View Full Version : ATM's
StrayLight
08-05-07, 22:36
I seriously needed money so went down the street to another bank where my Citibank card worked fine to get me in and the system gave me 700 pesos, all in hundreds. A trick I learned from a porteño friend is to request $10 pesos less than an even $100 amount. For example, if I wanted $700 pesos, I'd actually ask for $690 pesos. The machine usually gives a $50 and then some combination of twenties and tens. But the key point is, if you're flat broke, you're guaranteed enough small bills to at least take a taxi somewhere.
Yes, get 490 or 590 pesos at the ATM machine.
And then use 100s when you're eating at decent places, where they'll be accepted and generate even more small bills in change.
If I ever ran out of small bills my local kiosko would take a few seconds to change a 100 for me since I went there every day.
Just heard on the news that the Brink's truck drivers might go on strike tomorrow and consequently leave the ATM's bone dry. If you are living off of ATM withdrawls you might want to consider making additional withdrawls between now and early tomorrow.
Punter 127
09-03-07, 11:55
I was able to pull $900ar from the (Banelco) ATM at Av. Santa Fe 2699 without any problems. I used a MasterCard Debit card. Have the local withdrawal limits be lifted or can you only do this with MasterCard?
Punter 127
09-03-07, 12:28
Master Card --Debit used at HSBC branches (Banelco) = 3000 pesos and NO FEES!Yes but that is with a HSBC account right? Thanks for the reply Sid but I'm interested in none HSBC cards. I guess I should have just ask about Visa cards? Did they take the $300 or $350ar limit off?
Punter 127
09-03-07, 12:45
And spreading like an epidemic!Thanks, I think I will check it out, before I go to the gun shop today.
Member #3314
09-03-07, 13:40
I used a HSBC MasterCard debit card my last trip there in March. I had zero fee's using it at any link ATM. This is just a generic free checking account.
I could take out 3000 peso's, if the machine had it. (1000U$D limit)
I travel frequently for my work and I use the HSBC debit just about everywhere.
The nice part is that you can have the card linked to a savings acct online, but not linked to the card at the ATM. If you were to get jacked and they made you go to the ATM they would only get the cash in your checking, not the big wad.
This was all during the changes to the ATM's using visa earlier in the year
I opened a Citibank Checking account and got an ATM card before my trip.
The nice thing is that it allows you to get to the ATM's outside of business hours by swiping the card at the door.
Punter 127
09-03-07, 21:21
I opened a Citibank Checking account and got an ATM card before my trip.
The nice thing is that it allows you to get to the ATM's outside of business hours by swiping the card at the door.I think all AMT cards will get you in the door, doesn't matter what bank your account is at.
Alberto Alto
10-22-07, 02:29
On my 2 visits to BA I have used my Citibank USA Debit Card to withdraw AR pesos from the Citibank ATM on Florida St. 746. Withdrawal is debited directly to my US Citibank account and there are no fees. There are several Citibank ATM machines at this location and what looks to be an actual branch.
Funny thing is that when I look at my account online it shows the description of the transaction as a "non Citibank ATM" whlie all the signage at the location says very boldly Citibank.
At this location there is a reception desk open during normal business hours and when I asked if I could make a US dollar deposit to my Citibank USA account I was told I could not.
I only used my Citibank debit card at this location. Never tried any other ATM.They charged me 3% for each ATM transaction, and when I withdrew cash from an ATM they also charged me for a "non Citibank ATM". Try HSBC. They often give you dollars and don't charge any fee for their ATM's. Just like in the US, Citibank is always a ripoff.
That's odd. I recently used my Citibank card at BA Citibank ATMs and didn't get charged any fees. I got 3.15 on Oct. 1 with no fee.
Do you have a USA Citibank account? Were you using the ATMs in the Citibank branches? Did you talk to Citibank customer service about it in your home country? 3% and a fee is what Citibank charges for a non-Citibank ATM (which I agree is a rip so I only use my Citibank card at Citibank ATMs)
Double-check before getting an HSBC card as I've read a few things that say they are increasing the fee to 3%.
http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/09/hsbc-to-increase-foreign-transaction-fees/
http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange
I've also read that Citibank is increasing to 2% effective Jan. 08 even when using a Citibank ATM.
I have an Chase bank account and it seems that the have a fixed US$3 fee for withdrawing from a non Chase ATM. Of course, as you are allowed a maximum of US$100 each extraction, that would be a 3% charge and as there are no Chase banks here I have no other option!
I have an Chase bank account and it seems that the have a fixed US$3 fee for withdrawing from a non Chase ATM. Of course, as you are allowed a maximum of US$100 each extraction, that would be a 3% charge and as there are no Chase banks here I have no other option!Chase uses Visa for ATM cards, doesn't it? If so, that's your problem on the withdrawal limit, as the limit on MasterCard is much higher, if not only limited to your bank's limit. I have a small bank account in the States and can pull out about $2500 pesos, or $800 (which is my bank's limit) at a time and I know someone else who can pull out much more.
That's right, I have a visa debit card I use for withdrawals but I rarely need to withdraw more than US100 at a time. I have an account in an Argentine bank (Patagonia) that allows me to take out a 1000 pesos each time and I use the Chase card to pay everything else even the gas in my car. The question is if I took out less than a 100 US, say US$ 50, would I still pay the 3 bucks?
I know, the easy way to find out would be to take out US$50 and see what happens but I couldn't be bothered! I was just wondering if anybody here knew;)
Member #3314
10-22-07, 21:07
I read at the top of my last statement that on November 5th HSBC is raising its 1% to 3% unless you have a higher level account, then it stays the same at practically nil.
That's odd. I recently used my Citibank card at BA Citibank ATMs and didn't get charged any fees. I got 3.15 on Oct. 1 with no fee.
Do you have a USA Citibank account? Were you using the ATMs in the Citibank branches? Did you talk to Citibank customer service about it in your home country? 3% and a fee is what Citibank charges for a non-Citibank ATM (which I agree is a rip so I only use my Citibank card at Citibank ATMs)
Double-check before getting an HSBC card as I've read a few things that say they are increasing the fee to 3%.
http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/09/hsbc-to-increase-foreign-transaction-fees/
http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_ExchangeDamn. I opened and loaded an account with HSBC two weeks ago for their non fee policy.
Nothing is for free any more.
El Greco
I always use Banco Frances when possible. No fees, no limits and a slightly better excahange rate the in other banks. It also seems that ATM's in other banks never have any cash in them. The exception to this is ATM's (Banco Frances) in malls, or not in a bank.
DrakeCapital
10-23-07, 14:14
Before my first trip to BA, I have checked with all 3 of my banks. Citi, Bank of America, and HSBC all charge 3% fees for foreign exchange. There may or may not be separate ATM fees, but the 3% was my concern and it's now verified. I forgot to inquire about purchases with the card, but I assume it's the same.
Purchasing with a Visa debit card this is what I'm charged - this case petrol -
YPF AUTOP BS-LP SUR PROV 09/28YPF AUTOP AR Peso 76.00 X 0.3177632 (EXCHG RTE) + 0.72 (EXCHG RTE ADJ)
And it's the same for any purchase I make.
Hiya,
Using a USA Wells Fargo ATM Visa Card, with Visa Plus, and Cirrus, and Link, my cash withdrawal limit per transaction from any Argentinian bank ATM / Cajero, is Max: $320 AR. Very frustrating indeed!
When lucky I can withdraw the above amount 3 consecutive times per my ATM card insert, while being charged 3 times $5 US.
So far no other way of cash withdrawal. Any suggestions, input is welcomed.
All the Best,
Bodhi
AllIWantIsLove
10-24-07, 01:17
Before my first trip to BA, I have checked with all 3 of my banks. Citi, Bank of America, and HSBC all charge 3% fees for foreign exchange. There may or may not be separate ATM fees, but the 3% was my concern and it's now verified. I forgot to inquire about purchases with the card, but I assume it's the same.It's my understanding that if you have a Citi check card (I. E. a debit card I think) AND use one of their ATM machines (https://web.da-us.citibank.com/cgi-bin/citifi/scripts/prod_and_service/prod_serv_detail.jsp?BS_Id=WorldATM&BV_UseBVCookie=yes)
there is no foreign currency transaction fee.
For a credit card with no foreign currency transaction fee look into Capital One. I researched them a while back and if I recall correctly they do not impose the foreign currency transaction fee.
If you look into Capital One please let us know as I am not certain of my recollection, and, of course, they may have changed their mind.
Bob
Member #3319
11-02-07, 05:46
I was going to post this link to the flyerguide wiki, but I noticed Easy Go has already done so. It seems to confirm that Capital One does not have any fees associated with their cards.
It might be worth getting an account if you have time prior to any extended trips to BA.
Tyler.
That's odd. I recently used my Citibank card at BA Citibank ATMs and didn't get charged any fees. I got 3.15 on Oct. 1 with no fee.
Do you have a USA Citibank account? Were you using the ATMs in the Citibank branches? Did you talk to Citibank customer service about it in your home country? 3% and a fee is what Citibank charges for a non-Citibank ATM (which I agree is a rip so I only use my Citibank card at Citibank ATMs)
Double-check before getting an HSBC card as I've read a few things that say they are increasing the fee to 3%.
http://www.travelfinances.com/blog/index.php/2007/07/09/hsbc-to-increase-foreign-transaction-fees/
http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange
Called Citibank today. The rep told me that they charge 3% whenever their debit cards are used at ATMs in Argentina. The Citibank ATMs in Argentina are not part of the same United States network, therefore the 3% fee still applies.
Unfortunately the greenback seems to be the currency of choice for the best rate returns.
AllIWantIsLove
11-18-07, 02:48
Called Citibank today. The rep told me that they charge 3% whenever their debit cards are used at ATMs in Argentina. The Citibank ATMs in Argentina are not part of the same United States network, therefore the 3% fee still applies.
Unfortunately the greenback seems to be the currency of choice for the best rate returns.If this is true it really SUCKS! Via Citi web pages you can find ATM locations in Buenos Aires with no mention that they are not really Citi ATMs. Tomorrow I am going to try to send a written question via email so that I'll get a written response. I expect that they are pretty careful about what they put in writting. I hope that you just got an uninformed rep Hyestud.
Bob
I recently opened an account with them, back home, in order to avoid commissions on their ATM's worldwide as advertised and was told by them too. I am doing about 50 overseas transactions per year.
Pure bullshit. They do not charge commissions separately ok. But they incorporate a 3% in their rates and you are allowed 900 pesos in three withdrawals of 300p each per day here in BsAs.
Last Monday I was charged 4,42p to a euro whilst they gave me 4,55p for some cash that I also changed with them. A difference of 13cents per euro.
My good old Greek banks are charging a flat rate of 4,5 euros per transaction which comes to about 1% in Brasil where I can get 1.000 Reais (400 euros) daily. Not good for BsAs though for the 300p transactions.
Good old cash seems to be the solution now.
My two euro cents.
El Greco
After reading all the stuff that has been posted about ATMs and banks here I am perfectly ready to believe that much of the US mortgage mess is because over half of the people with mortgages don't know what kind they have, and what the conditions are.
This ATM fee business is getting serious. These thieving banks have created open season on international travelers. I have just posted some stuff about this for Paraguay. For the interest of all, from the top, there are 4 separate charges that can be made on an international transaction at this time:
1. Issuing Bank Foreign ATM Fee: Can be as high as $5 for Wells FEEgo. It is charged by the issuing bank for the use of an ATM machine at another bank. Since branches in another country would be at least a foreign subsidiary, this could mean a Citibank ATM in any other country is foreign to Citibank US, so assume it will be. This for a transaction that actually SAVES the bank money, because the ATM electronic transaction is much cheaper than a teller or check, and the machine costs them NOTHING, since it is someone else's.
This fee is relatively easy to avoid. Avoid the big banks, they are the worst thieves.
2. Issuing Bank International Transaction Fee: This is a percentage, of about 1-3% currently, charged against all international transactions, EVEN IN THEIR OWN BRANCHES. This one started with credit cards, and is now spreading to debit cards. They found a spot to rip off customers because most people will not change banks to avoid this. Many don't know it exists. The international transaction costs the bank nothing extra. All of the currency exchange is handled by VISA / MC.
This fee is relatively easy to avoid. Avoid the big banks again.
3. Currency Conversion Fee: This is 1% charged by VISA / MC to cover the cost and risk of currency conversion. This fee is not bad for the service performed. They have to handle the conversion and there is effort and a slight risk involved.
This fee cannot be avoided, except by bringing cash.
4. ATM Operator Fee: This fee is charged by the operator of the ATM to cover the cost of the transaction and the maintenance of the money in the machine. There actually is a service performed for this fee. The fee is normally viciously high though. $1 for this service is too much. How much do you pay for the cost of the coke machine when buying a coke from a machine?
At this time, I have not heard of this fee charged by a bank in Argentina for an international ATM card. It is also not charged in Uruguay, and until now, Paraguay. I suspect that there may be a technical reason why it is not charged. Apparently, some portion of the 1% Currency Conversion Fee is given to the ATM operator to cover their business.
In Paraguay, last month (October) they introduced a Gs25,000(currently US$5.35) ATM operator fee Per Transaction. However, it is still possible to withdraw up to the limit of the card (I don't know about high limit over $US500 cards) in a single transaction. I first saw it at Citibank, and checking a bunch of other banks it appears universal within just one month. These bastards are experts at behaving like a cartel. This is ridiculously high and outright robbery. I suspect this fee may be charged on International Cards only, because Paraguayans can't to afford this. This is bad, because we are a small costituency and can't fight back well.
This fee is going to be very hard to avoid. I haven't found a way to avoid it yet. As long as they permit the withdrawal of $500/ transaction, it amounts to an additional 1%. But I am afraid this may be only the beginning. If they reduce the transaction limit, as in Argentina, it will become prohibitive for continuous travelers.
In Summary: If one extracts $US100 with a Wells FEEgo card in Argentina currently, the cost is $5 + $3 + $1 for a total cost of $9(9%) If one extracts $US100 in Paraguay it is $5 + $3 + $1 + $5.35 for a total cost of $14.35(14.35%)
So the thing to do is READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS of your card from your bank. If they are charging the avoidable fees, go to another bank. That is the only way these banks MIGHT begin to get the message.
We need to look longer term to finding a way to avoid the ATM operator fee. I assume it will eventually come to Argentina. This essentially involves trying to find the equivalent of cash back on purchase kinds of services. Any ideas or knowledge here?
I checked what I paid recently: Bank card (EC - card) of Deutsche Bank - not a credit card, just used for ATM's and electronic payments -
The exchange rate was exactly the published interbank rate. Plus a flat fee of € 4,99 per transaction, and the limit is A$R 4000,-
It seems some Europeans give a better deal. El Greco, that should also work in your case.
Anyway, worth checking. And it seems that U. S. Banks lead the ripoff. Maybe going to the old continent might help.
2 centavos from.
El Alemán
Tequila Tim
11-18-07, 20:04
In September I used my ATM issued by my credit union (Cirrus and Star linked) and the transaction fee was $.50 (although the newly imposed maximum withdraw limit of $100 US applied) I thought it was a fair deal since I typically withdrew $US 200 for a buck. For those of you who can get into a credit union, you might want to check this out.
For the past 3 years I've used a Citibank ATM card with a Mastercard logo here in Buenos Aires. There was a period of time, for about 3 or 4 months last year when Citibank US assessed a fee on ATM transactions at an Argentina Citibank ATM. That ended some time ago, up to a year ago, I don't remember exactly. They then restricted the fee to purchases only, so if you use the Citibank ATM with credit card logo for any purchase there's a fee assessed, 3%.
Citibank here also include ATMs marked "Banelco". I've been told that you're assessed a fee by Citibank if you use those machines marked "Banelco".
I use only the machines that look 100% like a US Citibank ATM with my US Citibank ATM card. No fees are assessed.
