ATM's

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.

[QUOTE=Trampa;412757]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.[/QUOTE]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

[QUOTE=Trampa; 413546]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[/QUOTE]Hi:

Florida and where. And are you a citibank customer. Thanks for the info

[QUOTE=Quality Time; 413562]Hi:

Florida and where. And are you a citibank customer. Thanks for the info[/QUOTE]Make 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

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.

[QUOTE=Desmond the; 414133]

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?

[/QUOTE]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!

[QUOTE=Gmx888;414167]I just pulled out $2790 pesos from this ATM this afternoon....[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=Desmond the; 414171]was that in one ATM transaction or several?

Did it say Banelco on the screen? [/QUOTE]

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.

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.

[QUOTE=Northsider;415824]The rate I got from the Citi ATM (before fee) came out to a 4.03 pesos per dollar. [/QUOTE]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.

Is this pulling cash out of the CC, or charging purchases?

[QUOTE=Captain; 415828]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. [/QUOTE]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

[QUOTE=Northsider; 415824]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.

[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=Schmoj;415864]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.[/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=Argento; 415860]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.[/quote]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.

Where is the best place to exchange money. I assume the airport rates suck. How about ATM rate.

Thanks why'all.

Jay

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.

[QUOTE=JayHighFive; 416149]Where is the best place to exchange money. I assume the airport rates suck. How about ATM rate.

Thanks why'all.

Jay[/QUOTE]

Saw this in the Herald today:

[url]http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/65423/atm-withdrawal-rises-to-10000-pesos-[/url]

The way I read it, it would apply to all ATM's. Hopefully those limited ATM withdrawal limits are a thing of the past.

[QUOTE=Tequila Tim; 416954]Saw this in the Herald today:

[url]http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/65423/atm-withdrawal-rises-to-10000-pesos-[/url]

The way I read it, it would apply to all ATM's. Hopefully those limited ATM withdrawal limits are a thing of the past. [/QUOTE]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.

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?

[QUOTE=Eo Daman; 417361]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? [/QUOTE]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.

[QUOTE=Eo Daman; 417361]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? [/QUOTE]

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

[QUOTE=Joe 23; 417371]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. [/QUOTE]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.

[url]www.silverstarcar.com[/url]

Premium Airport Transfers and more in English

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.

[QUOTE=Silver Star; 417381]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.

[url]www.silverstarcar.com[/url]

Premium Airport Transfers and more in English[/QUOTE]

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.