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

when paying at any restaurant no matter how expensive it is
right?? yet some to-go restaurants, or grocery stores, or kiosks, or Chinos will demand i show my actual passport (Coto in Belgrano did this, stupidly, and lost my business) for a $8 USD handful of groceries :p

today's MEP real-world, which will be accurate through the weekend:

 
right?? yet some to-go restaurants, or grocery stores, or kiosks, or Chinos will demand i show my actual passport (Coto in Belgrano did this, stupidly, and lost my business) for a $8 USD handful of groceries :p

today's MEP real-world, which will be accurate through the weekend:

Yes I also get asked to show my ID at some large chain grocery stores. I asked once and they just said they were following store procedures so I wouldn't take it out on the cashier. I just show my State ID that I carry around.
 
so I wouldn't take it out on the cashier
sure, and no one does, but it makes me 'vote with my dollar' when 10% of places (chinese markets and one Coto, etc.) demand my physical passport. anyone telling you to walk around with your passport is an idiot or lying to you or has never traveled anywhere.

thus, if they accept a copy of my passport along with a US driver license (it's outdated and a spare one, but no one cares and i don't mind if i lose it) for a big spend, sweet! but we're discussing the irony that you can drop $200 USD at a steakhouse and tap your card without question, but spend $5 USD on some bread and meat at a chain grocery store, and they go full Detective to see if you're committing credit card fraud :p

today's MEP for Sat 16Mar with WU 1050 wayyyyy more advantageous this weekend over 942 of MasterCard and 955 Visa:

 
right?? yet some to-go restaurants, or grocery stores, or kiosks, or Chinos will demand i show my actual passport (Coto in Belgrano did this, stupidly, and lost my business) for a $8 USD handful of groceries :p

today's MEP real-world, which will be accurate through the weekend:

I agree it's totally stupid to carry about your Passport. I can't understand people that do this. The crazy thing is I have seen several in BA carrying them around showing them at stores. It's nuts. I just carry around an old expired driver's license or old Global Entry card that is expired. I don't even carry around a valid driver's license. I have never ever had any issues anywhere. The ONLY time I have carried around my DNI is when I go to Western Union. That is it.
 
15% cash discounts at many restaurants I am saving more just paying cash again. It will be nice when the larger denominated bill comes out. I hope that is soon.
true, if you have regular places that you go to with 10-20% cash discounts (or Menu Ejecutivo, or 2x1 cash-only drinks) theb absolutely bring your wads of cash when you head out.

for the majority of people who aren't used to carrying 50 bills, where their wallet won't even fold, bringing cash around for the hopes of a discount sometimes can be a waste of time (and robbery risk). but yes, once they have 10k 20k 50k 100k bills, life will be grand! but by then the Peso might become deflationary, so who knows. it reminds me of the time in Iraq when the Dinar had lost so much value, but people were buying-up suitcases full, in hopes it went deflationary and then became worth 10x the initial cost in Dollars (it didn't really work for anyone i knew, lol)

today's Monday 18Mar2024 real-world MEP spend for MasterCard was 955:

 
true, if you have regular places that you go to with 10-20% cash discounts (or Menu Ejecutivo, or 2x1 cash-only drinks) theb absolutely bring your wads of cash when you head out.

for the majority of people who aren't used to carrying 50 bills, where their wallet won't even fold, bringing cash around for the hopes of a discount sometimes can be a waste of time (and robbery risk). but yes, once they have 10k 20k 50k 100k bills, life will be grand! but by then the Peso might become deflationary, so who knows. it reminds me of the time in Iraq when the Dinar had lost so much value, but people were buying-up suitcases full, in hopes it went deflationary and then became worth 10x the initial cost in Dollars (it didn't really work for anyone i knew, lol)

today's Monday 18Mar2024 real-world MEP spend for MasterCard was 955:

Yes. That is the rate I got today with my MC. I sometimes use cash but the biggest hassle for me is that it takes up too much room. I usually just carry an old ID and a credit card. I don't even like to carry a wallet around. I know I can save some money paying cash but I figure the hassles and costs with going to WU aren't worth it most times.
 
