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

[Blockchain]

MEP is still 7% less Pesos per Dollar than the posted rate...no change so far in 2025. and today's real-world MEP is 1,152.15 ARS/USD with Visa. the Ambito website shows 1,228.31 right now, so about 6.2% less than advertised. i'll catch-up on many months of data next week.

My American friend that is in BA now said she did a lot better just exchanging cash she brought down. I didn't think the prices were all that much using my credit card but I didn't factor in the cash discounts. She said many places are giving 10% to 15% cash discounts. I guess that adds up if you're going out to eat all the time which she is. She said between the difference in exchange rates for using a credit card and the cash discounts she is saving over 20% each time!

 

[StatusNomadicus]

@Blockchain absolutely, you get 1,210 pesos per dollar now: https://www.ambito.com/contenidos/dolar.html

...and MEP with Visa real-world rate is 1,152, so using a card without discounts is already 5% ahead if you don't mind the risk of walking with $100 bills, the possible scams, the possible commission costs (what is your friend paying, 3% total?), and with a 10% cash discount (i don't see much 15% ones here in Mendoza) you're ahead 15% already at least, if you have some Blue Dollar time under your belt 🙂

but having a MODO app with a DNI number/residency means 15-40% discounts, no cash needed, and real easy to track your budget. and my Santander app gives me 1,221.36 ARS/USD right now, and only takes less than an hour after i click the Sell button. so i am WAY ahead of the tourist-paying-cash rate. and i already have paid 3 different businesses in Mendoza with USD (hardware shop, health food store, accountant office), so it looks like the worry of illegally using Dollars is going away. even my fruit stand family had USD in their cash register, so i'm going to ask them if they'll take Dollars for a good discount!

@MikeYoung yeah i've been doing other stuff, but i do enjoy this forum. keep sharing it when you talk to people!

@Uncle Wong let's chat on this thread about living experiences, so we can keep this MEP thread on-topic...see ya there! https://www.expatsba.com/threads/li...asia-insights-from-an-expat-perspective.5122/

 

[Vero]

@Blockchain absolutely, you get 1,210 pesos per dollar now: https://www.ambito.com/contenidos/dolar.html

...and MEP with Visa real-world rate is 1,152, so using a card without discounts is already 5% ahead if you don't mind the risk of walking with $100 bills, the possible scams, the possible commission costs (what is your friend paying, 3% total?), and with a 10% cash discount (i don't see much 15% ones here in Mendoza) you're ahead 15% already at least, if you have some Blue Dollar time under your belt 🙂

but having a MODO app with a DNI number/residency means 15-40% discounts, no cash needed, and real easy to track your budget. and my Santander app gives me 1,221.36 ARS/USD right now, and only takes less than an hour after i click the Sell button. so i am WAY ahead of the tourist-paying-cash rate. and i already have paid 3 different businesses in Mendoza with USD (hardware shop, health food store, accountant office), so it looks like the worry of illegally using Dollars is going away. even my fruit stand family had USD in their cash register, so i'm going to ask them if they'll take Dollars for a good discount!

@MikeYoung yeah i've been doing other stuff, but i do enjoy this forum. keep sharing it when you talk to people!

@Uncle Wong let's chat on this thread about living experiences, so we can keep this MEP thread on-topic...see ya there! https://www.expatsba.com/threads/li...asia-insights-from-an-expat-perspective.5122/

Modo savings add up. Not only that but also Mercado Pago or Club La Nacion. All can save you money but many people with no DNI can't open accounts too easily.

 

[Larry]

@Blockchain absolutely, you get 1,210 pesos per dollar now: https://www.ambito.com/contenidos/dolar.html

...and MEP with Visa real-world rate is 1,152, so using a card without discounts is already 5% ahead if you don't mind the risk of walking with $100 bills, the possible scams, the possible commission costs (what is your friend paying, 3% total?), and with a 10% cash discount (i don't see much 15% ones here in Mendoza) you're ahead 15% already at least, if you have some Blue Dollar time under your belt 🙂

but having a MODO app with a DNI number/residency means 15-40% discounts, no cash needed, and real easy to track your budget. and my Santander app gives me 1,221.36 ARS/USD right now, and only takes less than an hour after i click the Sell button. so i am WAY ahead of the tourist-paying-cash rate. and i already have paid 3 different businesses in Mendoza with USD (hardware shop, health food store, accountant office), so it looks like the worry of illegally using Dollars is going away. even my fruit stand family had USD in their cash register, so i'm going to ask them if they'll take Dollars for a good discount!

