Thread: Exchanging Currency

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  1. #48
    Senior Member


    Posts: 296

    Just a Reminder

    Most banks in BA (at least where I'm located on Las Heras and Pueyrredon) close at 3:00pm. I just finished lunch at 4:00pm, and was looking to exchange money. Only one bank was open. The dude told me they stopped exchanging money at 3:00pm. The rest of the banks I went to all closed at 3:00pm. BTW, exchange rate dollar to peso is 3.07.

    There is a bank inside the EZE airport where you can exchange money for a good rate (3.06 last week.) I always thought you'd get ripped off with shitty exchange rates. Once you pass customs before your greeted by the cabbies looking for they're fare, go immediately to your right. The bank is located on the right next to a general kiosk. You should be able to see a couple of armed guards outside the bank. I should have exchanged more money. I thought the exchange rate might have spiked during my day long flight. Avoid the hassles, get it all done at this place.

    Judd
    Last edited by Judd; 05-31-06 at 17:35. Reason: butchered the spelling of pueyrredon

  2. #47

    Wink

    Quote Originally Posted by Daddy Rulz
    I don't know whats up with that Dogg, but I bank at Chase and have only been charged the normal 1.50
    That was Hunt99 getting screwed, not me, you Cordoba addled, mongering cousin of a dog! I ain't be getting charged nothing at USAA Federal.

  3. #46

    Two words

    E Trade

    If one uses E Trade, one can withdraw 50 pesos whenever one wants, or even 10 pesos. I could withdraw 10 pesos 49 times a day if I wanted to.

  4. #45
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1543

    Talking

    Quote Originally Posted by Moore
    Oh my goodness, I just realized that Hunt99 is Goblin. So all those arguments were simply Hunt99 talking to himself..

    PS All my Chase statements say 1.50 per ATM withdrawl.
    Hunt99 has been laid at least once during the reign of the current monarch. It's obvious that the same cannot be said for Goblin.

    I took out 50 pesos on my last day in Buenos Aires to cover my expenses on the way to the airport. If I took out more, what would I do with a wallet full of worthless sheets of wanna-be wallpaper also known as pesos?

  5. #44
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1043
    All my Chase statements say 1.50 per ATM withdrawl. Who in the hell takes out 50 pesos anyway.

  6. #43
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1543
    Quote Originally Posted by Moore
    DaddyRulz, Doggboy:

    Is it not crystal clear that Hunt99's post is not to be taken seriously?
    No, my post was dead serious. Sitting right there on my online statement: "Transaction Fee $10" And those $$$ ain't pesos. Fuck Chase and the horse they rode in on.

  7. #42

    I Bank at chase

    I don't know whats up with that Dogg, but I bank at Chase and have only been charged the normal 1.50

    Quote Originally Posted by Doggboy
    Check out USAA Federal Savings Bank out of San Antonio. Very expat friendly. Zero nasty charges such as above. Their services are designed for military personnel, but regular folks can take advantage of their banking services. I draw from my checking account down here using the ATM system. Never a charge. Great customer service. I intially found out about them while following a BA expat blog. Some advise for those interested, you will need a USA mailing address to start an account.

  8. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Hunt99
    Just examining my Chase bank card statement, the fuckers charged me a 10 dollar foreign ATM fee for every goddamn transaction. Asshole vampires. Cocksucking bankers, even anally raping me every time I make a son of a bitching fifty peso withdrawal. Basta. Avoid Chase. Pissants.
    Check out USAA Federal Savings Bank out of San Antonio. Very expat friendly. Zero nasty charges such as above. Their services are designed for military personnel, but regular folks can take advantage of their banking services. I draw from my checking account down here using the ATM system. Never a charge. Great customer service. I intially found out about them while following a BA expat blog. Some advise for those interested, you will need a USA mailing address to start an account.

  9. #40
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1543
    Just examining my Chase bank card statement, the fuckers charged me a 10 dollar foreign ATM fee for every goddamn transaction. Asshole vampires. Cocksucking bankers, even anally raping me every time I make a son of a bitching fifty peso withdrawal. Basta. Avoid Chase. Pissants.

  10. #39
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1043
    I've determined that the best place to exchange US$/Pesos is anywhere that I have a cell phone signal. I call BancoRio and get instant attention, excellent rates, no fee, and the transaction between my US$/Peso accounts is complete/confirmed before I hang up 30 seconds later. Note to self - steer clear of casinos, options, and foreign currency "day trading/investing".