Before I was mostly just using my credit card but I am finding it better to use Western Union and with the 15% cash discounts at many restaurants I am saving more just paying cash again. It will be nice when the larger denominated bill comes out. I hope that is soon.
by paying cash you mean paying with the pesos? or paying with dollars? I'm only asking because I heard many restaruants and businesses accept dollars.
 
by paying cash you mean paying with the pesos? or paying with dollars? I'm only asking because I heard many restaruants and businesses accept dollars.
I meant I just pay in pesos. I have seen signs for places that will accept USD with exchange rates but usually at bigger restaurants but I don't like to honestly walk around with $100 USD bills except when going to an exchange place. I guess you could ask if they accept USD and what exchange rate but I would make sure to confirm rate before. I don't like to stick out and thought maybe if I was paying in $100 USD bills I would stick out.
 
the hassles and costs with going to WU aren't worth it most times
agreed, unless there are bigger bills like 20k this year, and if the WU/MEP gap continues to be such a huge difference!

paying with the pesos? or paying with dollars?
@1031Brah you can't get $100 bills in Argentina that i know of (i've tried for 4 months), so if you bring some, for sure, any human being will gladly take them off your hands! i would also be wary of carrying them, as @Katherina says, since they're so valuable. and for sure you'd be the only one using $100 bills where i'm at, and you'd stick-out (and risk getting scammed on change or exchange rate). if you're taking cash out of an ATM as a tourist, you're getting Peso $1000 notes, which are worth $1 USD, and that's the biggest bill :p you can withdraw a maximum of 35 or 36 notes, from what i've been able to determine (and make sure you use a Schwab ATM card for the huge $9 USD fees refunded back). i just carry 10,000 Pesos with me unless i have specific plans to go to a cash restaurant. for the rest, i use my iPhone's ApplePay.

today's MEP for 19Jan2024:

 
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agreed, unless there are bigger bills like 20k this year, and if the WU/MEP gap continues to be such a huge difference!


@1031Brah you can't get $100 bills in Argentina that i know of (i've tried for 4 months), so if you bring some, for sure, any human being will gladly take them off your hands! i would also be wary of carrying them, as @Katherina says, since they're so valuable. and for sure you'd be the only one using $100 bills where i'm at, and you'd stick-out (and risk getting scammed on change or exchange rate). if you're taking cash out of an ATM as a tourist, you're getting Peso $1000 notes, which are worth $1 USD, and that's the biggest bill :p you can withdraw a maximum of 35 or 36 notes, from what i've been able to determine (and make sure you use a Schwab ATM card for the huge $9 USD fees refunded back). i just carry 10,000 Pesos with me unless i have specific plans to go to a cash restaurant. for the rest, i use my iPhone's ApplePay.

today's MEP for 19Jan2024:

Totally agree with all of you. I wouldn't recommend walking around with $100 USD bills. First of all, the bills are noticeable when you are paying and nothing screams gringo tourist more than walking around or paying with $100 USD bills. Sure in a pinch if you can't get to an exchange house or if it's the weekend or something but almost all restaurants will take credit cards. I agree with @Katherina best to avoid except in exchange houses.

No way to get $100 USD bills in Argentina ATM machines unless you have a local USD account. For some of you saying you see people taking it out, locals can set up USD accounts in Argentina so this is what you are seeing but tourists or people that don't have a local USD account can't access this.

I can't wait till they bring out the bigger bills and also it would be nice if you can start to pay tips via credit card without having to carry cash around. Some higher end restaurants started allowing this which is nice to see. I was in Osaka and they allowed to leave the tip on credit card which was awesome. I really hate carrying around wads of cash.
 
1068 Western Union, 1046 MoneyGram, so if you can get WU fee-free, it will be better by a bit. but with a $10.99 USD fee on WU, for those people it's definitely not worth it, until you're taking out like 1000 dollars or something high.

But $1,000 USD transfer via Western Union I think is like $49 USD or something like that. On larger amounts it just makes sense to use a cueva typically. Plus Western Union has limits to how much you can send each month.
 
$49 USD or something
good point, i forgot the fee scales so high (haven't done a large cash pickup myself, since credit cards have been so easy, and Airbnb is convenient, and some Landlords take US/EU Zelle)

the WU fee is: (1 USD = 1,068.36 Pesos)
"Transfer amount 1,000.00 USD
100% OFF 61.99 USD
Transfer total 1,000.00 USD
Total to receiver
1,068,360.00 ARS"

...so for those using their first fee waiver promo, maybe a good idea to take out more than you need, if you have a safe place for it (or you're going to pay rent in cash Pesos)

today's MEP and for weekend:

 
good point, i forgot the fee scales so high (haven't done a large cash pickup myself, since credit cards have been so easy, and Airbnb is convenient, and some Landlords take US/EU Zelle)

the WU fee is: (1 USD = 1,068.36 Pesos)
"Transfer amount 1,000.00 USD
100% OFF 61.99 USD
Transfer total 1,000.00 USD
Total to receiver
1,068,360.00 ARS"

...so for those using their first fee waiver promo, maybe a good idea to take out more than you need, if you have a safe place for it (or you're going to pay rent in cash Pesos)

today's MEP and for weekend:

Wow that is a great deal with them waiving the WU fee for a $1,000 transfer. Have you never used WU before @StatusNomadicus? Will that code work if you try to sign up for a duplicate account? I wonder what the maximum you can get waived on WU fees for first time transfer?
 
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