@MikeYoung yeah i've been doing other stuff, but i do enjoy this forum. keep sharing it when you talk to people!

@Uncle Wong let's chat on this thread about living experiences, so we can keep this MEP thread on-topic...see ya there! https://www.expatsba.com/threads/li...asia-insights-from-an-expat-perspective.5122/

Paying cash saves a lot of money and once the blue dollar is devalued we will have a big spread again.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

people with no DNI can't open accounts

this for sure is the correct wording...no DNI, no Santander/etc. accounts, no Dollar account, no MODO, no MercadoPago/Libre, nada.

Paying cash saves a lot of money

maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

 

[MikeYoung]

this for sure is the correct wording...no DNI, no Santander/etc. accounts, no Dollar account, no MODO, no MercadoPago/Libre, nada.


maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

Unfortunately it sounds like no way to utilize Modo without having residency here. Darn. @StatusNomadicus any way you know of for me to somehow use the Modo App? Is it only linked to a bank account or could I use this if a friend let me log in to their Modo account? I have never used it so don't know the set up. Or is this linked to a bank account? If so I'm sure no friend would allow me to use it.

 

[Avocado]

maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

I agree with you on this. You right. I always use this method. Always there is some discount. Before a big spread but now I do the same way you do StatusN. The discount add up for MODO!

 

[Avocado]

Unfortunately it sounds like no way to utilize Modo without having residency here. Darn. @StatusNomadicus any way you know of for me to somehow use the Modo App? Is it only linked to a bank account or could I use this if a friend let me log in to their Modo account? I have never used it so don't know the set up. Or is this linked to a bank account? If so I'm sure no friend would allow me to use it.

No when you pay it linked to your bank account. I don't know anyone that will trust their friend to charge anything to their bank account!

 

[earlyretirement]

this for sure is the correct wording...no DNI, no Santander/etc. accounts, no Dollar account, no MODO, no MercadoPago/Libre, nada.


maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

Yes it just depends on the stores so it depends. Cash can be great on big purchases. For example, Simmons gave us 30% off if we paid in cash. Some places it is worth it. MODO discounts do add up but many of them are capped on the limit but everything adds up. At Coto I was getting discounts for Modo, Mercado Pago some days.

You will find that many locals are in the "black" and flying under the radar on many purchases. Not so much with groceries but many people just like paying cash for everything. All these purchases get tracked by ARCA (Argentina IRS) so many just would rather use cash for everything. Adoption of electronic payments is good amongst the young but the reason there are huge discounts is trying to get adoption. But many old timers are still strictly cash.

 

[Uncle Wong]

this for sure is the correct wording...no DNI, no Santander/etc. accounts, no Dollar account, no MODO, no MercadoPago/Libre, nada.


maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

It sounds like I need to get residency ASAP! People told me I can't use Mercado Libre at all either without it and that would be essential. @StatusNomadicus I haven't read any posts from you on Amazon? Or maybe I missed it. What is your experience so far ordering stuff on Amazon? Does it work well? Do you order much from it? Good luck ordering and having the stuff show up? I read posts where it never arrived or people saying stuff was used or broken and a nightmare sending it back.

Would appreciate your experiences with Amazon. Thanks.

 

[Avocado]

It sounds like I need to get residency ASAP! People told me I can't use Mercado Libre at all either without it and that would be essential. @StatusNomadicus I haven't read any posts from you on Amazon? Or maybe I missed it. What is your experience so far ordering stuff on Amazon? Does it work well? Do you order much from it? Good luck ordering and having the stuff show up? I read posts where it never arrived or people saying stuff was used or broken and a nightmare sending it back.

Would appreciate your experiences with Amazon. Thanks.

