Now that I’m here, I’ve been taking a look at what the best way to pay for things is – cash or credit? I’ve found that:
- using my Citibank Visa, I’m getting AR $2.9517 to the U.S. dollar after fees are calculated.
- using my Schwab ATM card I’m getting AR $3.0436 to the U.S. dollar with no ATM fees.
- when changing U.S. cash to pesos, I got AR $3.00 to the U.S. dollar near the Palermo Alto mall.
- the Carrefour grocery store near me pays AR $2.95 to the U.S. dollar and some stores pay AR $3.00 to the U.S. dollar.
The official rate today was AR $3.0540 to the U.S. dollar. So, it definitely makes the most sense to take out cash from my Schwab account when I can as those extra cents can really add up over time.
If you’re looking to exchange cash for pesos, DolarHoy.com is a great site which lists the daily exchange rate for buying and selling at various cambios and banks. The best deal for today was Cambio America at $3.045. The Argentina Private message board has a good post with more details on this and their favorite places to exchange currency, including some tips on negotiating a few cents more than the bulk rate at DolarHoy.com. Like many places in BsAs, they’re closed weekends and a few hours in the afternoon, so be sure to call for their hours first.