The Citibank at Alvear and Callao has 2 such machines, the first one was giving only 300 p / withdrawal and allowing multiple withdrawals. The second one allows me up to 3,000 peso withdrawal per day. No fees.
Go figure, this is Argentina.
Maybe the problem is the large banks?
I have a small business account with Trustmark, which is a small regional bank in the US south / south east. I have a MasterCard debit card. My limit is $800/ day and they charge a flat $1.50 fee for each withdrawal, no currency conversion fee, no ATM fees from the local ATM machines or anything. Just went back and looked at my last month's of transactions to make sure.
I looked at their website for personal accounts and it appears that they have the same policy on all accounts regarding ATMs. $1.50 per transaction on all non-Trustmark ATMs.
I have a personal account through Bank Of America with a Visa ATM card. My limit is $500/ day but of course because it is Visa, I am limited here to A$R 300 per transaction. I get charged a $5.00 fee per transaction, as well as a 1% currency conversion fee. I don't use this card very often! It would cost me $10 to get my limit.
I can pick up 500 euro a day without charge and 2500 euro's a month with a small charge with my CC, this limit can be extended to 5000 euro's or more
AllIWantIsLove
11-25-07, 03:57
I asked Citibank, in writing, if I'd be charged a foreign currency transaction fee if I used my debit card to withdraw cash from their ATMs in Buenos Aires. The answer, also in writing, was no.
Bob
On the same day, during my stay I used my european HSBC credit card and another card to withdraw some pesos (guess why! In the banelco network.)
Résults:
I got 4.5331 $/€ with HSBC.
And. 4.2055 $/€ with another card (be*******t french bankinsurance compagnie 5.27€ commission / operation! It makes the chica quite 8% more expensive:(
Happilly I used this card only twice
AllIWantIsLove
01-10-08, 17:35
I just found this link.
http://flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Credit/Debit/ATM_Cards_and_Foreign_Exchange
Which I thought would be of interest to some. Wade through the verbage and there are some tables which contain useful information. Of course I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data in the tables.
Bob
AllIWantIsLove
03-03-08, 11:38
I reported earlier that Citibank charged no foreign currency transaction fee for an ATM withdrawal so long as you were using one of their ATMs. That was true until early February when they started to charge a 2% fee. So I switched to my credit union VISA debit card which is charging me 1%. I'll be looking into some way to avoid this charge altogether.
Bob
Knob and Tube
03-03-08, 11:49
I made two withdrawals with my electric orange ATM card from ingdirect, an online bank. No fee charged at all.
AllIWantIsLove
03-03-08, 15:56
I made two withdrawals with my electric orange ATM card from ingdirect, an online bank. No fee charged at all.Do you base that on what was printed by the ATM or have you looked at your statement online? In my experience the slips of paper printed by the ATMs contain very little information. When I am charged a foreign currency transaction fee it NEVER shows up on the transaction record printed by the ATM. And it may not show up on my online statement until a day or so later.
Bob
Knob and Tube
03-03-08, 21:38
I checked online. Both withdrawals were made from Banco Santander here in BA. First one was on Feb. 18 and second on 27th. Still no transaction fee. However using my Washington Mutual card, I got charged 1% and it showed up online the same day as the withdrawal.
Hi,
I just came across this bank (PNC - www.pnc.com) that does not charge any ATM fees anywhere in the world if you open a checking account with them. Any ATM fees charged to your account will be reimbursed back on the spot. I haven't had a chance to open a checking account with them yet. If anyone has experience with this bank, please let us know.
Thanks
Today I tried to get $1200 pesos from two ATM's using my US issued HSBC MasterCard debit card and could not get more than $300 pesos out.
The banks were an HSBC and a Banco Galicia. I had not had this problem for the past year at the bank branches.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Does it look like the banks reviving this stupid practice?
Jimmy Boy 99
04-04-08, 03:53
Today I tried to get $1200 pesos from two ATM's using my US issued HSBC MasterCard debit card and could not get more than $300 pesos out.
The banks were an HSBC and a Banco Galicia. I had not had this problem for the past year at the bank branches.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Does it look like the banks reviving this stupid practice?I have a First Republic Bank card. I can't get more than 300 Pesos in any one transaction but I can do multiple transactions, probably up to $500 total. Maybe your card works the same way.
Today I tried to get $1200 pesos from two ATM's using my US issued HSBC MasterCard debit card and could not get more than $300 pesos out.
The banks were an HSBC and a Banco Galicia. I had not had this problem for the past year at the bank branches.
Has anyone else had a similar problem?
Does it look like the banks reviving this stupid practice?This is now standard practice by Banelco and other ATM providers. They force customers to do multiple withdrawls of 300 pesos each and, I assume, charge fees for each transaction. This is called ripping off tourists in Argentina. The only protection you have is to use bank cards from banks like E*trade that do not charge fees for ATM withdrawls in the entire world.
This is now standard practice by Banelco and other ATM providers. They force customers to do multiple withdrawls of 300 pesos each and, I assume, charge fees for each transaction. This is called ripping off tourists in Argentina. The only protection you have is to use bank cards from banks like E*trade that do not charge fees for ATM withdrawls in the entire world.I don't know for US people but for Euro Zone HSBC Visa Card Holders there is no charge for the withdrawal in the banelcos. But it is 300 pesos by 300pesos. It is only a little waste of time.
Thomaso276
04-04-08, 15:02
Just happened to me this morning - 300 peso limit. Usually I pull 1500 to 2000 once a week.
On the phone right now with HSBC in USA to try and figure this out. Don't know if it is Banelco issue or HSBC issue.
I will update.
When I got to Argentina in January, I was pissed I could only take out 300p with my commerce bankcard at a shot. I asked someone at HSBC why. She said that Visa was limiting the amount in all of Argentina to 300p. I then pulled out my Citibank card, which is a MasterCard, and I got 1500p out. Don't know why MasterCard bank cards does not work, it's possible that they are following visa? I will try Citibank, with a Citi card, see if I can get out 1500p, next time I need money.
Anyone know if its just HSBC or is it everywhere?
Thomaso276
04-04-08, 15:17
Girl in USA HSBC just told me that 3 or 4 other customers have called them on this (all from Argentina) She also pointed out that I may be allowed to do several transactions @ 300 each. She said another customer had done this today. I am off to the bank to find out.
She said they are looking into it. Probably a Banelco issue.
Their number is 800-462-1874. It is section for card security and she advised no other departments would have info on this.
Also pointed out that I may be allowed to do several transactions @ 300 each. She said another customer had done this today. I am off to the bank to find out.
She said they are looking into it. Probably a Banelco issue. If it's the same as visa, you can take out same amounts as before, but just have to keep taking out 300p until you hit 1500 or 2000p. It's a pain in the ass, but that what I do, with the commerce card. Commerce bank absorbs the ATMs fee, so I do not have to pay 5 transaction fees. Someone is making 5 or 6 trans.
Commerce bank pays the ATM fee for me, but someone is making 5 or 6 ATM fees, instead of one. It is a ripe off. But I don't pay it, my bank does. Someone is ripe off good money from this stupid rule.
Thomaso276
04-04-08, 16:14
Just back from HSBC. I made two more 300 peso pulls (total today of three) so it looks like I could go up to 1500 - 2000 with multiple pulls. I will look at my statement tommorrow to see if there are fees - there never were fees before for each pull. If so, anyone know who gets the fee - the branch here or the branch where the account is?
Meanwhile I urge everyone to call HSBC.
While at the bank a couple of American tourists were having the same problem and the bank rep said to make several pulls to get to their 1000 peso request. She played dumb when I asked her if this was an HSBC Arg. Rule or a Banelco (they run the ATM on contrract with the banks) rule and if it was Banelco why the bank agreed to it. Typical Argie response of I do not know.
I told the guy to call HSBC and complain.
Jaimito Cartero
04-04-08, 16:28
It's all about the ATM / bank making money off each transaction. I don't know the fee they get, but I'd guess 50 cents to 1 dollar each. By getting you to take multiple transactions, they make more.
300 pesos isn't so bad. I've had ATMs in Indonesia that only give you about $50!
there never were fees before for each pull. If so, anyone know who gets the fee - the branch here or the branch where the account is?If you have an HSBC account, then you probably don't have a ATM fee. But if you don't, then I guess there is one. So all the non HSBC account holder, get hit with extra fees. I have not tried it out, but I could with my Citi card, on the hsbc bank. Don't like fees, so I us my commerce bank card instead of my Citi card, when using a third party bank.
Yeah, this has been a problem with Visa for more than a year now. Those of use who have had Master Card have not had a problem until recently. I have two different accounts, one with Visa and one with Master Card.
Up until the 1st of February, I have been able to pull 2500 pesos from my Master Card bank account per day, which is the daily limit on my account. I have lived here for a year and a half and had always been able to do so.
Around the first of February (I don't remember the exact date - it was around the time I moved and I thought it was a local limit or something) the machines started limiting me to 1000 pesos a pull, and Tuesday, the 1st of April, they began limiting to 300 pesos for Master Card, the same as Visa.
As in all cases, I can pull 300 pesos until I hit my bank's limit, but of course I will be charged for every transaction. Fortunately, my charge is "only" $1.50 per transaction with no conversion or any other fees, but still.
I don't think it's going to do any good to call your bank. It's not their fault - it's the fault of the banks down here who run the ATM system. Just another example of Argentina trying to do its best to make it a difficult place to live.
BTW - I spoke with my lead programmer here today and he told me he can pull out as much as 2000 pesos in a pull, but of course he is an Argentino with an Argentine bank account and may not be subject to this limitation. He is going to verify his ability to pull money out as well because it has been a few days since he tried to pull anything out.
Greetings everyone,
This is not a big mystery.
Approximately 2 years ago, a number of international ATM networks reduced the fixed fee they were paying to the Argentine ATM networks for each transaction by approximately 5%.
In response, the Argentine ATM networks reduced the amount that one could withdraw on any given transaction to $300 pesos, thus increasing the number of transactions and simultaneously their yield.
Thanks,
Jackson
"In Argentina, the customer is a big pussy waiting to get fucked."
Jackson - the difference is that it was ONLY for VISA in the past. The frustration (and surprise, indignant reaction, etc) is that it now, out of the blue, hit Master Card as well. Two years later.
Jackson - the difference is that it was ONLY for VISA in the past. The frustration (and surprise, indignant reaction, etc) is that it now, out of the blue, hit Master Card as well. Two years later.I pulled $1,200p using my USAA Mastercard debit card March 28. If I get the 300p treatment next time it's going to be a major aggravation. In addition to the local banks amassing their little fortune with increased fees, this also puts pressure on expats to open an account here. I would guess the banks aren't unaware of that, though I might be giving them too much credit.
If you have an HSBC account, then you probably don't have a ATM fee. But if you don't, then I guess there is one. So all the non HSBC account holder, get hit with extra fees. I have not tried it out, but I could with my Citi card, on the hsbc bank. Don't like fees, so I us my commerce bank card instead of my Citi card, when using a third party bank.I have a HSBC ATM card, they charge 3% for int'l transactions even if you go to a HSBC ATM. This started end of last year. Citibank I think charges 2%. I also have PNC which reimburses their fee and the other bank's fee if you have a certain monthly avg balance. Last year they reimbursed me almost 100 in fees. They must hate me since I don't use it ever as a check card lol.
With MasterCard and VISA its 3% for int'l transactions. But there are some out there that give you bonus points or % cash back for restaurants. My Chase card gives 3% back at restaurants so it offsets the 3% fee whenever I eat at a restaurant abroad. It works out especially well at clubs since they mostly bill under as a restaurant.
Amex charges 2% for international transactions and gives 1-5% as cash back or points depending on the type of transaction.
These are some of the ways I avoid fees lol.
If you guys are going to complain, at least you should complain about the right things, and take action on them. Why are you complaining about the measly part of 1% the Argentine banks are getting for maintaining an operating machine full of cash, while at the same time you are paying a 2% or 3% International Transaction Fee to the US bank which is actually SAVING money on this deal instead of a check or teller transaction? And not complaining about it? The US bank fee is a horrible ripoff, the amount that Visa or MC pays the Argentine banks is probably barely enough to cover their costs.
I made a post about all of these fees in this thread a while ago: 377953. Obviously, nobody paid much attention, and nobody actually read their Terms and Conditions.
Incidently, the Argentine bank has to be paid out of the 1% currency conversion fee that Visa or MC charges. So it isn't likely to be more than 25 cents or so for a 300 peso withdrawal, where Visa or MC gets $1. By the way, there is some confusion over this 1% charge. If you read the terms and conditions, they talk about the credit card company using an average WHOLESALE rate for the exchange, and then adding 1% to that. That often is close to the RETAIL rate that you see in the exchange houses, so it can look like the charge is not there.
Also, I was wrong when I said you could avoid the 1% fee by bringing cash. You actually can't avoid it completely, because there is always a spread of about 1% to change the $ to pesos. There is no way to change one currency to another without paying on the order of 1% on the spread between buy / sell, and paying retail.
So why not post some useful info on US banks that don't charge the theiving International Transaction Fees and Foreign ATM Fees, so people can switch accounts? Both are fees for which the bank does absolutely NOTHING, and in fact saves money.
National Penn Bank in Pennsylvania charges me no ATM fees.
Also, we are lucky with this small fee. I suspect there is a technical reason that the Arg networks don't charge an ATM fee. This may change at any time. As I said in the post, in Paraguay there is only one network and they now charge GS25000($5.80 currently) on every withdrawal AT EVERY BANK. The fee for locals is about GS3700($.86) which is actually very high, considering the amount they withdraw. But you can withdraw at least $500 on one pull, so it is about 1+% then. This should give you some idea of what is in our future in Argentina.
Thomaso276
04-06-08, 00:40
Interesting info. I checked my statement and althought the three pulls showed up without any extra fees, the exchange rate was 3.07 pesos to the dollar. They are taking the charge in a hidden foreign transaction fee.
Jaimito Cartero
04-06-08, 10:43
Interesting info. I checked my statement and althought the three pulls showed up without any extra fees, the exchange rate was 3.07 pesos to the dollar. They are taking the charge in a hidden foreign transaction fee.Looks likes a 2-3% surcharge.
What's wrong with bringing cash with you?
Chica Seeker
04-07-08, 13:19
I always bring enough pesos to get me through the first few days. However, the exchange rate that I get in Canada is not nearly as good as the ATM rate here.
Next year I will bring more or change banks as the RBC is charging me $5 per withdrawal or approximately 5% service charge for essentially providing no service.
Yep-my limit now with the mastercard debit card from USAA is 300p. Regardless of which assholes are to blame, this is a nasty inconvenience for expats who are in BA for more than a vacation.
Punter 127
04-07-08, 17:14
You have my sympathy Dogg; I think it’s a nasty inconvenience even if you are on vacation.
Just another BsAs negative, for me the list is growing.
You have my sympathy Dogg; I think it's a nasty inconvenience even if you are on vacation. Just another BsAs negative, for me the list is growing.Agreed Punter. Maybe I am being a little irrational but this kind of bullshit REALLY gets under my skin. Clearly this fee harvesting (as I have heard it termed) is aimed at the tourist crowd. An inconvenience for them, but even more so for those of us who are here pretty much year round. I'll be exploring ways of coping with it, but you are right. Another point on the negative list added to the near hyperinflation.
Yep-my limit now with the mastercard debit card from USAA is 300p. Regardless of which assholes are to blame, this is a nasty inconvenience for expats who are in BA for more than a vacation.Go 10 or 15 straight days to the ATM, pay with 100 peso bills at restaurants and bring dollars or Euro´s with you from your home country for rents.
You should be okay then.
Go 10 or 15 straight days to the ATM, pay with 100 peso bills at restaurants and bring dollars or Euro's with you from your home country for rents.
