2024. will post the stats this weekend. Western Union is static at 1298, not sure why it didn't change today.

 

[Jeb Spencer]

the not-signed-in quote i'm seeing as of 06Jun2024 is:

---

1.00 USD = 1,298.0000 ARS

---

Transfer amount 500.00 USD

100% OFF 34.99 USD Transfer Fee

Transfer total 500.00 USD

Total to receiver

---

649,000.00 ARS


my lady just did a fee-free transfer for over 500 USD and it worked with a USA debit card within 30 mins, at the 1298 rate. hopefully you guys get it locked-in before the weekend! i suspect it will go down, but who knows with this world economy (Nasdaq stocks at all-time-high today thanks to NVIDIA??)

MEP real-world is 1194 MasterCard as of 06Jun2024. will post the stats this weekend. Western Union is static at 1298, not sure why it didn't change today.

That is a great fee free score! Is there any limit when they have those coupon codes? What is the maximum you can send in?

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Is there any limit when they have those coupon codes? What is the maximum you can send in?

i don't know the max, but for Cordoba the limit is sending an amount that a WU location will have (i had to go to 4 different ones on a Monday morning to get 700 USD-worth of Pesos, 900,000 or so. maybe CABA would be better, but just be careful about putting a high amount that they won't be able to deliver (also, carrying around 9x stacks of 100 note bundles isn't easy). i think you get a coupon code every 2 months or so, but not sure (was my first time getting Pesos from WU recently, to deposit in BNA for Migraciones residency stuff). i think you can send a ton of USD, but just ask the location beforehand how much Peso amounts they can do at one time.

i've been a turd the past 2+ weeks, and not gonna post all my caught-up twitter posts, but you can go to www.x.com/ArgentinaMEP and see them. for now, here are the most-recent three:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802080165918585262

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802081179514159564

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802084932896068092

 

[Vince]

i don't know the max, but for Cordoba the limit is sending an amount that a WU location will have (i had to go to 4 different ones on a Monday morning to get 700 USD-worth of Pesos, 900,000 or so. maybe CABA would be better, but just be careful about putting a high amount that they won't be able to deliver (also, carrying around 9x stacks of 100 note bundles isn't easy). i think you get a coupon code every 2 months or so, but not sure (was my first time getting Pesos from WU recently, to deposit in BNA for Migraciones residency stuff). i think you can send a ton of USD, but just ask the location beforehand how much Peso amounts they can do at one time.

i've been a turd the past 2+ weeks, and not gonna post all my caught-up twitter posts, but you can go to www.x.com/ArgentinaMEP and see them. for now, here are the most-recent three:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802080165918585262

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802081179514159564

https://twitter.com/x/status/1802084932896068092

If you think carrying around a few hundred pesos is tough when I bought my apartment I had to carry over $200,000 USD in cash. Not an experience I want to do again.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

over $200,000 USD in cash

so ridiculous...only in silly communism land would that be legal, but sending a bank transfer is restricted/taxed/criminalized. i hope this year with the recent Senate vote, we'll see a common-sense approach to currency/transfers.

so you had 100-Dollar bills, we'll say around 2,200 notes? i carried 11 stacks of 100 notes (Western Union had to give me some 500-Peso stacks), so 1,100 notes, or almost exactly half of what you lugged-around. so, i feel you @Vince, halfway it would be much easier to just pay for a house in gold 1-oz coins...you could have had to only carry 100 small coins, fitting in your pockets, and bought a huge place! plus, you'd feel like John Wick : ) or (attached) carry 3-ish gold Kilo bars the size of an iPhone (and $76,000 USD each)

also, once it gets more adopted, you could send/receive any amount in Bitcoin Cash (BCH) within a few minutes, for less than one cent of a fee! Blockchain is the future, especially in real estate. this guy just moved 535 million dollars with one transaction on BTC (bitcoin core, old slow expensive broken version) recently: https://www.investing.com/news/cryp...xchange-with-535-million-btc-transfer-3480856

for anyone who hasn't contributed yet, my current research for Residency is focused on the process of Pesification or not; my gf's Intimación says: "Constancia de cuenta bancaria en Argentina que acredite el ingreso de sus fondos al país" - it doesn't say it has to be a bank-to-bank transfer, so i'm testing the requirements on our two different Rentista residencies as documented on the other thread. come share some advice as i wade through some confusing Migraciones waters!

Argentina Rentista Visa for 2024? What is the minimum income now for retirement visa for Argentina?

having connections to either expedite or be more lenient on your case. Not saying that's right or wrong, but in any field having connections lends to being viewed more favorably. sure, Robert Kiyosaki talked about this on the PBD Podcast: he has politicians 'on his team' and he's "friends"...

www.expatsba.com

 

[Digital Nomad]

so ridiculous...only in silly communism land would that be legal, but sending a bank transfer is restricted/taxed/criminalized. i hope this year with the recent Senate vote, we'll see a common-sense approach to currency/transfers.

so you had 100-Dollar bills, we'll say around 2,200 notes? i carried 11 stacks of 100 notes (Western Union had to give me some 500-Peso stacks), so 1,100 notes, or almost exactly half of what you lugged-around. so, i feel you @Vince, halfway it would be much easier to just pay for a house in gold 1-oz coins...you could have had to only carry 100 small coins, fitting in your pockets, and bought a huge place! plus, you'd feel like John Wick : ) or (attached) carry 3-ish gold Kilo bars the size of an iPhone (and $76,000 USD each)

also, once it gets more adopted, you could send/receive any amount in Bitcoin Cash (BCH) within a few minutes, for less than one cent of a fee! Blockchain is the future, especially in real estate. this guy just moved 535 million dollars with one transaction on BTC (bitcoin core, old slow expensive broken version) recently: https://www.investing.com/news/cryp...xchange-with-535-million-btc-transfer-3480856

for anyone who hasn't contributed yet, my current research for Residency is focused on the process of Pesification or not; my gf's Intimación says: "Constancia de cuenta bancaria en Argentina que acredite el ingreso de sus fondos al país" - it doesn't say it has to be a bank-to-bank transfer, so i'm testing the requirements on our two different Rentista residencies as documented on the other thread. come share some advice as i wade through some confusing Migraciones waters!

Argentina Rentista Visa for 2024? What is the minimum income now for retirement visa for Argentina?

having connections to either expedite or be more lenient on your case. Not saying that's right or wrong, but in any field having connections lends to being viewed more favorably. sure, Robert Kiyosaki talked about this on the PBD Podcast: he has politicians 'on his team' and he's "friends"...

www.expatsba.com

It is crazy here about cash but hopefully President Milei fixes this soon.