    OK, I understand that most guys don't have bank accounts here. This area on Sarmiento in Microcentro is well known and, as written, there are tons of cambios there. There are also many shady "arboles" whispering fx rates on the street as you walk there. I've compared BancoRio rates that I get within the friendly confines of Recoleta and they are within .02 centavos of the BEST rates on dolarhoy.com. So if you are changing US$1,000 you MIGHT save US$5 by taking a taxi thru a shitload of downtown traffic to a relatively dicey area in Microcentro (after deducting the taxi fare you're saving maybe $1 and I'm assuming your time is free).

    If you are changing cash, I believe that the best overall place is one of the major banks like BancoRio or BancoFrances which have branches probably within 2 short blocks of your apartment in beautiful, safe Recoleta. Last year I had to make a cash US$7,000 payment when signing an apartment lease. I thought about going downtown because I could have saved about US$30 on a transaction that size (before deducting travel, time, and risk cost). Transactions like this are extremely rare for me and I don't feel comfortable walking anywhere with that kind of cash on me, especially around Sarmiento 500. So I decided to change it at a BancoFrances branch 100 yards from apartment. Saving $25 net for that one large unusual transaction wasn't worth it in my opinion.

    For any normal transaction, say under US$1,000, the difference is peanuts and compared to a 5 minute cakewalk to a Recoleta branch, it's quite a hassle.

    And as mentioned, we all know that you get superb rates simply by withdrawling pesos with your ATM card, so most guys should never be changing cash anyway, except for leftover pesos upon departing Ezeiza.

  11. #38
    Administrator


    Posts: 2556

    Venues: 398

    Sarmiento Exchange Houses

    Greetings everyone,

    There are a number of currency exchange locations scattered through Recoleta and the Microcenter. However, after utilizing many of them at one point or another, I've come to the conclusion that the "best" place to exchange currency is the 500 block of Sarmiento, near the intersection of San Martin, one block from Florida Ave.

    In this 2 block stretch of Sarmiento there are perhaps 2 dozen banks and cambios, many with signs clearly displaying their current dollar exchange rates. In my own personal experience I have determined that these numerous venues located in such close proximity to each other offer the city's best rates, no doubt spurred on by their mutual competition.

    Thanks,

    Jackson

  12. #37
    I've warned against these rip off cambios before. It's amazing how stupid some of these people can be.

    I don't know if they exchange Argentine Pesos, but when I see people lined up in the US airports to exchange dollars for a foreign currency, it's even worse. They get hit for 10-20%.

    I recall one guy who got some Costa Rican colones last year, and said he "only" changed $200. He took a 15% hit, so lost $30 off the top. We all know that $30 can buy some fine entertainment in BA.

  13. #36
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1043
    There is apparently and not surprisingly a zone at EZE (at baggage claim or immediately after it) for sucker FX rates and taxis.

    There is one born every minute, thats why such places exist.

    I would offer an exchange rate of 1.00 per dollar and probably get some takers. Just read the Black thread and you'll see that people happily pay 1:1, on inflated prices. Why dork someone for 10% at 2.70 when you could dork them for 70% at 1.00? Actually 'Id give them counterfit pesos / patacones / lecops for a pure profit margin, theyd never know what hit them. But they would ask "do you think I overpaid..."

  14. #35
    Administrator


    Posts: 2556

    Venues: 398

    Airport Currenty Exchange

    Greetings everyone,

    Upon returning to BA from the USA, I noted a couple of what were to me new changes in the baggage pickup area.

    First, there are now large signs hanging over each of the baggage conveyors, written in Spanish and English, advising anyone who took a second to read them, of the names and locations of three banks just outside the baggage area that would gladly buy your dollars at a freshly posted rate of 3.05.

    Second, there are now two currency exchange booths positioned between the baggage conveyors, each posting an exchange rate on that day of 2.70. Incredibly, there were people lining up at these exchange booths to sell their dollars at this ridiculous rate.

    I stood there, looking back and forth between the line of tourists at the exchange booth and the signs just 20 feet away in both directions, and just shook my head: You just can't save some people from their own stupidity.

    Thanks,

    Jackson

  15. #34
    Senior Member


    Posts: 1043
    Dickhead,

    I favor being thrifty and not wasting money, so long as I don't have to radically change my habits to do so. And I fully agree that an American should adjust his tips to local levels. But is it rational/healthy to worry about pennies? Lets say you're spending a few hundred US$/month each on items such as girls, restaurants, and bars. Does 6 dollars/month for ATM fees matter?

    Yeah, I could save maybe US50/mo by avoiding taxis and fucking around on buses here but whats 50 dollars? I could also save that amount by reducing my whoare consumption by approx 1.372 sessions/month (9 months worth of ATM fees). But part of the fun is relaxing and not having to pinch every peso, right?

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