You should be okay thenIs this on the level or some very dry sarcasm? As I mentioned, the ATM situation is an inconvenience. Going to the freakin' ATM "10 or 15 straight days" qualifies as inconvenient in my book. In addition, I do bring alot of cash here for rent. And, what benefit would one derive from paying with 100p notes at restaurants? Having enough change is not the issue here. Having access to an adequate and reasonable amount of dollars through the ATM system without having to get gouged in the process is the issue. And, to further illustrate the point, if you do bring enough dollars in country to pay for rent and so much else over the period of a year, where do you keep that money? Why of course, under your mattress, or in the very banking system that is not only fucking you, but has a history of fucking their own people without lube.
Well, it appears to be just a foreign card issue. My lead programmer just confirmed that he can pull out the limit of his bank at ATM machines, which is 2000 pesos.
His card is a Visa debit card. His girlfriend's is a MasterCard debit card.
I don't know enough about how all of this internal financing works to comment, excpet for the fact that it sucks very bad for those of us who live here.
BTW - he swears that his bank will allow foreigners to open an account with nothing more than a passport. No tax ID or anything. He called one day while we were having an MSN discussion about this, and actually called two different times, talking to two different people and actually got the same answer (I don't know about the tax id part of this though. That seems a little far-fetched.
The bank is Banco Galicia. You have to go to their main headquarters branch to do this (according to the conversations my programmer ahd with their represenatives) but it is possible to do so.
Of course, then the only problem that you will have is that you will have to wire money to your account (maybe not too much of an issue, depending on whom you bank with in your country and what kind of facilities for wiing you have) but more of a problem, you will be on the Argentine government's radar if you pull in more than $2K a month (I think that's the limit that seems to hit their tax button).
And of course, the whole issue of putting your money in a system that is hardly trustworthy. But perhaps just having a monthly sum in trust is not too bad a thing for the convenience...
Is this on the level or some very dry sarcasm? As I mentioned, the ATM situation is an inconvenience. Going to the freakin' ATM "10 or 15 straight days" qualifies as inconvenient in my book. In addition, I do bring alot of cash here for rent. And, what benefit would one derive from paying with 100p notes at restaurants? Having enough change is not the issue here. Having access to an adequate and reasonable amount of dollars through the ATM system without having to get gouged in the process is the issue. And, to further illustrate the point, if you do bring enough dollars in country to pay for rent and so much else over the period of a year, where do you keep that money? Why of course, under your mattress, or in the very banking system that is not only fucking you, but has a history of fucking their own people without lube.You could also go every 3 or 4 days to the ATM and if you go at 23.00h you can pick up 2 daily limits (one at 22.59 and 23.01, depends on your time zone in the USA)
Paying with the 100 bills saves you with the hassle to pay with 100 peso bill. I normally have about 20 to 30 small bills of 50-20-10-5-2 which I use to pay the small things.
I don't know about you but I have always lived near an ATM and either way I go almost every day to a place where a ATM is near, I don't really consider it to be a hassle to go to a ATM sometimes.
9900 dollar is 99 100 dollar bills or 12 500 euro's bills. Especially the last one is easy to hide and either way the only entering in my room is the maid and she would probally not risk stealing as she is the only one who enters in my room.
I go back 2,3 times a year and I always take around 8 to 10.000 dollar with me to pay for the rents. The bigger expense like clothes and tickets I pay with creditcard and my daily expenses I pay with pesos.
P. S. I can pick up 500 euro a day with my bank card, 3000 euro a month with my CC and for my banking card there is no charge. Probally a small exchange-rate difference, but I could care less
First rates by my bank, second by oanda.
4-4-2008 1 euro for 4,88 - 1/4,95 - 1,5%
1-4-2008 1 euro for 4,95 - 1/5,00 - 1,0%
29-3-2008 1 euro for 4,94 - 1/4,99 - 1,0%
So that would be a fee of around 1%
BTW - he swears that his bank will allow foreigners to open an account with nothing more than a passport. No tax ID or anything. He called one day while we were having an MSN discussion about this, and actually called two different times, talking to two different people and actually got the same answer (I don't know about the tax id part of this though. That seems a little far-fetched.
The bank is Banco Galicia. You have to go to their main headquarters branch to do this (according to the conversations my programmer ahd with their represenatives) but it is possible to do so.Do you know where the headquarters is located?
Thomaso276
04-07-08, 21:30
Went to Citi today on Santa Fe and pulled 1000p as a test for a Smith Barney FMA Mastercard. Lots of options came up on the screen (like 2500 pesos) I got 3.16 rate but will check my account tommorrow to see if they took a fee. They had told me they charge 1% for int'l charges. Alot better than 3% from HSBC.
The 3% is such a rip because it is HSBC account and local branch (sort of with Arg banking BS) and because they sell themselves as an international bank!
Think about it; at 3000 dollars monthly 3% will cost you over 1000 bucks a year. As it is, if I change my personal financial system it still cost me 360 bucks a year.
Went to Citi today on Santa Fe and pulled 1000p as a test for a Smith Barney FMA Mastercard. Lots of options came up on the screen (like 2500 pesos) I got 3.16 rate but will check my account tommorrow to see if they took a fee. They had told me they charge 1% for int'l charges. Alot better than 3% from HSBC.
The 3% is such a rip because it is HSBC account and local branch (sort of with Arg banking BS) and because they sell themselves as an international bank!
Think about it; at 3000 dollars monthly 3% will cost you over 1000 bucks a year. As it is, if I change my personal financial system it still cost me 360 bucks a year.Nice work. Keep us informed. If we can find a failsafe card to use that would save a bunch of us alot of hassle.
Jaimito Cartero
04-07-08, 21:59
Thanks for the info on Citibank. I've found in Asia that they often have the highest limits, so when / if I need to change some money, I'll find one to change at.
Here's info on ING's Electric Orange account from their website:
Foreign Transaction. If you use your Card for a foreign transaction (any transaction made in a foreign currency or that MasterCard® classifies as a cross-border transaction) a charge of 2% of the foreign transaction amount will be applied (if it ’s in a foreign currency, this will be based on the amount after it ’s converted to U. S. Dollars by MasterCard®) This is in addition to what MasterCard® may charge as part of converting the purchase to U. S. Dollars.
You can bring more then 10.000 dollar into the country but then you could be asked to explain the orgins of your money.
I however have never been asked to empty my pockets and I wouldn't be to scared to bring more then 10.000 dollar with me.
But most foreigners can probally pay there rents with 10.000 dollar a year.
Jaimito Cartero
04-10-08, 00:35
I got over 1200 pesos out of a Citibank ATM using a US issued Mastercard debit card. I don't know if they tacked any extra fees in, but at least I was able to ge it in one transaction.
I got over 1200 pesos out of a Citibank ATM using a US issued Mastercard debit card. I don't know if they tacked any extra fees in, but at least I was able to ge it in one transaction.Let's hope that's good news. Is that a Citibank card or something else?
Jaimito Cartero
04-10-08, 21:57
Let's hope that's good news. Is that a Citibank card or something else?Nope, Paypal.
I've been using Commerce Bank. If you keep 2,500 or 3,500 can't remember the amount, in your checking account, they pay all your ATM fees for you, anywhere in the world. I withdraw yesterday 1500 peso at Banko Galicia, 5 – 300 peso transaction. There are no fees, withdraw was 476.35. So I got an exchange rate of 3.1489. There are no other fees. I've been here since January, never any other fees other then the exchange rate.
Commerce bank told me they do not set the exchange rate. The bank the owns the ATM does. Do not know if that true or not.
Thanks Tessan for verifying the Commerce Bank.
Because I had ATM issues last time, and worse ones in Amsterdam at Xmas, I took out a decent sum and parked it @ Commerce. Which is right down the street from me.
The real test will be in Frankfurt and Amsterdam next month. But now I know I am good in Buenos Aires.
Best Regards.
Smuler
I ran into a problem this trip in Europe. I use an ATM card linked to a savings account at my regular bank (USAA) but I couldn't use the card in Bosnia, Croatia, or Germany. None of the ATMs gave the option of savings vs checking accounts. Never had a problem with it in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, or Argentina. My CapitalOne ATM card worked fine even though it was also linked to a savings account but maybe that's because it's my only CapitalOne account.
I don't like to carry the ATM card for my USAA checking account because it is a debit card as well and debit cards are more vulnerable than plain ATM cards.
Live and learn. I ditched my Citibank account after getting hammered with fees last month in BA.
I've run into similar problems with ATMs not giving the option of withdrawals from checking and savings accounts (I can't remember now which countries) As a result, though, I've taken the precaution of transferring funds from savings to checking before I leave the US. If I don't spend it all, I transfer the balance back (but be sure to keep track of minimum balance requirements - that cost me a bank charge)
Jaimito Cartero
04-17-08, 02:07
I went to Citibank to withdraw some today, and found 2 out of 3 machines were out of cash. It didn't even say "Out of Cash", but instead, "Technical Problems". This was in the middle of the day, on a Wednesday, so a bit surprising.
I went to Citibank to withdraw some today, and found 2 out of 3 machines were out of cash. It didn't even say "Out of Cash", but instead, "Technical Problems". This was in the middle of the day, on a Wednesday, so a bit surprising.Maybe with everyone finding out they can get more then 300p form the Citibank ATM, they are getting allot more business and running out of cash faster.
I've bumped up against the $AR320 limit this trip. The same USAA (Cirrus) card in the same ATM (Banco Industrial near Las Herras / Puyerredon) gave me $AR1200 in March, but limits me $AR320 now. It's only a minor PITA as my banks (USAA, CapitalOne) don't charge a transaction fee overseas so I just make multiple withdrawals. But it's a major hosing for anyone using a fee per transaction card.
I tried my CapitalOne card (Plus) in Banelco and Link ATMs with the same result. I'll try a Citibank next time I'm near one.
After about a year of having the 320p /$100 USD limitation in place on VISA / LINK transactions, things have changed again - at least for me on this given day:
BANK: Banco Nacion.
CARD: Visa Plus, using a LINK ATM.
DATE: 30 April, 15:09
1st Withdrawal: 340p.
2nd Withdrawal: 380p.
3rd Withdrawal: 520p.
At this point I had reached my $400 USD Daily limit, so could not continue to try higher withdrawal amount. If someone has a VISA ATM card and uses the LINK system, try withdrawing about 1250p to see if we are back to the "old rules". Look forward to your reports.
Ok, I just went and used my Visa at a Link ATM and the transaction limit is now 650. However, after 2 withdrawals of 650 I tried a third one and it said I exceeded my withdrawal limit. For the third transaction I was able to get 300, for a total of 1600.
Ok, I just went and used my Visa at a Link ATM and the transaction limit is now 650. However, after 2 withdrawals of 650 I tried a third one and it said I exceeded my withdrawal limit. For the third transaction I was able to get 300, for a total of 1600.I pulled 400p out of Rio Santander today. Previously this location had limited me to 300p. I just made the one pull. Maybe some slack has been cut.
Hi there,
Worked for me at the HSBC bank over Maure St. I was able to pull 500 p. Each time.
Here is the link:
http://www.animap.com.ar/default.asp?sec=buscar_direccion_mapa&opcion=%5bACTION%3dOPCION%5d%5bPAIS%3dARGENTINA%5d%5bPROVINCIA%3dCAPITAL%20FEDERAL%5d%5bCIUDAD%3dCAPITAL%20FEDERAL%5d%5bLOCALIDAD%3dCIUDAD%20AUTONOMA%20DE%20BUENOS%20AIRES%5d%5bCALLE1%3dMIGUELETES%5d%5bCALLE2%3dMAURE%5d%5bALTURA%3d%5d%5bPOSX%3d%2d58%2e435192%5d%5bPOSY%3d%2d34%2e565780%5d%5bZOOM%3d3%5d%5bUSUARIO%3d1000%5d%5bUSERIP%3d201%2e250%2e113%2e85%5d%5bLAYERS%3d%5d
Regards,
I received an email today from the local US Embassy (if you get on their email list, you will get one here and there) They have been investigating (or so they say) the ATM withdrawl issue due to the high number of expat complaints. In one breath they report that they have been unable to determine the cause for the 300p limit. In their next statement they report that VISA and MASTERCARD have recently raised the limit to 600p. Uh, am I missing something or were the culprits just identified?
Thomaso276
05-17-08, 20:05
Sid: what was the exchange rate for this HSBC pull?
I received an email today from the local US Embassy (if you get on their email list, you will get one here and there) They have been investigating (or so they say) the ATM withdrawl issue due to the high number of expat complaints. In one breath they report that they have been unable to determine the cause for the 300p limit. In their next statement they report that VISA and MASTERCARD have recently raised the limit to 600p. Uh, am I missing something or were the culprits just identified?Looks like they raised the limit to 600p from 300p. I am able to pull it at banks where I could only get 300p before.
The lady at HSBC told me a few months ago, it was visa that was limiting the amount I could pull in one shot. I do not think she is right. The reason I don't think she is right, is that at Citibank you can pull more. I was able to pull 1500p, a while back. Citicards are MasterCard, so it should be limited if MasterCard is limiting it. My guess is that it's the people who run the ATM that 95% of the banks use, the one that has the big read BANCO on the screen when you go in. HSBC uses it, so does almost all the banks. Citibank probably uses their own ATM, it looks different, and so they set their own limits. Someone told me he could pull 2000p per transaction from the Citibank ATM. I have not check the Citibank in a while, since I pay no fee per transaction, my bank pays the fee for me, if I keep a high enough balance. I just go to the closes bank, and do more the one transaction.
The people who own that atm system, almost have a monopoly, so they can screw people into doing multiple transactions, and make several times the money they would have made. Even if a few people boycott them, they still make more money on the multiple pulls tourist and other people who doe not know better make. They control 95% of the atm in BA, only Citibank that I know of, does not use them. Anyone know of another bank, that uses a different atm network?
I think Citibank charges a 1% transaction fee.
This quote is from 4-7-08. The exchange rate was better then i was getting, at that time. But if you take 1% off, then i was getting a better rate. Think i was getting 3.145, then with no fees.
Went to Citi today on Santa Fe and pulled 1000p as a test for a Smith Barney FMA Mastercard. Lots of options came up on the screen (like 2500 pesos) I got 3.16 rate but will check my account tommorrow to see if they took a fee. They had told me they charge 1% for int'l charges. Alot better than 3% from HSBC.
The 3% is such a rip because it is HSBC account and local branch (sort of with Arg banking BS) and because they sell themselves as an international bank!
Think about it; at 3000 dollars monthly 3% will cost you over 1000 bucks a year. As it is, if I change my personal financial system it still cost me 360 bucks a year.
I have a non-Visa / MC ATM card (no one takes their 1 percent) and have had no issues with limits up toi 600 pesos. Haven't tried higher amounts.
The only problem was finding a machine that accepted it. The banks on Florida - I tried a couple including Citi - would not take it. But I had no problem with Citi on Callao / Alvear and another Banelco ATM a little up Callao toward Quintana.
For those who don't know - I use a Capital 1 Visa, and Capital 1 Savings account ATM card, when traveling. They are the best values out there.
Greetings,
Last time I made an ATM withdrawal, about 2 weeks ago, at Banco de Cordoba with Visa Plus Debit card, the one time / one fee limit on withdrawal was $650 pesos.
Please see article below from www.escapeartist.com
Best,
Bodhi.
------------
Argentina's Cash Machine Daily Withdrawal Limits Money Out By Lauren Sanne.
¨The amount you are requesting is over the extraction maximum. Do you want to make another transaction?¨
Does this message look familiar? If so, you are probably a foreigner.