No you can't use ML without DNI. They require it. I order from Amazon sometimes but always have problem. One time it get stuck in aduana. Another time they sent me used sheet for my bed. I tried to return but they want more in shipping than item! Never again. I use ML.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

still behind on data entry, but wanted to share current rates as of 03Apr2025 on the evening of Trump's communist tariffs:

MEP 1,320 (real-world likely ~1,228 for Visa/Mastercard)
Blue 1,290 Compra / 1,310 Venta
Crypto 1,325
Santander "MEP" instant Dollars-to-Pesos "Venta" 1,306-1,312 range today
WesternUnion 1,314-1,315 range today (assuming fee-free)

PS - i hate how Santander quotes me something like 1,310 this morning, then when my trade posts it gives a rate of 1,296. assholes.

also, any idea why selling Dollars for Pesos is "Venta" with Santander, yet (as far as i understand) the Blue rate lower value is what amount of Pesos you get from your Dollar (ignoring commission fees) exactly??

i have never used a Cueva so i never understood Blue rates (usually businesses here in Mendoza give me Pesos for the middle number, so if 1,290 and 1,310 then i get 1,300 exactly). why is Compra and Venta so weird? do i need to re-learn this??

no friend would allow me to use it.

need Residency (DNI number), no way around it that i've heard of so far, and for sure no one would let someone else have unlimited access to their digital wallet.

Simmons gave us 30% off

huge! never seen consistent cash discounts that good. maybe 15% max when i was in BsAs during the end of Peronism. but nowadays 10% only in Mendoza, and not that any cash discounts. LOTS of MercadoPago and MODO and things i can't access (credit card CencoPay, Carrefour Credit, Visa credit cards issued in Argentina, AmEx Argentina credit, etc. - all of these and mortgages you need Permanent Residency).

residency ASAP! People told me I can't use Mercado Libre at all either

yes, a DNI opens up 50% of Argentina that we can't access otherwise.

Amazon

i've gotten 2 boxes total, a year ago and now early 2025. it takes 3 weeks and you have to pay Amazon the 30% or so tariff fees (cue the Republican Trump cultists saying tariffs aren't a tax, lol), and i've never gotten a refund on these, and CorreoArgentino is fucking horrible at everything. ideally DHL or Andreani deliver the package, but i hate Andreani next most. thieves and scammers.



Amazon is good for over 100 bucks and waiting 3 weeks. i ordered a massive box of dog-poop bags that would have cost me WAY more to buy locally (yes, i'm one of the 15% of people here who pick-up every single thing my dog drops....looking at you, peronists! the park is not a big toilet for your lazy asses)

but overall now that i have MercadoLibre and i'm not buying much stuff with a furnished house, i haven't needed to order things. just got a new LG mini-split A/C unit for $725 USD shipped to me in Mendoza...this would have been 2,000 USD in the States.

aduana

this is the result of voting for a massive federal government that has sticky fingers in all aspects of our lives. why does Customs get to decide what i can buy from abroad? i just bought a vaporizer from a US retailer and now Aduanas has seized it at CorreoArgentino and demanding i pay 30% more AND a delivery fee of 7,000 Pesos - i hate communists. still don't have my vape a month later...and Argies wonder how their "Paris of Latin America" became a shithole so fast, on the way to Venezuela. these things are why; it's not complicated...let us peasants buy products without being hassled and extorted every step of the way. the USA is about to see this in real-time while libertarian Argies sit back and laugh at the stupidity. and a HUGE black market just got created in the USA today from Commie Trump's tariffs

 

[Betsy Ross]

but overall now that i have MercadoLibre and i'm not buying much stuff with a furnished house, i haven't needed to order things. just got a new LG mini-split A/C unit for $725 USD shipped to me in Mendoza...this would have been 2,000 USD in the States.

How did you get your AC so cheap? Was it on some special promotion? I don't see AC so cheap in BA. Did you find that on Mercado Libre? That seems like a great deal. I bought an AC last year and paid much more than that. What size was it?

this is the result of voting for a massive federal government that has sticky fingers in all aspects of our lives. why does Customs get to decide what i can buy from abroad? i just bought a vaporizer from a US retailer and now Aduanas has seized it at CorreoArgentino and demanding i pay 30% more AND a delivery fee of 7,000 Pesos - i hate communists. still don't have my vape a month later...and Argies wonder how their "Paris of Latin America" became a shithole so fast, on the way to Venezuela. these things are why; it's not complicated...let us peasants buy products without being hassled and extorted every step of the way. the USA is about to see this in real-time while libertarian Argies sit back and laugh at the stupidity. and a HUGE black market just got created in the USA today from Commie Trump's tariffs

Never buy anything that has to go through CorreoArgentino. They always do this. Every time I have tried to order something from a direct retailer I had aduana want a bribe. Unfortunately the US is probably going to experience high prices. I still can't believe it and would think Trump will have to back down but now I am not so sure. I believe now he thinks this will work. I feel so happy to have dumped all my stocks.

