Banking Reputable private banker for USD transfer

[njexpat]

Hi everyone, I replied to a different thread on a similar topic with this question, but wanted to make a post for full visibility in case someone can point me in the right direction.

I'm a student from the United States new to Buenos Aires and have just been lucky enough to find an apartment in Recoleta. The only difficulty I am facing is exchanging some USD from my bank account for physical USD, which is the preference of my new landlord. I was wondering if by any chance anyone knew of a reputable private banker who charges a reasonable commission for this kind of transaction. I'd like to avoid calle Florida to avoid the risk of potential scams. Thank you in advance!

 

[FrankPintor]

Hi everyone, I replied to a different thread on a similar topic with this question, but wanted to make a post for full visibility in case someone can point me in the right direction.

I'm a student from the United States new to Buenos Aires and have just been lucky enough to find an apartment in Recoleta. The only difficulty I am facing is exchanging some USD from my bank account for physical USD, which is the preference of my new landlord. I was wondering if by any chance anyone knew of a reputable private banker who charges a reasonable commission for this kind of transaction. I'd like to avoid calle Florida to avoid the risk of potential scams. Thank you in advance!

Transfer to your landlord’s offshore account isn’t an option? Pretty much every landlord has one, but they prefer to have the USD bills here. It’s an unfortunate reality.

Once you’ve been here a while you will most likely meet people who can get you USD bills for typically 4-5% commission. I would expect that most of the contributors on the forum have a contact who can do this, but sharing this information online is a bit iffy, given the need for confidence and trust at both ends.

It’s unfortunately a bit much to have to deal with this situation right from the start, which is why, despite all the negative aspects, Airbnb is a good option for starting off, and why in any case you should bring as much cash as you consider sensible when you come, and/or be prepared to make trips across the river as very well related in another thread.

 

[nikad]

Hi everyone, I replied to a different thread on a similar topic with this question, but wanted to make a post for full visibility in case someone can point me in the right direction.

I'm a student from the United States new to Buenos Aires and have just been lucky enough to find an apartment in Recoleta. The only difficulty I am facing is exchanging some USD from my bank account for physical USD, which is the preference of my new landlord. I was wondering if by any chance anyone knew of a reputable private banker who charges a reasonable commission for this kind of transaction. I'd like to avoid calle Florida to avoid the risk of potential scams. Thank you in advance!

Send me a private message if you are still looking. Commissions are usually 5-7% avg.

 

[earlyretirement]

Send me a private message if you are still looking. Commissions are usually 5-7% avg.

7% is highway robbery, IMHO.

 

[nikad]

7% is highway robbery, IMHO.

Sounds steep to me too, but those are the ranges ( I would go for something in the middle )

 

[njexpat]

Thank you all for for letting me know! I've already put down a deposit for the apartment via Zelle from my US based bank as well as the commission fee, so it seemed strange to ask for physical dollars every month. I'm sure the landlord will be able to use Pesos at the dollar rate, which would of course be easier for me and still paying for the cost we agreed upon.

 

[earlyretirement]

There are good banking people and the cost shouldn't really be more than about 3% maximum.