Unfortunately, over the past year, a conspiracy against foreigners seems to have been developing in Argentina. The Argentine banks have started to fix limits on the amount of money foreigners are able to withdraw. And these aren't just normal fixed limits; these are LOW fixed limits. The current limit per withdrawal in Argentina is set at about $300 pesos (roughly $100 US dollars) Although that will get you much further in Argentina than in The States, it is hardly enough to cover average tourist expenses. Some ATMs do allow you to withdraw the limit of $300 pesos three times in one day, which will fill your pockets up to $900 pesos. However, that means that you will still be charged the withdrawal fee THREE separate times. This rule applies strictly to foreigners; Argentine citizens have a much greater withdrawal limit that is determined by their specific banks.
Why this punishment for innocent foreigners who just want to travel and SPEND their money in beautiful Argentina? Chile and Brazil do not have this law. In fact, I have never heard of another country that has imposed this rule. Who is responsible for this? Why Argentina, and why now?
"The responsible parties are the global bank networks in Argentina that control all ATM and bank transactions country-wide".
After doing some digging, it turns out that the culprit here is not the banks back in our home countries nor is it the local banks here in Argentina. The responsible parties are the global bank networks in Argentina that control all ATM and bank transactions country-wide. All banks and credit card companies worldwide belong to one of these networks; the two main ones in Argentina are Banelco and Link which work with the bigger companies Cirrus and VisaPlus.
There are several theories as to why they have recently changed the rules for ATM withdrawals in Argentina:-
Theory No. 1 No Money.
This claims that Argentine banks do not have enough money to fund average foreign withdrawal budgets. Apparently foreign bank limits are much higher than in Argentina, so their withdrawals depleted local ATMs. Argentine banks have a reputation for bad service for ATMs refilling, so they chose to set a low limit to foreign accounts. This does not make a ton of sense since Argentine people still have a much greater withdrawal limit than foreigners.
Theory No. 2 Disinterest.
Perhaps Argentine banks have no reason to be flexible or accommodating for foreign travellers because they are not their main customers and there are no negative consequences to the bank when there are complications with foreign customers. As one bank representative in the US said, ¨What incentive do any of the (Argentine) banks have to take any additional risk by dispensing more money to non-customers?
When traveling internationally there is little recourse using international authorities if there ever was a case of fraud.¨ Is it possible that Argentina does not care enough to help out foreigners? But why would they go to the trouble of changing the limits in the first place? I would like to think they are not JUST deliberately trying to make our lives more difficult.
Theory No. 3 Crime Prevention.
Argentine banks actually have our wellbeing in mind and are trying to protect the foreign traveler and by increasing security measures. They claim that there has been a lot of fraud and robbery in Argentina and to better protect the foreign traveller, they limit the amount one can withdraw so that if they are robbed it is less of a loss to the traveler. ¨The law is in place to increase the security of the foreigner," says a bank official of Citibank in Mendoza. How would an Argentine know how much a foreigner is withdrawing from an ATM? Will this really deter thieves from robbing foreigners or stop the trend of foreigners being robbed by locals in South America? This is a possibility. But this gringa is not convinced.
NB: In April 2008, legislation was passed to limit the amount of cash foreigners could withdraw. As of June 2008 the limit is 500 pesos (that's about 163 US dollars or 84 GB pounds) in any one transaction. However, if you leave your card in the machine, you can withdraw three lots of 500 pesos in a day. But of course you will be charged three separate transaction fees!
Thomaso276
07-05-08, 21:35
Anyone know anything about this law from the article limiting to 500 pesos?
When I pull from Citi there is always a disclaimer on the screen that I am in compliance with a law regarding how much I can take. But the disclaimer does not say what the amount is?
Next time I will write down the info from the screen and post here.
With Citi, at the Citi ATMS in BA, I have always been able to withdraw up to 2500 pesos in one day. Previously I was not charged a foreign transaction fee, but now I am, I think it is about 2 per cent. I do have a Citi account. but that makes
no difference for the fees part, apparently. In May and June I was still withdrawing 1000 pesos or 2000 without problem.
That article is a crock of shit. I withdrew 600 and then 590 pesos on 2 July. In fact we recently experimented with maximum withdrawals and in the two places we tried it, the limit per withdrawal appeared to be 600, although it could be between 600 and 690. I could not withdraw 690 and could withdraw 590 and 600, at any rate. The limit was 320 for a while, as has been discussed to death.
However, I do not pay transaction fees, and this is a valid point, ¨What incentive do any of the (Argentine) banks have to take any additional risk by dispensing more money to non-customers?
Me parece que esta gringa es media boluda.
Last time I was in Argentina (February) I did not run into any trouble using my European ATM card (belongs to the Maestro / Cirrus network) the only limit was that imposed by my bank, 1000 Euro which allowed 4000 pesos.
These days, I run into a limit somewhere around A$R 300,-, and that renders ATM's close to useless, as I do pay a transaction fee. The only bank where I finally succeeded was City.
In addition to the reasons stated in the article that was quoted below, I have 2 theories:
A) It is a plot of the Aegentine cash networks (Banelco and Link) to get more money from us "rich" foreigners through transaction fees.
B) It's the "casas de cambio" who saw their business go, as more and more people did not use their service anymore, but just pulled money from an ATM.
What everybody should do is complain art their bank at home. These things will change only if pressure to Banelco and Link comes from the international cash networks like Cirrus, where the Argentines are members. And these organistions are not interested in tourists stopping to use their services and taking cash along because the total fees became prohibitive. Also, many Argentine banks seem to be owned al least partially, by foreign banks - HSBC, Santander, BBVA, Galicia, Itau, etc. Etc. All are not originally Argentine.
Time to pay the bloody rent and accessing cash out of the ATM. I use only the ATM machines that are full fledged Citibank - no Banelco. My US account is Citibank and they're now nicking 2% on a withdrawal to help them pay off those failed mortgage papers they perpetrated. The inititation of the 2% on international withdrawls was timed to their humbling trip to Dubai for 16 bil.
Have always been able to pull 3,000 pesos in one go from the Citi ATM at Callao / Alvear (U$1,000/ day limit) but now it's only 2,950 p which I ascribe to the weakened US dollar.
Does anyone have experience with maximum withdrawals using other than Citibank cards on Citbank's ATMs here?
Dodger Bulldog
07-06-08, 18:00
Over the past ten days I have been able to take out 600 pesos every single time, while using several different machines.
However, my friend was limited to 300 last night (Saturday)
I have been in countries where the banks reduce the maximum over weekends and holidays so that the machine does not run out of money. Is it possible that is happening here?
I always make sure that by Friday afternoon I have enough to see me through the weekend.
DB
I have been in countries where the banks reduce the maximum over weekends and holidays so that the machine does not run out of money. Is it possible that is happening here?Some times you want to withdawl money in a hollyday and it's hard to find a loaded ATM. However, it's possible that every bank set a maximum amount per operation. They make a buck each time you use the service, the more you use the service, the more bucks they make.
Thomaso276
07-08-08, 13:09
Went to Citi today for a withdrawal. The law quoted on the screen before you receive the money is Criminal Banking law 4349 and you push a button to confirm you are in compliance. Apparently it is an electronic confirmation just as if you signed for money from a change house or the bank itself when changing dollars.
As well, there is apparently a 10g dollar limit monthly that you can "change" or pull.
Here is a link and text for the form, agreement. Apparently each bank has their own compliance statement that you could sign if you were doing this manually.
http://www.bancopatagonia.com/empresas/pdf/DDJJ4349.pdf
COMUNICACIÓN "A" 434912/05/2005
A LAS ENTIDADES FINANCIERAS.
Ref.: Circular.
CAMEX 1 - 519
Mercado Único why Libre de Cambios.
Formación de activos externos de residentes.
Nos dirigimos a Uds. A los efectos de comunicarles que se ha dispuesto lo siguiente con vigencia a partir del próximo 13 de junio inclusive:
1. Las personas físicas why jurídicas residentes en el país no comprendidas en el sector financiero, podrán acceder al Mercado Único why Libre de Cambios para la formación de activos externos de acuerdo a las normas why límites dados a conocer por Comunicación "A" 3722 why complementarias, en la medida que en la fecha de acceso al mercado de cambios, no registren deudas vencidas impagas con el exterior por servicios de capital e intereses de deudas de todo tipo.
2. Las entidades financieras deberán previamente a otorgar el acceso al mercado de cambios por los conceptos comprendidos en la Comunicación "A" 3722 why complementarias, contar con una declaración jurada del cliente en la que deberá constar que a la fecha de acceso al mercado de cambios, el cliente:
A. Ha dado cumplimiento, de corresponder, a las presentaciones con vencimientos operados del régimen de declaración de deuda externa de la Comunicación "A" 3602 why complementarias,.
Be. No registra deudas vencidas e impagas con el exterior.
3. A los efectos de los requisitos establecidos en la presente norma, las obligaciones con el exterior sin vencimiento, se considerarán como deuda vencida a partir de los 180 días corridos de la fecha en que fueron contraídas.
4. Lo dispuesto en la presente, no será de aplicación para las compras de billetes why cheques de viajero por montos que no superen el equivalente de US$ 10.000 por mes calendario.
Saludamos a Uds. Atentamente.
BANCO CENTRAL DE LA REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA.
Jorge L. RodríguezGerente Principal de Exteriory Cambios A / CRaúl O. PlanesSubgerente Generalde Operaciones
Criminal Banking Some redundancies: "an added bonus", "to over-exaggerate", "and plus", "and etc.", "end result", "free gift", "future plans", "hot water heater", "unconfirmed rumor", "killed him dead", "past history", "criminal banking"
Some redundancies: "an added bonus", "to over-exaggerate", "and plus", "and etc.", "end result", "free gift", "future plans", "hot water heater", "unconfirmed rumor", "killed him dead", "past history", "criminal banking"Some more oxymorons:
Democratic Socialism.
Political Integrity.
Lawyer Ethics.
Military Intelligence
Military IntelligenceA good friend of mine said that Military Intelligence it's to Intelligence what Military Music it's to Music.:)
Dodger Bulldog
07-10-08, 15:44
Straight Republican.
Time to pay the bloody rent and accessing cash out of the ATM. I use only the ATM machines that are full fledged Citibank - no Banelco. My US account is Citibank and they're now nicking 2% on a withdrawal to help them pay off those failed mortgage papers they perpetrated. The inititation of the 2% on international withdrawls was timed to their humbling trip to Dubai for 16 bil.
Have always been able to pull 3,000 pesos in one go from the Citi ATM at Callao / Alvear (U$1,000/ day limit) but now it's only 2,950 p which I ascribe to the weakened US dollar.
Does anyone have experience with maximum withdrawals using other than Citibank cards on Citbank's ATMs here?Yes today at the same Citi bank. With a Master card issued by another bank. Could take out 1800 peso.
Time to pay the bloody rent To quote Gilbert Shelton's "Freewheelin' Franklin" of the famous Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: "Screw the rent. Score a kilo of grass."
Wild Walleye
07-29-08, 23:21
In the words of Voltaire (or perhaps Evelyn Beatrice Hall) "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" (With all due respect to MSCE, he's not a citizen so I won't defend his rights until my CIC tells me to do so)
Just because I have a wide stance (as you may have noticed in the men's room at Newport) doesn't mean I'm not straight. Although, I do book all of my trips to Bs As with a connection through MSP.
Speaking of which, I am back in Bs as 8/4. I owe you and yooshin a round. Are either of you still in town?
WW
I recall a discussion regarding that one can open a bank account in Uruguay in US$ Dollars. Is this true? If so, what is needed to open the account? Is there a minimum amount that must be deposited to open the account? What is the amount of dollars one can travel with from Argentina to Uruguay?
Any information will be appreciated.
Facundo
The answer to the first question is " Yes "
The answer to your second question is " It depends on the particular bank, but you can open an account as a foreigner, you would need to provide international banking records in some banks. "
The answer to your third question is " It depends on the particular bank and the type of account you want to open ".
The dollar amount you can travel out of Argentina with is U$S 10,000, unless you get specific permission from the AFIP, that or you get creative.
I can tell you from first hand experience, the bank account requirements vary depending on the bank and your particular situation.
Your best bet is to call a few and ask.
Regards,
BM
I recall a discussion regarding that one can open a bank account in Uruguay in US$ Dollars. Is this true? If so, what is needed to open the account? Is there a minimum amount that must be deposited to open the account? What is the amount of dollars one can travel with from Argentina to Uruguay?
Any information will be appreciated.
Facundo
The answer to the first question is " Yes "
The answer to your second question is " It depends on the particular bank, but you can open an account as a foreigner, you would need to provide international banking records in some banks. "
The answer to your third question is " It depends on the particular bank and the type of account you want to open ".
The dollar amount you can travel out of Argentina with is U$S 10,000, unless you get specific permission from the AFIP, that or you get creative.
I can tell you from first hand experience, the bank account requirements vary depending on the bank and your particular situation.
Your best bet is to call a few and ask.
Regards,
BM.Bad,
I called one of the largest banks in Uruguay and they walked me through the very simple process of opening up a bank account in dollars. All the necessary paperwork the bank requires I have ready to hand. Also, they have a branch office in Colonia. I called the branch office to verify the process just to make sure it didn't have different policies based on the perception of the local manager. The women I spoke with gave me the same information.
Muchas gracias.
Facundo
Is anyone else having this problem?Have been in argentina about three weeks now and have had maybe 5 trips to the ATM. Only able to pull 300 AR$ at a go, I belive the ATM I have been using is a Banelco one. Going to try different amounts tomorrow along with multiple transactions. Gotta love the service charges.
Member #3320
09-23-08, 23:13
Have been in argentina about three weeks now and have had maybe 5 trips to the ATM. Only able to pull 300 AR$ at a go, I belive the ATM I have been using is a Banelco one. Going to try different amounts tomorrow along with multiple transactions. Gotta love the service charges.I am usually able to withdraw 650 ARS in one transaction at any of the ATMS. However, multiple transactions are allowed and it depends on the daily withdrawal limits set by yourself in your home country at time of opening the account. It can be anything from 500 USD to 2500 USD.
I set my daily limit as 1000 USD in my home country and I am able to make several withdrawals of 650ARS each from same ATM within 5 minutes or so. I use Visa plus.
Hope this helps.
Not to worried about the daily limit set by the US bank, its the corp card and I remember the daily limit being entirely more than I could spend in day (be fun trying though) I think I've only used the one ATM the whole time I've been here so I'm going to try a different type and see whats up.
Thanks for the info, appreciate it
Paradiso666
09-24-08, 09:06
I can only withdraw 300 pesos a time. I was really worried in the beginning before I found out about this maximum amount because everytime I tried to withdraw 600 and I kept getting the messages 'you exceeded your daily limit This happened on all 3 bank cards I tried so I thought I was in deep shit. Until I read this beautiful forum! Then I tried 300 and it worked, ending all my worries about money
I have noticed that all banks have different limits on different days and depending what dates. For example a lot of people get paid on the first. The banks near me put a lower withdrawal limit on the first so everyone does not suck the machine dry in 2 hours. I have noticed I cannot withdraw 700 pesos, but 600 always seems to work. Of course I with draw 600 pesos two three or four times in a row until the machine goes tilt! Some days one bank won't work while another does. Some days I think the red is down and you can't get money anywhere. What you need to remember is the machines are not reliable and you need to keep a small reserve incase you can't take money out when you need it.
When entering Argentina with more than us $10,000.
Will I have any problems in customs if I declare the amount I'm bringing?
===========================================
Hi Summerguy,
Your questions isn't really about ATMs, so I've re-posted it in the thread titled "Bringing cash through Argentine Customs"
http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5015
Thanks,
Jackson
I went to the ATM on the ground floor of the Village Recoleta yesterday after seeing a movie. I have been stuck consistently pulling only 300 ARS from ATMs since the beginning of the year, when I was able to pull out as much as 2500 ARS.
I have three different cards. 1, a business card, is a Mastercard on a regional bank called Trustmark. 2, a personal card, Visa, from Bank Of America. 3, another personal card, a MasterCard form PayPal.