 

[Colin]

still behind on data entry, but wanted to share current rates as of 03Apr2025 on the evening of Trump's communist tariffs:

MEP 1,320 (real-world likely ~1,228 for Visa/Mastercard)
Blue 1,290 Compra / 1,310 Venta
Crypto 1,325
Santander "MEP" instant Dollars-to-Pesos "Venta" 1,306-1,312 range today
WesternUnion 1,314-1,315 range today (assuming fee-free)

PS - i hate how Santander quotes me something like 1,310 this morning, then when my trade posts it gives a rate of 1,296. assholes.

also, any idea why selling Dollars for Pesos is "Venta" with Santander, yet (as far as i understand) the Blue rate lower value is what amount of Pesos you get from your Dollar (ignoring commission fees) exactly??

i have never used a Cueva so i never understood Blue rates (usually businesses here in Mendoza give me Pesos for the middle number, so if 1,290 and 1,310 then i get 1,300 exactly). why is Compra and Venta so weird? do i need to re-learn this??


need Residency (DNI number), no way around it that i've heard of so far, and for sure no one would let someone else have unlimited access to their digital wallet.


huge! never seen consistent cash discounts that good. maybe 15% max when i was in BsAs during the end of Peronism. but nowadays 10% only in Mendoza, and not that any cash discounts. LOTS of MercadoPago and MODO and things i can't access (credit card CencoPay, Carrefour Credit, Visa credit cards issued in Argentina, AmEx Argentina credit, etc. - all of these and mortgages you need Permanent Residency).


yes, a DNI opens up 50% of Argentina that we can't access otherwise.


i've gotten 2 boxes total, a year ago and now early 2025. it takes 3 weeks and you have to pay Amazon the 30% or so tariff fees (cue the Republican Trump cultists saying tariffs aren't a tax, lol), and i've never gotten a refund on these, and CorreoArgentino is fucking horrible at everything. ideally DHL or Andreani deliver the package, but i hate Andreani next most. thieves and scammers.



Amazon is good for over 100 bucks and waiting 3 weeks. i ordered a massive box of dog-poop bags that would have cost me WAY more to buy locally (yes, i'm one of the 15% of people here who pick-up every single thing my dog drops....looking at you, peronists! the park is not a big toilet for your lazy asses)

but overall now that i have MercadoLibre and i'm not buying much stuff with a furnished house, i haven't needed to order things. just got a new LG mini-split A/C unit for $725 USD shipped to me in Mendoza...this would have been 2,000 USD in the States.


this is the result of voting for a massive federal government that has sticky fingers in all aspects of our lives. why does Customs get to decide what i can buy from abroad? i just bought a vaporizer from a US retailer and now Aduanas has seized it at CorreoArgentino and demanding i pay 30% more AND a delivery fee of 7,000 Pesos - i hate communists. still don't have my vape a month later...and Argies wonder how their "Paris of Latin America" became a shithole so fast, on the way to Venezuela. these things are why; it's not complicated...let us peasants buy products without being hassled and extorted every step of the way. the USA is about to see this in real-time while libertarian Argies sit back and laugh at the stupidity. and a HUGE black market just got created in the USA today from Commie Trump's tariffs

DNI is key. I could never deal with not having a local bank account or not using Mercado Libre. MODO deals are too good to pass up too. And Mercado Pago deals.

 

[David]

maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

Stores formally offered bigger cash discounts but now only 10%. The banks and government are trying to encourage people to not use cash and it is working with all of these discounts. I am afraid that people will depend on them and then if they stop they will be in trouble. It just goes to show you how much mark up all these stores have if they can offer huge discounts like this. The rip off inflated prices are across the board at many stores.

 

[earlyretirement]

@Blockchain absolutely, you get 1,210 pesos per dollar now: https://www.ambito.com/contenidos/dolar.html

...and MEP with Visa real-world rate is 1,152, so using a card without discounts is already 5% ahead if you don't mind the risk of walking with $100 bills, the possible scams, the possible commission costs (what is your friend paying, 3% total?), and with a 10% cash discount (i don't see much 15% ones here in Mendoza) you're ahead 15% already at least, if you have some Blue Dollar time under your belt 🙂

but having a MODO app with a DNI number/residency means 15-40% discounts, no cash needed, and real easy to track your budget. and my Santander app gives me 1,221.36 ARS/USD right now, and only takes less than an hour after i click the Sell button. so i am WAY ahead of the tourist-paying-cash rate. and i already have paid 3 different businesses in Mendoza with USD (hardware shop, health food store, accountant office), so it looks like the worry of illegally using Dollars is going away. even my fruit stand family had USD in their cash register, so i'm going to ask them if they'll take Dollars for a good discount!