I tried all three cards at the Recoleta ATM. Card 1 was limited to 300 ARS. Card 2 actually allowed me 600 ARS. Card 3 allowed 700 ARS! I would have pulled out more from card 3 to test how high it would go, but I had a small balance available in PayPal.
Earlier in the day, I was at a Link ATM on Cordoba near Maipu. With card 1, the one that was limited to 300 ARS at Recoleta, I was able to pull out 600 ARS! On that one, the first time since around the first of the year that I could get out more than 300 anywhere.
I have spoken with the companies who issue each of my cards and they have told me that they have no limit beyond what the bank limits on withdrawing money at ANY location around the world. The limits that I am hitting are all related to local policy and there's nothing they can do about it.
I thought as some have posted that perhaps on days, or at different machines, that they are limiting the transactions for various reasons.
What cracked me up and showed me that there is something strange with ATMs here was that at ONE SINGLE LOCATION I got three different results. The first card I used gave me the lesser money, and the second card I used gave me the most. It doesn't make sense to me.
I went to the ATM on the ground floor of the Village Recoleta yesterday after seeing a movie. I have been stuck consistently pulling only 300 ARS from ATMs since the beginning of the year, when I was able to pull out as much as 2500 ARS.
I have three different cards. 1, a business card, is a Mastercard on a regional bank called Trustmark. 2, a personal card, Visa, from Bank Of America. 3, another personal card, a MasterCard form PayPal.
I tried all three cards at the Recoleta ATM. Card 1 was limited to 300 ARS. Card 2 actually allowed me 600 ARS. Card 3 allowed 700 ARS! I would have pulled out more from card 3 to test how high it would go, but I had a small balance available in PayPal.
Earlier in the day, I was at a Link ATM on Cordoba near Maipu. With card 1, the one that was limited to 300 ARS at Recoleta, I was able to pull out 600 ARS! On that one, the first time since around the first of the year that I could get out more than 300 anywhere.
I have spoken with the companies who issue each of my cards and they have told me that they have no limit beyond what the bank limits on withdrawing money at ANY location around the world. The limits that I am hitting are all related to local policy and there's nothing they can do about it.
I thought as some have posted that perhaps on days, or at different machines, that they are limiting the transactions for various reasons.
What cracked me up and showed me that there is something strange with ATMs here was that at ONE SINGLE LOCATION I got three different results. The first card I used gave me the lesser money, and the second card I used gave me the most. It doesn't make sense to me.EQ-if you do not go to the Citi Bank on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, and use the non Banelco machine, I swear I am going to steal your car! If you cannot pull out your bank limit using my advise, I will buy you dinner at L'Alliance!
Member #3320
10-12-08, 17:42
I used different ATM cards at different machines / different banks in the city. Every time, I was allowed 640-650ARS as the highest limit for one draw.
I used different ATM cards at different machines / different banks in the city. Every time, I was allowed 640-650ARS as the highest limit for one draw.OK-FOR THE LAST TIME! I have a USAA Mastercard debit card. I usually go to the Citi on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, though I have tried others successfully as well. You will see the usual bullshit Banelco ATM machine. AVOID! Go to the Citi ATM machine which is right next to it. The machine is configured differently, but is not confusing. Put in your card and then pull out. Follow the directions on the screen. Voila! I pull $1,500 pesos regularly. I have not tried to pull more than that.
Now, maybe because it is a Mastercard and not Visa, that makes a difference. I don't know. Suerte.
Member #3320
10-12-08, 19:33
OK-FOR THE LAST TIME! I have a USAA Mastercard debit card. I usually go to the Citi on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, though I have tried others successfully as well. You will see the usual bullshit Banelco ATM machine. AVOID! Go to the Citi ATM machine which is right next to it. The machine is configured differently, but is not confusing. Put in your card and then pull out. Follow the directions on the screen. Voila! I pull $1,500 pesos regularly. I have not tried to pull more than that.
Now, maybe because it is a Mastercard and not Visa, that makes a difference. I don't know. Suerte.Ahem, Ahem! Got your message loud and clear!:-)
EQ-if you do not go to the Citi Bank on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, and use the non Banelco machine, I swear I am going to steal your car! If you cannot pull out your bank limit using my advise, I will buy you dinner at L'Alliance!LOL! How would you pay me that steak if it was so owed?;)
I tried the non-Banelco machine and it wasn't working. I assume we're talking about the slightly larger of the three machines on the left side of the lobby? I wasn't even sure it was a cash machine because there were almost no labels of any sort on it, and the screen was blank. It had a laser scanner for envelopes on one side, but nothing that said "ATM." I did stick my card in and attempt, thinking the screen may turn on, but nothing happened.
However, I went to the Banelco machine in there on the right side of the lobby. I was astonished to find that I could pull out at least 1000 pesos at a time. I didn't try more, but I will go tomorrow and try my bank's limit.
Thanks Doggboy! You can borrow my car instead of stealing it for that help;)
LOL! How would you pay me that steak if it was so owed?;)
I tried the non-Banelco machine and it wasn't working. I assume we're talking about the slightly larger of the three machines on the left side of the lobby? I wasn't even sure it was a cash machine because there were almost no labels of any sort on it, and the screen was blank. It had a laser scanner for envelopes on one side, but nothing that said "ATM." I did stick my card in and attempt, thinking the screen may turn on, but nothing happened.
However, I went to the Banelco machine in there on the right side of the lobby. I was astonished to find that I could pull out at least 1000 pesos at a time. I didn't try more, but I will go tomorrow and try my bank's limit.
Thanks Doggboy! You can borrow my car instead of stealing it for that help;)OK! Ha, it sounds like you got lucky with the Banelco machine. Maybe there are more pesos in circulation at the moment.;) But no, the Citi machine is on the same side as the Banelco machine, just slightly further down on the right. I think you went to one of those deposit / bill paying machines. Try again!
Well, I will admit that I was a bit preoccupied with some other crap that hit me today, and I walked down there just to get away from that and try out your suggestion, Doggboy. So when I entered the foyer at the bank I saw something behind the machine in front; I thought it didn't have a machine in it, like it was just a nook to write on or something. I must not have been paying very good attention! Today sucked and my mind was definitely elsewhere.
Tomorrow I move into a temporary apartment, getting ready to make the big move out to the 'burbs on Saturday. You can bet I'll be trying the machine before then - I actually have tried two ATMs and the WalMart past the loop on Panamericana and they didn't accept ANY of my three cards. I was told by a WalMart employee that I may have problems outside the city with a foreign bank card.
I usually pay with cash most places I go anyway, so I'd never run into that before. I haven't been back outside the city since last weekend when I found I couldn't use my cards.
More and accurate reports from the suburbs about ATM access yet to come.
UPDATE: I have tried the Citibank ATM that Doggboy suggested with success, but as well, the Citibank at Callao and Alvear (across from two apartments managed by Jackson;)) also works fine. In additoin, there is a Citibank at Corrientes and Callao with the same results.
At all three of those I was able to get my bank's daily limit in one transaction using a MasterCard.
Thanks El Queso.
I will be pulling into town Friday, and since I have had shitty luck in getting cash, I certainly will check this out pronto.
Best Regards,
Smuler
James Bond 007
11-05-08, 13:48
For some reason, I have not had success using the Citibank ATMs mentioned above. I actually tried several Citibank locations mentioned. It gives me an error message. However the ATM machine in Citibank with the Banelco logo lets me withdraw 600 ARS at a time, so go figure. I don't know if it has to do with my ATM card as it does not have a Visa / MC logo on it, but is a straight ATM card, not a debit card.
Do not go near the Banelco machine. At this branch, there are two machines towards the right of the Banelco machine that say Citi and Cirrus. My VISA debit card says Cirrus on the back. I had no problems.
I am advised that this service was arranged by Jackson for his renters at his Callao properties. I have no idea if it will work w / o being a client of Jackson's property management and rental business. Not!
It seems like a lot of apartments require the balance due in cash when you arrive. How do people pay this without hitting their ATM card limits? I was trying to avoid leaving the US with thousands in my pocket.
Thanks,
Bart
You can't get us dollars out of the ATM's. Count out exact and stash it creatively on your person.
Greetings everyone,
I moved the discussion regarding how to...
1. Bring cash for apartment rental deposits, and...
2. Options other than paying apartment rental deposits in cash.
...to the thread already established for this subject.
http://www.argentinaprivate.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4361
Thanks,
Jackson
Gato Hunter
02-28-09, 22:40
The Citi ATM mentioned earlier in this post is the only one I have found that will let me take out 2000p in one shot and it always gives you 100p in a 50, 20, and 3 10's from what I can tell. So you don't have to do the x90p trick.
On the same block as the Alvear palace.
Just was in BA for about 11 days. It was my experience that the best ATM to use are the Citi ATM's with the large digital screens. Even within the same Citi branch only this kind seems to give out large amounts of pesos (like 2000) There is usually only one of these in each branch. Its much larger than the others and there are no buttons, just digital screen.
There is one right on the corner right by Jackson's 2 bedroom on Callao so very convenient.
Bart
Rock Harders
04-06-09, 19:36
Sidney,
I hate to say it buddy, but first you are wrong about China and now you are completely wrong about this ATM pin number bullshit. What you are claiming is complete bullshit and will not work, plain and simple. I went to snopes.com, found the article about this scam, and it says point blank that the entire thing is a bullshit internet rumor!
Here is the link to the article on snopeshttp:/www.snopes.com/business/bank/pinalert.asp.
Better Luck Next Time,
Rock Harders
Rock Harders
04-06-09, 20:23
Sidney,
No worries, I'm just pissed off that the Yankees are getting blown on on opening day, and their $200 million dollar pitcher looks like a washed up fat slob on the mound today.
Suerte,
Rock Harders
Sidney,
Is this the same source that recommended to buy GM stock?
I'm down $80K.
Per card injection.Could be that the limit on withdrawals is temporary due to the anticipation of a possible bank strike in the next few days.
TejanoLibre
04-24-09, 21:05
The recent tragedy of a young woman being kidnapped and eventually killed after she had repeatedly given the kidnapper a wrong Pin to her ATM card. If she knew the method below, she could have been aved. So I think it is important enough to let you know. Here you go.
If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your pin # in reverse.
For example if your pin number is 1234 then you would put in 4321.
The ATM recognizes that your pin number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.
This information was recently broadcast on fox tv and it states that it is seldom used because people don't know it exists.
Please pass this along. You can go on snopes to verify.
Please pass this information on.So what happens if you use a Palindromic number? (¨capicua ¨ in Latin)
TL
This is a hoax. Snopes marks it as such.
http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/pinalert.asp
The recent tragedy of a young woman being kidnapped and eventually killed after she had repeatedly given the kidnapper a wrong Pin to her ATM card. If she knew the method below, she could have been aved. So I think it is important enough to let you know. Here you go.
If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your pin # in reverse.
For example if your pin number is 1234 then you would put in 4321.
The ATM recognizes that your pin number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to help you.
This information was recently broadcast on fox tv and it states that it is seldom used because people don't know it exists.
Please pass this along. You can go on snopes to verify.
Please pass this information on.
Amantelondres
04-25-09, 07:44
I guess if you're convinced that the police alert really works and you think it's a good idea then it's best to change your PIN to a non-palindromic number. I wonder if this system works in Europe.
This is an urban legend. It's not true!
TejanoLibre
04-25-09, 19:51
I guess if you're convinced that the police alert really works and you think it's a good idea then it's best to change your PIN to a non-palindromic number. I wonder if this system works in Europe.Also, if you continue to use a palindromic number you need to realize that there are very few combinations and that anybody can fiqure out your pin number!
TL
On this past Saturday, I was trying to get cash out of the Citibank on Callao, but it gave me 'over the limit' sign for even as low as 400 pesos. Hmmm.
So walked around and went to HSBC. Same thing:(
I went to 2 other local banks. No luck. I didnt have enough cash even for a privado trip:(
Came back to apartment on Callao (Jackson's) and dialed my bank back home.
They reported no issues with the account.
Then I logged on and RTFF and found this post below about the 'larger' ATM machine Citibank giving out more cash.
So I went back and tried the larger ATM. Low and behold, there was cash:)
The local banks may give 300-360 pesos (I later learned) At this "larger" ATM machine in Citibank, you can get at least 1000 pesos at a time.
Well done mogers!
Just was in BA for about 11 days. It was my experience that the best ATM to use are the Citi ATM's with the large digital screens. Even within the same Citi branch only this kind seems to give out large amounts of pesos (like 2000) There is usually only one of these in each branch. Its much larger than the others and there are no buttons, just digital screen.
There is one right on the corner right by Jackson's 2 bedroom on Callao so very convenient.
Bart
The local banks may give 300-360 pesos (I later learned) At this "larger" ATM machine in Citibank, you can get at least 1000 pesos at a time.
Well done mogers!Usually these "bigger" (or fancier - they are touch screen and a little more "modern-looking" than normal ATMs here) will let you have your daily limit, which in many cases is more than 1000 pesos a day. I regularly get out more myself every time I use one.
I think you ran into a cash-poor period in the area you were in. It may well have affected most of the city (living outside the city I don't usually run into those issues) - it's happened before, but I hadn't heard anything that big.
But it's not uncommon to find a small or large area of the city's banks without enough cash in the ATMs. People get paid on Friday and maybe this last Friday was a holiday (or was it the one before that? And machines weren't filled up.
Welcome to Argentina;)
Rockin Bob
05-13-09, 18:53
It all depends on the bank and the card, but if you get the message that your request exceeds the daily limit, reduce it to 300, or 360. I think the idea is 100 US maximum.
But the stupid thing is, you can just repeat the process indefinitely. Do you want another transaction? Yes. And do another withdrawal.
Yes, of course there's a fee for the privilege of withdrawing your own money.
As for the message from Citibank machines: I'm sorry I can't do that right now: my answer is you're a fu**ing machine. It is your one dedicated task. Any hour of the day or night I seem to be able to access my Citibank account with my computer. What do you mean, you can't do that right now? Are you fu**ing R2D2 or something? And since when does a fu**ing machine get to use the first person singular pronoun?
I would like to warn everyone about the the ATM machine at the Citi bank (head office) at Florida street. Last week I needed to take out several times the 300 peso maximum with my foreign debit card.
While the machine was making the noice to sort out the different notes it stucked and reseted itself. After me came another person which also wasn't able to take money out. When later I checked my account balance the money was charged although I never received it. Next day I went to the office and the told me they would check it. After another day I needed to go there again to ask (they off course never call you or answer the phone) and they told me the machine didn't have a 300 plus so I could make a reclaim by my own bank but it was not sure they would pay it back. The camera pictures they will only use with a legal order they said after I asked them to check it. This has already cost me half a day so the amount of money won't justify the efforts to start a case. The reason why I post it is that the two times I have been there every time there were other people complaining who had encountered porblems with the same ATM machine. F. E. An american girl her card got taken and blocked. The ATM I'm talking about is the one most on your left when you enter the bank.
I have been able to use the ATMs at BNP Paribas in Retiro and Recolleta.
To get around 300p each time. I use a B of A debit card which charges me no.
Transaction fee when I use BNP Paribas machines in France. That is not.
The case in Argentina. Here it costs me 5$US each time I make a withdrawal plus 1%. Having said that for the last 2 weeks I have had no trouble.
Getting money when I needed it.
Today when I went to my local HSBC bank to use my HSBC US debit card, the ATM machine's processing message included a notice that Banelco would charge $11.84 pesos on top of the normal bank transaction fee for the $300 pesos I was allowed to withdraw. I assume that fee would be charged for every withdrawal.
That translates into a $4+ dollar charge for each $78 withdrawn - or about 5%.
The fact that the dollar to peso rate has been improving is now offset by this arbitrary and unfair new charge. I assume Banelco has the right to charge whatever they want, but a 5% fee is outrageous.
And once again its obvious that the financial institutions that blew up the global economy are going to dig their way out of the holes they made by charging their customers higher and higher fees.
Ain't capitalism great!
Rock Harders
07-15-09, 03:06
Mongers,
About five to ten years ago, ATM's were in fact the best way to solve foreign currency exchange / access issues. Over the past five years or so the banks collectively decided to start milking electronic access / exchange as another revenue stream. Ironically, in this day and age, in almost all circumstances (in Latin America) exchanging US Dollar cash will garner the best possible exchange rate when the exchange takes place at a market dictated bank or exchange house. In my experience, this holds true in Argentina, Brasil, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, and Venezuela. In Venezuela, the ATM rate is 2.15 Bsf /1 USD whereas the cash rate is 5-6 Bsf /1 USD. In Colombia it is better to use ATM's as the Colombian market is flooded with drug-money US dollar cash which causes the cash exchange rate to be almost 10% worse than the electronic rate.
In Argentina, especially with the per-transaction ATM restrictions in place in most cases, exchanging cash is a MUCH better deal. For example, if one has a Bank of America account they will pay a $5 USD international transaction fee plus the 1% VISA fee and now the additional fee mentioned in an earlier post. This will mean to pull $100 USD ($380 AR today) one would be paying in fact at least a $7 USD fee, which means $380 AR costs you $107 USD, an exchange rate of $3.55 AR / $1 USD, which is obviously an absolutely terrible exchange rate.
This is especially ridiculous considering that Argentina is a relatively safe country where it is not dangerous to enter the country with a significant amount of cash to exchange as the chance of being mugged in the areas frequented by tourists is almost nil. In addition, there are literally scores of establishments that will gladly give the best possible market rate of exchange, especially during this time of weakness in the peso and an expected further weakening of the currency. I personally know of almost a dozen black market exchange houses that will sell pesos for at or MORE than the market rate because they can make such a nice profit re-selling the dollars for much more than the market sell rate as demand for dollars is high and access to legal purchases of substantial quantities of dollars is extremely limited or non-existent for most people.
Suerte,
Rock Harders
The Argentina Post web site is reporting that Link is doing the same thing.
Looks like we are back to hauling cash or losing an extra 5% rake. Cash might not be that riskky but it's a PITA to change money compared to just hitting the ATM.
I have had this happen twice, once in the Turks and Caicos, and once in Panama. I contacted my bank in the US via PM on my online account and the amount was credited the next day, no questions asked. I never got anywhere with the bank that the ATM belonged to. I bank with Chase.
Hope this helps, thanks for the heads up on the faulty ATM.
Joe Hernandez
07-16-09, 18:04
Mongers,
About five to ten years ago, ATM's were in fact the best way to solve foreign currency exchange / access issues. Over the past five years or so the banks collectively decided to start milking electronic access / exchange as another revenue stream. Ironically, in this day and age, in almost all circumstances (in Latin America) exchanging US Dollar cash will garner the best possible exchange rate when the exchange takes place at a market dictated bank or exchange house. In my experience, this holds true in Argentina, Brasil, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, and Venezuela. In Venezuela, the ATM rate is 2.15 Bsf /1 USD whereas the cash rate is 5-6 Bsf /1 USD. In Colombia it is better to use ATM's as the Colombian market is flooded with drug-money US dollar cash which causes the cash exchange rate to be almost 10% worse than the electronic rate.
In Argentina, especially with the per-transaction ATM restrictions in place in most cases, exchanging cash is a MUCH better deal. For example, if one has a Bank of America account they will pay a $5 USD international transaction fee plus the 1% VISA fee and now the additional fee mentioned in an earlier post. This will mean to pull $100 USD ($380 AR today) one would be paying in fact at least a $7 USD fee, which means $380 AR costs you $107 USD, an exchange rate of $3.55 AR / $1 USD, which is obviously an absolutely terrible exchange rate.
This is especially ridiculous considering that Argentina is a relatively safe country where it is not dangerous to enter the country with a significant amount of cash to exchange as the chance of being mugged in the areas frequented by tourists is almost nil. In addition, there are literally scores of establishments that will gladly give the best possible market rate of exchange, especially during this time of weakness in the peso and an expected further weakening of the currency. I personally know of almost a dozen black market exchange houses that will sell pesos for at or MORE than the market rate because they can make such a nice profit re-selling the dollars for much more than the market sell rate as demand for dollars is high and access to legal purchases of substantial quantities of dollars is extremely limited or non-existent for most people.
Suerte,
Rock HardersBut you have to register yourself.
Hello Sidney.
Where is the Santander Rio bank located?
I will try with a VISA card and see how much its possible to withdraw.
Tr Tuga
I have an HSBC account and in my experience, all the HSBC branches in microcentro will allow you to take up to AR$980 pesos. Of course there is the AR$11.55 peso fee and HSBC will charge you 3% for the conversion. But from my investigation, there is nothing that can be done about it, unless you are able to get a local account and do bank to bank transfers. This has a fixed transfer cost of about US$30.
OK. Thanks for the information Womanizer.
Same story as always in Argentina, if you are a foreigner you have to pay some more. But still a great country to visit.
Tr Tuga
Silver Star
09-04-09, 22:58
I was at EZE today doing a luxury pickup, and during peak time in the morning, the line for the HSBC ATM was at least 20 deep, and I imagine at least a 30 minute wait, plus with the new withdrawl fees it seems crazy.
Better to simply bring extra cash in if you can and get starter pesos at Banco de La Nacion, (they offer average rates) There was a line also, looked like a 15 minute wait There was another change house (Global) with no wait, but the exchanges are horrible, only paying $3.39 or so. Another good site to know who's paying what for currency exchange is www.dolar.hoy.com it is in realtime, and they highlight the best buy/sell rates. One tip-if the line is really long at Banco de la Nacion in Terminal A, you can take a 3 minute walk to Terminal B, and there is generally no line at that office, especially in the morning.
Of course if you book a premium airport pickup with SilverStar, I generally can provide some starter pesos, at Banco de la Nacion rates as a courtesy, and time saver. I also will change coins to get you started with 10. Coins are very helpful here. Reverse applies on dropoffs.
Happy Travels,
Fred
Went to the Citibank ATM at Av. Callao and Av. Alvear and used by US Citibank debit (MasterCard) to withdraw AR$2500. Charged US$668.19 to my account so paid US$19.84 to withdraw from BA Citibank, based upon exchange rate for 9-12-09 (AR$385.59/ US$100)
Captain Looney
09-12-09, 22:42
So I just wanted to share my experiences with ATM's over the years. I used to travel down there just using my Bank of America account, I would usually draw out 500 pesos three times at each ATM visit. After staying usually a month each time I would ring up about 280-300 in ATM fees from BofA. They would charge me 5 per transaction and so each trip was 15 in fees. I called and complained to no avail, so was resigned to it pretty much. Then last year I got an email from my E-Trade account spouting off about their checking account, I looked into it and it looked pretty good for traveling given their fee structure. They say that technically they are allowed to charge up to 1% of the withdraw in fees, but they told me more then three different times on the phone that they are currently not collecting those fees at this time, it seemed fishy but three different operators said the same thing, so I shifted some money into that new account to use during my trip last December. So you do get the tiny fee from the Local bank in BsAs but it was usually in the order of $.50 to a $1 I think, it was so small I hardly gave a shit considering I was enjoying the slide of the peso at the time. It turned out saving me about 300 because as promised they did not collect any fees for international ATM use, this actually works in the states as well, since they don't have a network of their own ATM's they pretty much refund every single ATM fee no matter where. I have in one month of normal use in San Francisco had them refund $92 in fees. They simply refund them as they occur, so if I withdraw $80 from a BofA ATM the charge shows up as $83 charge from BofA and then it is followed in my online statement with a $3 credit. I am no shill for ETrade but they have saved me a fortune in fees and make it so I can simply use any ATM and just laugh at whatever ridiculous fees they want to charge. So worth a look if you are getting hit with asinine fees by your local bank while traveling in Argentina, or anywhere else.
Captain Looney.
Last Sunday I withdrew $980 pesos from the Santader Rio Bank ATM on Callao, paying the $11.84 special fee on top of the standard fee. That was fine with me.
I was suprised when the cash that came out of the machine was almost all $50 peso notes.
I was more surprised the next day when I gave one of the bills to my newspaper vendor and watched him check it. He handed it back showing the missing silver stripe. When I went home I found two other counterfeit $50 among the bills issued from the bank.
Of course I could do nothing about it a day after and probaby would have had a problem even if it had happened on Monday when the bank was open. I am sure I would have gotten only a denial that this was possible.
Having traveled the world using banks everywhere I chocked this expensive experience to "only in Argentina!"
On Friday Novembre 6 I pulled 1000 pesos from the HSBC agency in Maipu 431.
Here is what my online account reports:
DAB 0233515821 06/11 *
H AV. MAIPU 431
1000,00 ARS.
COMMISSION 0
1 EUR = 5,663 ARS.
176,58 EUR.
On that day, Banco de la Nacion reports a "compra" rate at 5.67. So it could have been at 5.663 at the time I withdrew. (compra is the most favorable rate)
Conclusion: Absolutly no argentine bank fee. No fix HSBC fee. No proportional exchange rate fee.
I don t have a Premium HSBC international account. I don't even have a bank account. I just have an internet saving account that pays me a 2% rate calculated on daily bases. I use a free debit card associated to that account which allows 500 Euros cash withdrawal a week all over the world.
I hope this can help.
So I just wanted to share my experiences with ATM's over the years. I used to travel down there just using my Bank of America account, I would usually draw out 500 pesos three times at each ATM visit. After staying usually a month each time I would ring up about 280-300 in ATM fees from BofA. They would charge me 5 per transaction and so each trip was 15 in fees. I called and complained to no avail, so was resigned to it pretty much. Then last year I got an email from my E-Trade account spouting off about their checking account, I looked into it and it looked pretty good for traveling given their fee structure. They say that technically they are allowed to charge up to 1% of the withdraw in fees, but they told me more then three different times on the phone that they are currently not collecting those fees at this time, it seemed fishy but three different operators said the same thing, so I shifted some money into that new account to use during my trip last December. So you do get the tiny fee from the Local bank in BsAs but it was usually in the order of $.50 to a $1 I think, it was so small I hardly gave a shit considering I was enjoying the slide of the peso at the time. It turned out saving me about 300 because as promised they did not collect any fees for international ATM use, this actually works in the states as well, since they don't have a network of their own ATM's they pretty much refund every single ATM fee no matter where. I have in one month of normal use in San Francisco had them refund $92 in fees. They simply refund them as they occur, so if I withdraw $80 from a BofA ATM the charge shows up as $83 charge from BofA and then it is followed in my online statement with a $3 credit. I am no shill for ETrade but they have saved me a fortune in fees and make it so I can simply use any ATM and just laugh at whatever ridiculous fees they want to charge. So worth a look if you are getting hit with asinine fees by your local bank while traveling in Argentina, or anywhere else.
Captain Looney.I have a Fidelity Investments debit card and they've also refunded all ATM fees when I've made withdrawals in Argentina.
AllIWantIsLove
01-18-10, 17:38
Does anyone know if it's possible to get good ol' US dollars from ATMs here? I think that I've seen that option on some machines but I've never used it and I think that I've heard that it doesn't work most of the time.
If it does work would I be charged that damn foreign currency transaction fee?
Thanks, Bob
Member #4112
01-18-10, 17:55
Try Citibank across from Galleria Pacifico, not the Balanco terminal but the regular Citi terminal they are the newer ones, you have to go into the main lobby which should not be problem with your ATM card. I am pretty sure they despense dollars.
I have never been able to get dollars out of an ATM in BA, and have never heard of anyone who has. I tried when I first moved here, went to banks whose ATMs said "Dollars" on the front. I found out that you had to be a client of the bank in order to take advantage of that.
Even banks like Citibank are local banks, not necessarily branches of banks from the States, if you happened to have an account at Citibank. A non-resident without a DNI has very little chance of opening an account where one could extract dollars.
However, Citibank ATMs (the modern ones) let me get up to my bank's limit, which none others in BA will let me do with one withdrawal. Who knows - maybe they have dollars for the general public?
Peter Sideburn
02-17-10, 04:23
OK, I read a bunch of posts and decided I couldn't figure out how I would fly from North America to Buenos Aires and get Peso's at reasonable rate. I am told banks give counterfeit, airports charge to much, and not to trust ATMS. So I decide to get from banks at home before leaving except every bank I have called has said Peso too unstable, US government sanctions against Argentina, or some other lame reason forces the bank to either not allow exchange for Argentine Peso at all or only with horrible rate. So. I am coming down to visit for a few days in a month. How do those of you with experience get your Pesos?
Thanks for help.
Over the past 6 years of coming to argentina 2 -3 times per year I have exchanged a fair bit of US cash in argentina. For the past 4 years I have exchanged bewteen 4-6k USD each trip. I always use the bank at the airport, located just before you leave security. I have always recieved the best prevailing rate based on me checking it just before I get on my flight the night before. I have never had an issue with a counterfit bill, ever! Unlike banks in BA, the airport bank has no trouble exchanging large sums. I have used banks in Recoleta on occassion and they always seem to balk at anything over 1k at a time. I understand that carrying these large sums of cash from the airport to your accomodation is not for everybody. That said, use the bank at the airport if cash is what you will be exchanging in argentina. Enough said.
Happy Mongering All. Toymann
I bring cash and use ATM's. I've never gotten a bad bill from either one. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, just that it has not happened to me in the 15 or so trips I've made over the past 7 years.
The BANK at the airport has a normal exchange rates. It's the small cambios that are the issue. It's generally not an issue at the cambios in downtown.
Oliverito80
02-23-10, 14:01
Dear visitors.
I've lived here in Buenos Aires now for over 7 months and I always withdraw money from various Citibank ATMs throughout the whole city like in Avenida Santa Fe, Florida and Perron, Callao and Alvear or from the one in front of Galeria Pacifico. I think Citibank now is the only bank that doesn't charge you an additional 11.42 Pesos to your bank regular bank fees (for me U$4.5 with UBS Switzerland) for each withdrawal. A big advantage is that they've modernized all their ATM's the past two months and you can get big amounts from them (already got 4000 Pesos at one time! Most others like HSBC, Rio Santander or Galicia will let you only withdraw 700-900 Pesos at one time with the before mentioned 11.42 extra fee on top of it. Never had any problems with counterfeits at Citibank either!
So certainly a good, economical and safe choice!
Have fun withdrawing!
Citibank is the best choice for a gringo anywhere in latin america. Unless of course your bank is tied in with a foreign bank and you get free debit card transactions.
The Citibank machines seem to be the most reliable as well. At least in my case they have been.
TejanoLibre
02-23-10, 16:40
Citibank is the best choice for a gringo anywhere in latin america. Unless of course your bank is tied in with a foreign bank and you get free debit card transactions.
The Citibank machines seem to be the most reliable as well. At least in my case they have been.Man, I was with Mara last week and she performed an awesome ATM!
No fee for withdrawal either!
There is a small fee for making deposits or entries!
TL.
P. S - ATM is not Texas A & M!
Gig'Em Aggies!
Ralphy Boyy
06-14-10, 11:08
I was wondering because I don't trust sucking machines.
Ralphy Boyy
06-15-10, 14:59
I was wondering because I don't trust sucking machines.Can someone please tell me if there are ATMs (Don't have to be Citibank) that only slide? I'm afraid of losing my card in some machine.
Can someone please tell me if there are ATMs (Don't have to be Citibank) that only slide? I'm afraid of losing my card in some machine.I've never heard of anyone losing a card in a "suck" machine here. The Citibank machines are "insert", if that is "suck". If you go to Citibank, and you should, use the Citibank ATM and not the Banelco.