@MikeYoung yeah i've been doing other stuff, but i do enjoy this forum. keep sharing it when you talk to people!

@Uncle Wong let's chat on this thread about living experiences, so we can keep this MEP thread on-topic...see ya there! https://www.expatsba.com/threads/li...asia-insights-from-an-expat-perspective.5122/

Yes MODO is great and the discounts add up. Also @StatusNomadicus not sure if you know about Uala but that's another great App to get. You can open up a Peso and USD account. I haven't deposited any USD but the peso account is good and they also have discounts. They limit how much you can get per month which isn't too much but every bit adds up if you're on a budget.

Coto - 25% off Monday
Farmacity - 25% off Saturday
YPF - 15% off Saturday
McDonald's - 30% off everyday

And a bunch of other places.

Stores formally offered bigger cash discounts but now only 10%. The banks and government are trying to encourage people to not use cash and it is working with all of these discounts. I am afraid that people will depend on them and then if they stop they will be in trouble. It just goes to show you how much mark up all these stores have if they can offer huge discounts like this. The rip off inflated prices are across the board at many stores.

Yes they are smart trying to get people away from using cash. The future of Argentina progressing really will depend on getting people out of the shadows out of the black and getting people into the formal sector. But taxes need to come down before people will do that.

 

[Larry]

this for sure is the correct wording...no DNI, no Santander/etc. accounts, no Dollar account, no MODO, no MercadoPago/Libre, nada.


maybe 10% most of the time, but getting a Dollar MEP good rate on Santander, then using those Pesos linked to MODO can get 15-25-40% discounts with Santander/BNA+ MODO, so i have actually NOT been using cash recently because the discounts aren't as good. and i've been paying $100 USD bills sometimes for big mayorista purchases at shops that will give me the middle-spread Blue Dollar rate. Larry, i automatically hate everything you write after over a year of reading your stupidity and political NPC zealotry, but do you not use the MODO app???

Yes I use Modo and MP but the discounts are only for a few dollars a month. So once I pass those max discounts there is not much incentive to use them. I need to be careful about using my digital wallets and debit card too much. I only declare with afip a small portion of my pension. Last year they questioned how and why I had so many deposits in my banking and my spending. Since then I prefer to use cash. Afip is watching all spending and transactions. I do not want any problems.

After a year of your posts I also still hate your posts.

 

[earlyretirement]

Yes I use Modo and MP but the discounts are only for a few dollars a month. So once I pass those max discounts there is not much incentive to use them. I need to be careful about using my digital wallets and debit card too much. I only declare with afip a small portion of my pension. Last year they questioned how and why I had so many deposits in my banking and my spending. Since then I prefer to use cash. Afip is watching all spending and transactions. I do not want any problems.

After a year of your posts I also still hate your posts.

Hey at least you two guys are making progress communicating. I really hate to see people fighting on the forum. I know that people have different opinions on stuff. That will always be the case.

You make a good point @Larry about the limit of the discounts. Most of them limit but apps like Mercado Pago are great because I don't think they limit discount at Coto on Friday's. I think it's 25% which is a lot. All of these add up.

 

[Uncle Wong]

I just wish foreigners can get a DNI. I just reached out to Lorena at https://www.argentinaresidency.com/ and going to try getting a rentista visa. She said no problem so going to try that.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

AC so cheap?

i put a bookmark tab with the item i want, name it the price in Pesos, and check every ~3 days. i've seen that same LG list for 1.2 million Pesos, a week after i got it for 931,710.21 Pesos (at a Santander MEP rate of 1,279.54 that day, or just under $729 USD for the unit to be delivered from CABA to Mendoza. this one, which uses the LG wifi app, and supposedly is the most efficient:

Aire Acondicionado Split LG F/c Inverter S4-w12ja31a Wifi - $ 999.999

TIO MUSA S.ASomos líderes en venta online y llevamos 27 años de trayectoria en el comercio de electrodomésticos y artículos de mueblería, ofreciendo una excelente experiencia de compra y precios bajos.-DISPONIBILIDAD DEL PRODUCTOSi el producto está publicado, tenemos stock del mismo.Aire...

articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar

right now that same Split, at a million Pesos, with a Santander rate much lower (i should have snagged more Pesos at 1,350 but you never know the future), it would be more like $867 USD, so i would try to exchange Dollars at the Blue rate to get my real cost lower. it comes from CABA and had free delivery, and yep on ML @Betsy Ross so it was just some effort to wait for it to be lowered in price (probably last year's model that a company is trying to move).

but with all the laws being deleted, we should see prices on this stuff dropping in the next couple years. i'm waiting on a Dishwasher to be under $750 USD, as well as buying more Splits and some vented heaters. speaking of heaters, my daily rant: i hate the obsession with cheap "común" wall gas heaters in Argentina. smells like sulfur or slight smoke, eats up the oxygen in a place that is decently sealed/insulated, has a slight CO risk although probably minimal with all the air leaks, and overall is just antiquated and illegal in many areas of the world. i see "sin salida" heaters for cheap, but i've been here for like 15 months and have never had a good experience with these shady third-world heaters. yesterday for $269 USD i bought a nice heater (i hope it's nice) with my US Mastercard with free shipping in a week from BsAs to Mendoza, and it has a completely separate combustion chamber, gets oxygen from outside and puts the exhaust outside, has a thermostat so it will burn more or less as it senses the room's temp, and says 2000 kcal is rate for an 18 m2 area. the bigger one for 28 m2 wasn't much more (but i doubt i need it with these mild winters). i suspect one day Argies won't be okay with breathing in cancer and stinky air just to save a few bucks every 20 years (one of my heaters legit looks like it's from 1970).

311,000 Pesos for this Eskabe: https://www.mercadolibre.com.ar/cal...tt-tb2-te-2000-kcalh-color-cava/p/MLA22362079

and i watched it for a bit before buying at the lowest price (i calculate overall cost in USD for me, which takes a few seconds of math). but what's the price of this in the USA? no idea, but the mini-Splits are for sure cheaper here for me.

Never buy anything that has to go through CorreoArgentino

i never get the option; some US companies just ship USPS and tell you later. then it gets transferred to Correo :/

Unfortunately the US is probably going to experience high prices. I still can't believe it and would think Trump will have to back down but now I am not so sure.

"Juan Domingo Trump" was a communist last term, and will continue to be a warmonger protectionist Zionist communist this term. it's good to be in Argentina, sitting on crypto 🙂

Uala

i see it all the time, like the CarrefourCredit and CencopayCredit. i'm guessing you need a DNI for Uala? my lady's DNI is expired and she's getting the usual months' delays with Immigration, and i got approved but still have to wait for my Precaria to actually reflect that, so no current DNI for my household. hopefully by June!

taxes need to come down before people will do that.

and they need to go away for years, because no one wants to reveal their wealth and then have the Kirchner kuka mafia come back and retroactively tax people for then-legal things. i get it! oppression leads to black markets and distrust.

the discounts are only for a few dollars a month

there are weekly limits of 8,000 Pesos, monthly of 30,000 Pesos, or MP etc. have some "sin tope" but i find those to be overall not worth it since the prices just get increased that day. 15% of the time i find deals. i like the reintegro ones from Santander for 15-25% or the last MODO 40%. yeah you don't get a ton of overall savings, but buying meat and eggs at that rate? i can eat for a week with discounted deals like that. and i'm only using one person's DNI account; if i had 2, i could feed my whole fam at a huge discount

After a year of your posts I also still hate your posts.

so mute me, dipshit. Lefties are so retarded because they view a different political opinion as violence. get fucked, commie, you vote for thieving mafias that ruin countries with protectionist theft, then come bitch at me for wanting Argentines to be free. you offer zero value here, spam your one-dimensional MILEI EVIL rants, and no one wants you here. Mute me, as i've muted you. and stop posting on my threads if you think i'm so stupid. bye, douche! love that you admitted you lie on your pension taxes, after scolding me for being a criminal or whatever the f*ck you and your retard-partner Avocado came up with. i still think you're useless after a year

Afip is watching all spending and transactions. I do not want any problems.

if only there was a political ideology where 95% of peaceful humans wouldn't have to cower in fear of an oppressive mafia...hmmmmm, if only. keep voting for more government, dipshit!

moving past the moron, here are yesterday's MEP real-world rates:



right now more advantageous to use Blue than MEP or Santander swap, for the first big difference in a while. markets are crazy! depending on fees, if you NEED to spend Pesos, get some Blue swaps, but i'm waiting it out to see the volatility before i swap any more.