Most ATMs in Argentina RETAIN the card during the transaction. If you card does not get release but is instead retained as can happen if you go into the bank, if they are open, or if you arrive first thing in the morning (usually 1000) of the branch in front or where the card was retained with proper documentation (passport or DNI if local) they will return to you the card. Once it has passed 24 hours you ar lost as they return them or destroy them.
most atms in argentina RETAIN the card during the transaction. If you card does not get release but is instead retained as can happen if you go into the bank, if they are open, or if you arrive first thing in the morning (usually 1000) of the branch in front or where the card was retained with proper documentation (passport or dni if local) they will return to you the card. Once it has passed 24 hours you ar lost as they return them or destroy them.The new Citibank ATMs don't retain the card. It is a quick insert and then pull out. Sorta like Exon.
CockSucker.
ExonLove ya baby.
In 4 years of living here, and using my ATM card at least once a week, I have never lost a card in a machine. I'm sure it happens, but no more often than, say, the States (where I also never lost a card)
But as Doggboy says, Citibank has the kind of machine you put the card in and pull it out again to read it. There's one at Callao and Alvear, one near 9 de Julio on Santa Fe, between 9 de Julio and Libertad, another within a block or two of Callao on Santa Fe. Also on Corrientes almost at the corner of Callao.
I HAVE tried to get money out of an ATM, the machine cogitates and makes like it's counting the money, then says "Please take your cash" when there is nothing there. On looking later, I discovered that indeed I was charged the amount I should have received but didn't. The first two times this happened I panicked, talked to the local bank and my bank, and was told by both that this was not uncommon and the bank who operates the ATM would give me a credit within a day or two. I didn't even have to file a claim. This has happened to me 4 times over the last 4 years, once at a Citibank ATM, and every time I have indeed received a refund within two days, usually within one.
BTW - I don't know if this is my bank, or something to do with some ATMS here or what, but I found out that I am getting bad conversion rates when I go to banks other than Citi.
That is, I know that Macro and Standard gave me HORRIBLE conversion rates, consistently, checking it in my account later. 3.77 last week, when a Citibank ATM gave me 3.92 the same week.
My bank only charges me $1.50 per transaction and I never get charged local ATM fees. So I'm not sure exactly why the bad exchange rate if it's not originating from the bank that operates the ATM.
At any rate, I now try to restrict my withdrawals to Citibank and for other reasons as well, such as I don't have a limit on how much I can take out at Citibank ATMs, except for the limit my bank itself puts on ATM withdrawals.
BTW - notice that in Citibank there are two different types of ATMs, as well as bill-paying machines. Citibank has regular Banelco ATMs that will act like an ATM in any other location - I. E. It will screw you on rate and not give you your ATM limit.
Make sure you go to the modern-looking machines, with touchscreen access. But their bill-paying machines look similar to that, so make sure you go to one that says ATM.
Do the ATMs work 24/7 or just on weekdays? Thanks.
Do the ATMs work 24/7 or just on weekdays? Thanks.24/7 in Buenos Aires, though any particular ATM may be unavailable for whatever reason. Also they often run out of money on Sundays.
What is the general cash limit at the ATMS?
Thanks
Silver Star
07-21-10, 23:56
What is the general cash limit at the ATMS?
ThanksMy ATM Cards limit me to 1000 pesos a day (Bank of America and Patelco Credit Union) the fees are high, $15pesos per transaction, and a horrible exchange. Moral of the story, bring enough cash for your trip (USD) and buy Pesos at Banco de la Nacion at the airport, or downtown for a slightly better rate. Do not change money at Global Exchange, they have the worst rates in town.
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
English Speaking Premium Private Car Services in Buenos Aires
Silver Star
07-21-10, 23:58
Dear visitors.
I've lived here in Buenos Aires now for over 7 months and I always withdraw money from various Citibank ATMs throughout the whole city like in Avenida Santa Fe, Florida and Perron, Callao and Alvear or from the one in front of Galeria Pacifico. I think Citibank now is the only bank that doesn't charge you an additional 11.42 Pesos to your bank regular bank fees (for me U$4.5 with UBS Switzerland) for each withdrawal. A big advantage is that they've modernized all their ATM's the past two months and you can get big amounts from them (already got 4000 Pesos at one time! Most others like HSBC, Rio Santander or Galicia will let you only withdraw 700-900 Pesos at one time with the before mentioned 11.42 extra fee on top of it. Never had any problems with counterfeits at Citibank either!
So certainly a good, economical and safe choice!
Have fun withdrawing!Where did you get 4,000 pesos from? I tried the Citibank on Alvear and Callao and it limited me to only $1,000 pesos:(
TejanoLibre
07-22-10, 00:02
What is the general cash limit at the ATMS?
ThanksA. T. M?
Would that be an ¨Ass to Mouth ¨Chica?
Citi-Bank allows about 2500.00 pesos per day I think.
TL.
Chicas are quite a bit less per deposit or withdrawal!
By the way, try to receive as many small bils as possible!
Nobody except chicas and clubs accept change and never ever give a taxi driver a hundred peso bill!
I went to three different Citibank ATM's, and they all had the same limit of 1000 pesos and charged that outrageous fee of 15 peses, as all the other ATM's in BA. Now, I have an ATM card which has international CURRIS sign on it, and a NYCE sign as well, but it is not a Citibank card; I am not a Citibank customer. Perhaps this is the reason for a discrepancy between the recommendation here and my own experience. There were Citibank terminals there which did not accept my card at all, and in each banch there was one "Cojero Automatico" terminal which did, but was as bad as all the other ones in BA.
I hate to pay those high fees, plus my own bank fee, and all of this for a relatively small amount of money.
Silver Star
08-15-10, 00:13
I went to three different Citibank ATM's, and they all had the same limit of 1000 pesos and charged that outrageous fee of 15 peses, as all the other ATM's in BA. Now, I have an ATM card which has international CURRIS sign on it, and a NYCE sign as well, but it is not a Citibank card; I am not a Citibank customer. Perhaps this is the reason for a discrepancy between the recommendation here and my own experience. There were Citibank terminals there which did not accept my card at all, and in each banch there was one "Cojero Automatico" terminal which did, but was as bad as all the other ones in BA.
I hate to pay those high fees, plus my own bank fee, and all of this for a relatively small amount of money.The Citibank ATM at Santa Fe near Pued. Ave gives out 2,500AR, but only the 1st machine closest to the door, furthest to the left. The others give out 1,000AR.
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
¨For when you want the best and safest way to and from the airport¨
Gato Hunter
08-15-10, 00:27
The citybank near the Alvear Palace let me take out 4k pesos at one shot a few months ago. It gives the last 100 in change also, one 50 and 5 10's.
There are 5 atms, the 2 closest to the bank entrance are the ones you want.
I have been using it for years, I hope it does not change!
Silver Star
08-15-10, 14:46
The citybank near the Alvear Palace let me take out 4k pesos at one shot a few months ago. It gives the last 100 in change also, one 50 and 5 10's.
There are 5 atms, the 2 closest to the bank entrance are the ones you want.
I have been using it for years, I hope it does not change!That's great to know, I had gone there and only got 1KAR!
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
English Speaking Executive Airport Transfers in BsAs
I went to Citibank near Alvear Palace, and got the same treatment as in all other banks: 1000 max and 16 pesos fee. Only one ATM (marked Banelco) accepted my card, others (Citibank terminals) did not, no matter how close they were to the front door.
I guess you need to have Citibank's own ATM card to enjoy higher amounts and lower fees.
I guess you need to have Citibank's own ATM card to enjoy higher amounts and lower fees.Untrue. I don't have a Citibank ATM card and pull $1,500 pesos as often as I like using the Citibank machine. Never Banelco. I'm guessing your card is somehow incompatible with the Citi machine. Sounds like you might want to research your card / bank and see what the deal is.
Good luck
What kind of card do you have? Are you paying the 15 peso charge on each withdrawal? What's the exchange rate you are getting?
I have a debit visa card from my Federal Credit Union, which serves as ATM as well; it has PLUS and NYCE signs on it. I always use it around the World, so to speak. I do not know which rate I am getting here: I assume that the rate in all ATM's is pretty good -- this is what I always hear.
Actually, my question was directed at Doggboy since he seems to have the magic card that can pull more than 1,000 pesos.
Actually, my question was directed at Doggboy since he seems to have the magic card that can pull more than 1,000 pesos.Hi Easy Go. I don't think it is a magic card, as I know a number of expats who can pull alot of pesos. In fact, I know some guys who pull $2,500p at a time. I've never tried to pull more than $1,500. I use a USAA Bank debit card. I pay a very small fee to USAA. Until the past few years there was no fee at all. I don't know the exchange rate. USAA is a damn fine organization and I would recommend them to anyone. Seeing as how their services are tailored for active and retired military, they are more attuned to overseas residents. You can however avail yourselves of their banking services even without a military background. Their other services, I believe, are solely for the military.
I think alot of the variations in what folks can pull here are related directly to their card, and not to the ATM. That is NOT the case with the Banelco machines. I remember all the hubbub two years ago when Banelco machines were limiting withdrawls to 300p. I don't know what the limit is now with them.
Humm. I have USAA and a CapitalOne cards and have not had any luck getting more that 1000 pesos as recently as June. I'll give my USAA card a try at the Citibank in October.
What USAA fee are you talking about? I've never been charged one for overseas ATM withdrawals. In fact, I suspect that USAA would actually reimburse the 15 peso fee if I asked under the usual ATM fee reimbursement policy.
Humm. I have USAA and a CapitalOne cards and have not had any luck getting more that 1000 pesos as recently as June. I'll give my USAA card a try at the Citibank in October.
What USAA fee are you talking about? I've never been charged one for overseas ATM withdrawals. In fact, I suspect that USAA would actually reimburse the 15 peso fee if I asked under the usual ATM fee reimbursement policy.Hummm, I'll doublecheck the percent, if there is one, on ATM transactions.
Funny about the different amounts people can pull. I've been pulling $1,500p a pop at the Citi ATMs for years.
I only see the 1% when I use my USAA credit card overseas. If it's in ATM withdrawals, USAA isn't breaking it out.
As an FYI, I e-mailed USAA about fees and they told me:
1. There is a 1% fee that is part of all foreign currency ATM transactions that is charged by the network, not USAA.
2. Since the banks in Argentina don't break the ATM fee out in the transaction, USAA won't reimburse the fee like it would if it was broken out.
3. USAA doesn't charge any fees for ATM use. The ATM fees are strictly those charges by the owner of the ATM.
That still leaves the mystery of why most ATM's are limited to $AR1000 per withdrawal when using US (and I assume other foreign country) cards while a few others don't.
I scooted down to the Citi location on Alvear today and before the machine would give me my $1,500p, I was alerted that there would be a $15.96p fee. That's a new gouge as far as I know. I ordinarly use the Citi on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, and have never run across this fee. Maybe it's a brand new thing. I'll go to the location on Santa Fe and see if they are doing the same.
You can run but you can't hide from these cocksuckers.
I scooted down to the Citi location on Alvear today and before the machine would give me my $1,500p, I was alerted that there would be a $15.96p fee. That's a new gouge as far as I know. I ordinarly use the Citi on Santa Fe, near Montevideo, and have never run across this fee. Maybe it's a brand new thing. I'll go to the location on Santa Fe and see if they are doing the same.
You can run but you can't hide from these cocksuckers. I noted today when checking my USAA account that they are reimbursing me for these penny ante ATM charges. Good 'ol USAA!
Has anybody had any luck with taking out more then 1000 peso at a Citi ATM? Since they have implented the 16 peso charge they also have seemed to have limited the amount. For me personally I would pay around 200 dollars in fees and once I go back I am going to open up a account with a Standard partner, I have heard from various people that you no pay the charge then I am going to bring cash to pay for my rentals and pay with my CC if I more expensive things but I prefer to pay most things with cash as I am not comfortable with paying with CC everywhere and taking it everywhere.
Quality Time
10-27-10, 16:28
Has anybody had any luck with taking out more then 1000 peso at a Citi ATM? Since they have implented the 16 peso charge they also have seemed to have limited the amount. For me personally I would pay around 200 dollars in fees and once I go back I am going to open up a account with a Standard partner, I have heard from various people that you no pay the charge then I am going to bring cash to pay for my rentals and pay with my CC if I more expensive things but I prefer to pay most things with cash as I am not comfortable with paying with CC everywhere and taking it everywhere.I was limited to 1000 pesos today. Can a person make more than one withdrawal per day from Citibank because I am nowhere near my daily limit that I have back in Toronto. It is a good thing I have two different ATM cards and a visa card to draw cash on....although not the smartest thing to do....but it is only short term
I can take up to 4000 peso every day from the 2 citi branches at Florida, I am not sure about the other branches.
I wonder how long it takes untill foreigners are specifically targeted, 4000 peso is a lot of cash here
Quality Time
10-29-10, 17:03
I can take up to 4000 peso every day from the 2 citi branches at Florida, I am not sure about the other branches.
I wonder how long it takes untill foreigners are specifically targeted, 4000 peso is a lot of cash hereHi:
Florida and where. And are you a citibank customer. Thanks for the info
Hi:
Florida and where. And are you a citibank customer. Thanks for the infoMake sure you are using the Citi ATM and not the Banelco machine. Both of them exist in the local Citibanks. If you are still only able to draw $1,000p a pop, you may have a different daily limit outside of your country. Suerte.
I am not a Citibank customer.
Right next to Galarias pacifico and about 1 or 2 blocks from Av de Mayo
I have also tried to take out 4000 peso out of the Citi right across the Hilton with the same Citi-machines and it only allowed me 1000 peso.
I guess it's all trial and error
Northsider
11-25-10, 13:09
I have a Citibank card from the US. I arrived at EZE a few weeks ago, went to the Citi ATM (though the screen itself said Banelco, put my card in the slot and the ATM went silly, I can't remember what exactly the message said (it was a slide, not a suck. Some people from S. Africa were behind me: we just flew in from Cape Town, up before dawn and 10+ hours in transit, immigration and baggage collection took the better part of an hour, so I have to say we all were not at our sharpest. They tried too and got the same result. Fortunately there was an HSBC ATM that did work and charged app. 16pesos fee. By experimenting I found that whether I pulled out a few hundred pesos or a thousand the fee was still the same, so I took a thousand. I walk past the Citi ATM booth and see someone is making a transaction; maybe it was broke when I tried and the system came back up? Dunno.
A few days later I'm at the Citi on Rivadavia, Banelco on the screen again. This time the machine accepts my card and PIN. I'm offered options for withdrawing pesos or dollars, in various amounts. I try to withdraw dollars, and after the last of the necessary interactions the card is spit out and it's back to the welcome screen. No error message, no 'WTF did you do? ' message, but there was a little number in the upper right corner (sorry, can't recall, maybe 610. I try this a few times, same same. I call Citi (thank you, Skype, for allowing us to make 800- calls from abroad for free) and the fellow says there is no indication of these attempts, and no block on my card (I had let them know my travel plans. I try the ATM again and same old.
I'm in Uruguay now, returning to BsAs next month. Here you can withdraw greenbacks. I learned by trial and error I can only pull US$200 at a time, which comes out in 2- $100 notes, even though the screen offers a selection of amounts, the highest of which is US$700. Uru pesos max at 5, 000 per transaction (equiv. To app. US$250. Over here, if the ATM doesn't like what you did it spits the card out and declares itself to be out of service. First time this happened I took that to be the case, but after about a minute it's back. This was part of my trial-and-error learning. Even now that I manage to make withdrawals it afterwards declares itself out-of-service; I tell the person in line behind me to wait a minute and it will be ok.
I like to keep a stash of greenbacks in case the plastic goes sour, so my question is do the Citi ATMs in BsAs, which offer withdrawal of USD on the screen, do indeed dispense dollars? Please respond with a positive only if you yourself have witnessed them being dispensed. If not, I'll stock up over here.
Looking back at the other responses on this thread I have impression the answer is no, but those messages are from a while back. But if not, why are dollars offered on the ATM screen?
Thanks for the info about distinguishing between the ATMs at Alvear and Purr&Santa Fe, will check these out when I get back.
I like to keep a stash of greenbacks in case the plastic goes sour, so my question is do the Citi ATMs in BsAs, which offer withdrawal of USD on the screen, do indeed dispense dollars? Please respond with a positive only if you yourself have witnessed them being dispensed. If not, I'll stock up over here.
Looking back at the other responses on this thread I have impression the answer is no, but those messages are from a while back. But if not, why are dollars offered on the ATM screen?
If you need dollars and it is working in Uruguay, by all means stock up there.
I've never been able to get dollars out of an ATM in Argentina. I have tried at numerous ATMs with cards from both an Argentine and a US account.
As to why the option appears? It could be as simple as no one ever got around to restocking the machine with dollars. However, my guess is that some Argentine accounts allow you to withdraw dollars from an ATM (mine does not) but this is not available to all users of the ATM.
I just pulled out $2790 pesos from this ATM this afternoon. I chose that amount because I have a $700 withdrawal limit on ATMs.
Had I know another person was able to pull $4000 pesos, I might have tried that instead. I hate those damn ATM fees, damn you big banks!
Northsider
11-27-10, 23:18
I just pulled out $2790 pesos from this ATM this afternoon....was that in one ATM transaction or several?
Did it say Banelco on the screen?
This was in one ATM transaction. It did not say Banelco on the screen.
was that in one ATM transaction or several?
Did it say Banelco on the screen?
There seem to be fee differences depending if you withdraw money from your credit card account vs directly from your checking or savings account. I withdrew 600 pesos from my credit card and I was charged around $155. 00 USD plus a $5. 00 ATM fee. In addition my bank charged me an interest fee. When I called my bank on this, they cancelled the ATM fees and the interest charges.
I started drawing directly from my checking account and I was charged around $159. 00 for 600 pesos and charged a $2. 00 fee with no interest. In this case I took out 600 pesos at the total cost of $161. 00.
The differences ($159 vs $155) were not as a result of the exchange rate.
All the withdrawals were from the same ATM.
Northsider
02-26-11, 14:49
The other day I came across the big Citi bank in Microcentro, huge place with several floors and a lot of activity. To my surprise there was no Citi ATM in the building that I could find, and no one there knew of, other than a Banelco. So I go to withdraw, and get the message that I will be charged XX.XX pesos for the transaction. I canceled, then went around the corner to the Florida Citi branch and did my business.
Got home and checked my activity online. The canceled transaction was listed, and then deducted. The usual listing is the amount of the withdrawal, then another listing with Citi's 3% fee. The rate I got from the Citi ATM (before fee) came out to a 4.03 pesos per dollar. The Banelco pre-fee rate was 3.92. This comes to app. 1% difference. I assume this was at least part of this was Banelco's fee, and perhaps skimming a little on the exchange rate (can't recall the charge figure that was on the screen). Regardless, it's another 1% hit.
So, if you have a Citi ATM card and you go to one of their branches to withdraw beware of these Banelco machines.
Member #3320
02-26-11, 17:59
The rate I got from the Citi ATM (before fee) came out to a 4.03 pesos per dollar. Well, that rate " after" all fees etc from Citi ATM machines is 4. 01.
The rate I am getting using a US credit card is 4. 03 after all fees etc.
Northsider
02-28-11, 17:06
Is this pulling cash out of the CC, or charging purchases?
Well, that rate " after" all fees etc from Citi ATM machines is 4. 01.
The rate I am getting using a US credit card is 4. 03 after all fees etc. Cash is king here. Bring in U$ in unmarked notes and forget about the card. My cash exchange guy delivers and gave me 4. 07 last week and Rock Harders (El Alamo) , was offering better than that a week back. It adds up.
Argento
So I go to withdraw, and get the message that I will be charged XX. XX pesos for the transaction. I canceled, then went around the corner to the Florida Citi branch and did my business.
I've been having to use my US ATM card the last week or so. The Banelco fee is 16. 45 pesos per transaction. I haven't looked to see if my own bank has also been reaming me.
I've been having to use my US ATM card the last week or so. The Banelco fee is 16. 45 pesos per transaction. I haven't looked to see if my own bank has also been reaming me.That 16p fee gets charged on non Banelco machines at Citibank as well. My bank out of the USA reimburses me those fees as long as there aren't a ton of them per month.
Chica Seeker
03-01-11, 13:35
Cash is king here. Bring in U$ in unmarked notes and forget about the card. My cash exchange guy delivers and gave me 4. 07 last week and Rock Harders (El Alamo) , was offering better than that a week back. It adds up.I abanoned the cash machines down here a couple of years ago as I got fed up with the fees and restricted withdrawals. I always bring american $. I got 4. 01 at Ezeiza (Banco National) yesterday. Guess I will be talking to Argento or Rock before my next transaction.
If you want to work with cash to avoid fees you just have to learn where they pay more. For example in Moreno near where I live there is a "sastre" who changes U$D for 4. 10 for $1000 and over. For lesser amounts 4. 08. Every where I have ever lived or worked I have always found these hole in the wall places that pay over the going rate.
JayHighFive
03-13-11, 13:29
Where is the best place to exchange money. I assume the airport rates suck. How about ATM rate.
Thanks why'all.
Jay
AllIWantIsLove
03-13-11, 15:39
Spend some time browsing the forums here. Your questions have been thoroughly discussed. I've been using a bank recently (and I don't think that banks have been discussed much). The bank I use is very convenient to where I stay and the rate seems to be competitive with the best rates in town.
Bob.
Where is the best place to exchange money. I assume the airport rates suck. How about ATM rate.
Thanks why'all.
Jay
Tequila Tim
04-25-11, 23:08
Saw this in the Herald today:
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/65423/atm-withdrawal-rises-to-10000-pesos-
The way I read it, it would apply to all ATM's. Hopefully those limited ATM withdrawal limits are a thing of the past.
Member #3320
04-26-11, 02:58
Saw this in the Herald today:
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/65423/atm-withdrawal-rises-to-10000-pesos-
The way I read it, it would apply to all ATM's. Hopefully those limited ATM withdrawal limits are a thing of the past. Thats excellent news.
Guys, please confirm if this is working?
This aspect has been one of the most frustrating aspects of "Life in Ba" in the past.
It says that you can make interbank transfers from a ATM. It does not mean that you can withdraw up to 10k from a ATM only transfer it to another bank.
Rock Harders
04-26-11, 09:59
Mongers-
Since no ATM in the world (that I know of) can spit out more than 40 bills at a clip, and the highest denomination bill in circulation in Argentina is the 100 peso note, the most an ATM could possibly give in one transaction would be 4000 pesos.
Suerte,
Rock Harders
Citibank waives the 3% foreign transaction fee if you have funds in an account with them. Seems like there are citibanks around BA from my walks with WT69. Just got $2500 pesos from one last night at 410. Believe you could get more but did not look closely.
Nice to be able to get pesos 24/7. I use Citi in COL & Central Am as well.
Enjoying this city a lot!
EO
Greetings Mongers,
My experience with Citi was very good.
Withdrawals were around 2400p max,
But I usually got 2000p.
The 3% transaction fee was waived because.
I had a 6 digit large account with them.
So, be sure when you sign up, what is the minimum.
Balance necessary to avoid ATM fees.
Jackpot
I agree CITI is the way to go. If you are a good customer they will cancel any charges if you have over 100K.
Required balance was recently lowered from $100k to $50K
My experience was pretty good until today. Today I withdrew $2, 500 pesos from the Citi ATM at Santa Fe 1148, about 5pm. (The ATM had been down for about an hour previous to this.) So I shove two of the 100 peso notes in my hobbying wallet along side a few other bills. At 11pm, I attempt to pay my bill at El Establo with the $200 pesos. The waiter informs me that the $100 peso notes are "falso."
Kind of disconcerting and embarassing. I just have enough to cover the dinner & tip. Bet it looked suspicious to them, but now I have to go back to Citi & deal with them.
Anyone else had this experience?
My experience was pretty good until today. Today I withdrew $2, 500 pesos from the Citi ATM at Santa Fe 1148, about 5pm. (The ATM had been down for about an hour previous to this.) So I shove two of the 100 peso notes in my hobbying wallet along side a few other bills. At 11pm, I attempt to pay my bill at El Establo with the $200 pesos. The waiter informs me that the $100 peso notes are "falso."
Kind of disconcerting and embarassing. I just have enough to cover the dinner & tip. Bet it looked suspicious to them, but now I have to go back to Citi & deal with them.
Anyone else had this experience? It has never happened to me that I'm aware of, and I've been hauling $ out of Citi ATMs here for a long time. It is not unheard of however that somebody gets bogus bills from a local ATM. I've seen more than one tourist poster on expat blogs complain about it.
One possibility is that the waiter at El Establo switched the bills to falso.
Taxi drivers in BA sometimes uses this trick.
I'm not saying that the waiter is guilty, but just presenting a possiblity.
Anything can happen in this city.
Joe.
My experience was pretty good until today. Today I withdrew $2, 500 pesos from the Citi ATM at Santa Fe 1148, about 5pm. (The ATM had been down for about an hour previous to this.) So I shove two of the 100 peso notes in my hobbying wallet along side a few other bills. At 11pm, I attempt to pay my bill at El Establo with the $200 pesos. The waiter informs me that the $100 peso notes are "falso."
Kind of disconcerting and embarassing. I just have enough to cover the dinner & tip. Bet it looked suspicious to them, but now I have to go back to Citi & deal with them.
Anyone else had this experience?
That is exactly what Citibank said. The $100 peso notes came straight out of the ATM and the teller said that two people check the bills when they are loaded in. I tend to trust Citibank more than the waiter. At the end of the meal, the waiter asked me if I was a pilot. Maybe airline pilots stay nearby? Maybe wanted to know if I was going to be coming back? I was probably a little buzzed on Malbec & maybe he sensed this. The Captain didn't help at all. Typed up a note in Spanish that I am a travel writer & am reporting them to my fellow writers at Trip Advisor, Frommers & Fodors.
Delivering today.
Un gran leccion!
Before handing over a $100 or a $50 to the driver, I try to make sure that I remember the last three digits of the note so that I can tell him immediately in case he switches and returns me a falso.
I tend to forget this when going home after some good bottles of wine, though.
So far I haven't yet had this kind of problem or incident with taxi drivers, but who knows? It can happen tomorrow or even tonight.
Joe
Silver Star
05-12-11, 17:33
One possibility is that the waiter at El Establo switched the bills to falso.
Taxi drivers in BA sometimes uses this trick.
I'm not saying that the waiter is guilty, but just presenting a possiblity.
Anything can happen in this city.
Joe. I've withdrawn from Citibank ATM's all the time and never got a fake. I think chances are greater that the waiter pulled a switch on you. When paying with big bills, always confirm with the waiter that they are real, remember the last 3 digits and check yourself that the bills are good before paying. Key is feel the quality of the paper, and hold the bill up to the light and notice the watermark is a 3D Portriat not a 2D outline.
On my airport pickups, I usually show you a fake bill to know what you are up against. (I get the bills from customers that have been taken, and they leave them with me to show others)
Taxis are very famous for the switch move, be careful and don't give cab drivers big bills.
Cheers.
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
Premium Airport Transfers and more in English
Member #3320
05-13-11, 03:07
I agree with Silverstar.
I withdrew upto 20000 us$ (85000 Ar pesos) in last 3 months from various citibank ATMs in BA and never got a fake 100 peso note, even once. I use different machines in different location.
So I am finding it impossible to believe your allegation against citibank.
Having said that, the waiters and cabdrivers of Ba are con artists and they somehow immediately sense that you are a stranger in BA and try to pull a fast one one you. You need to be alert all the time in BA. Do not let down your guard.
Newbies in BA be forewarned.
I've withdrawn from Citibank ATM's all the time and never got a fake. I think chances are greater that the waiter pulled a switch on you. When paying with big bills, always confirm with the waiter that they are real, remember the last 3 digits and check yourself that the bills are good before paying. Key is feel the quality of the paper, and hold the bill up to the light and notice the watermark is a 3D Portriat not a 2D outline.
On my airport pickups, I usually show you a fake bill to know what you are up against. (I get the bills from customers that have been taken, and they leave them with me to show others)
Taxis are very famous for the switch move, be careful and don't give cab drivers big bills.
Cheers.
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
Premium Airport Transfers and more in English
I went back to El Establo and talked to the Capitan & the owner. They said that this would not happen at their restaurant with a waiter who has been their 10 years. They gave me a lesson in how to spot the bad $100 peso bills and even gave me a highlighter like pen that turns dark on fakes. The owner exchanged one false bill for a real one as a goodwill gesture. They spent about 25 minutes with me. They said that for quite awhile there was a problem with retired people getting fake bills from ATM's when the withdrew their pension. Yesterday there was an article about fake bills getting through banks. Out of the $7500 in pesos I withdrew this week, I may be the guy who got extremely unlucky and ended up with two fakes out of millions that pass through ATM's. Also learned so differentiate bills produced in Argentina from the bills that they paid Brazil to produce.
So it is still a mystery, but now I am not convinced that it was the waiter. It is possible that I got two fakes that slipped through out of millions of bills placed into ATM's. They were exact replicas including the silver stripe, only the texture of the paper was smoother, and now I know that the watermark, when held up to the light needs to be clear.
I will continue to use Citibank ATM's, as I think this was an extremely rare occurance and I love the fact that the debit card alone gives me 24/7 access to my money.
Are atm's dead and no longer usefull?
Max pesos out at one transaction? Charge per transaction? Exchange rates?
Any current info would be appreciated?
I couldn't get more than $AR1000 out of any ATM in one withdrawal a few weeks ago and I think the fee was a bit under 18 pesos. That was using cards from two different US banks. Exchange rate was 4. 35 on 4/5.
4. 6-4. 8 was available from informal sources if you had cash.
Haven't seen you post for a while-how it going?
All is relatively well
Gato Hunter
04-24-12, 05:49
I don't see why anyone would use an atm at this point. Bring cash or wire money. With the need for dollars you could take a day trip to colonia and ATM dollars out. Come back and pay for the trip with the proceeds from the black market exchange rate. Yes you can get dollars put of an ATM in uruguay.
There is a money changer on Rodriguez Pena near the big market on the opposite side of the street, roughly between Quitana and Juncal, I think the name is Antiques and Exchange. The rate last week was 4. 8 for hundreds and 4. 7 for small bills. Good location and safe.
Paladin
Silver Star
04-24-12, 13:41
Haven't seen you post for a while-how it going?
All is relatively wellHi Miami Bob.
I'm relaxing after a very busy tourist season! Heading to the states THU APR 26 for a month. Need some downtime.
Fred.
www.silverstarcar.com
For you High Rollers or Newbies uncomfortable on one of your first trips, Fred is a little more money, but a safe and secure introduction to BA-His limo service specializes in airport runs and touring with a bi-lingual driver in a large safe car. For folks traveling in groups of two with lots of luggage or more than two-Fred becomes a cost effective alternative to a subcompact wherein no english is spoken and two people with two largew bags will have the carry-on's on your lap and zero leg room as a large bag is on the front passenger seat pushed all the way back. A " no brainer"
There is a money changer on Rodriguez Pena near the big market on the opposite side of the street, roughly between Quitana and Juncal, I think the name is Antiques and Exchange. The rate last week was 4. 8 for hundreds and 4. 7 for small bills. Good location and safe.
PaladinWhere is this money exchanger? Can you be a little more specific? Quitana and juncal are 5 blocks apart.
Thanks.
My best recollection is that it is across from the big grocery market and produce vendor on Rodriguez Pena and it has a tinted window and a locked door. I believe it is midway between Juncal and Qintana. Sorry the best I can do. I do things by wrote. I just walk RP until I find the store front.
I will ask my friend if he has a better idea of the location.
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