Credit Cards

[Kolos]

It is not Providian, it is just VISA or MC rule, they charge it no matter what. AMEX charges 3% or so right now. MC a little more expensive than VISA.

Myself I prefer not tu use AMEX, 5% punishment to merchant is not fair IMO (+3% they charge you for exchange), unless you don't like the merchant ;-)

Especially in Argentina, where reality is a little different than in the USA (products are not overpriced 150-200%) I prefer to use cash whenever I can.:-)

[Member #4110]

Just remember that you will pay a 1-3% foreign exchange charge on transactions. Some businesses will offer a cash discount, if you ask for it as well.

I just got a Providian bank credit card bill, with 5 charges from my recent trip to Argentina. They gave me a better exchange rate than I could get at banks or cambio offices: 3.08 (the best I could do at a cambio was 3.05)

And they charged no foreign currency rate! It was great.

Recently they did not charge me a foreign currency rate on a trip to Canada. But they did charge me 1% on a Thanksgiving trip to Costa Rica. I called them up and talked to some guy in India. He did not have a clue as to what was going on. Oddly, in one of Providian's printed rules there is a statement that there is a 1% charge, and in another there is a statement that there is a 3% charge. At any rate, unless they ask for a fee in a future statement, I am going to use the Providian card for all foreign travel. Great rate, no foreign currency charge (at least not yet)

[Guiller]

I assume that Visa and Mastercard are both accepted in BA, but I was curious if American Express or Discover are also accepted?

Hi Usmc57:

Visa and MC are accepted everywhere. AE or Dinner's are viewed here as more exclusive cards (actually, the stores have to pay AE a higher comission than they do to Visa or MC and therefore many merchants avoid it unless they have some special reason to accept it) and therefore are less common. However, they are accepted in expensive restaurants, and in general, in any store oriented towards tourism and not to local customers (e. G. Leather goods stores, etc) As for Discover, I guess its acceptance level is even smaller.

All the best

[Usmc57]

I assume that Visa and Mastercard are both accepted in BA, but I was curious if American Express or Discover are also accepted?

[ComeOnDown]

Worked for me as well. Business owners generally prefer debit cards or cash. Some stores even post two sets of prices in their goods: one for efectivo (cash) and credito (credit card) Of course the price for cash is usually lower by 10 to 20 percent as against the card price. In fact in most pharmacies, paying cash will automatically give you a 20 percent discount.

There is no harm in asking them before paying. The discount may not be much when only buying small items - but believe if you buy several items they do add up and will get you enough for one more visit to your chica.

[Gandolf50]

Good point. I've negotiated on large purchases (I. E. A couple of high-end leather jackets in the same transaction) in the stores here on previous trips to pay in cash and have gotten a nice discount. A few times I was offered to pay in dollars instead of Monopoly Money (I know that's rude but it's my opinion) no receipt, no Tax Free, and given a substantial (25%+? Discount. This was at a major well-known boutique store on Sante Fé not some little family shop. Surely they didn't want a paper trial so the government wouldn't get a cut. There's so much corruption here, LOL! I guess I don't always pay for everything with the credit card, heh. I haven't tried this with anything small. I don't care if they dislike my credit card. If they don't like it they better be willing to pay me for the inconvenience of paying in cash.

I know I've looked into the foreign exchange charge on my credit cards and the associated exchange rates versus the spreads for exchanging dollars for cash and what I've gotten out of ATM machines and they were pretty close for me like several or less percentage points. This may be different depending on your financial institutions, where you're exchanging money, etc. Sometimes you'd need to carry an unmanagable number of bills with you to buy certain things and security is also an issue. I weigh these risks and trouble versus the possible monetary reward in each situation and pay accordingly.

With the sales tax or IVA at 21% a 25% discount hardly touched their profit. You just were able to skip the tax. Just as a a by the by, If you save your receipts you can get a refund on most of the taxes you paid while in the country at the airport when you leave the country if you have a non Argentine passport. So if you can, ask for a discount and a receipt!

[Incaboy]

Just remember that you will pay a 1-3% foreign exchange charge on transactions. Some businesses will offer a cash discount, if you ask for it as well.

I usually try to bring a moderate amount of cash to exchange, and then take money out of ATM's.

Some merchants have told me they pay 5-8% to the credit card companies, so they'd don't like them either. You can't put a tip on your card for this reason.

Good point. I've negotiated on large purchases (i.e. a couple of high-end leather jackets in the same transaction) in the stores here on previous trips to pay in cash and have gotten a nice discount. A few times I was offered to pay in dollars instead of Monopoly Money (I know that's rude but it's my opinion), no receipt, no Tax Free, and given a substantial (25%+?) discount. This was at a major well-known boutique store on Sante Fé not some little family shop. Surely they didn't want a paper trial so the government wouldn't get a cut. There's so much corruption here, LOL! I guess I don't always pay for everything with the credit card, heh. I haven't tried this with anything small. I don't care if they dislike my credit card. If they don't like it they better be willing to pay me for the inconvenience of paying in cash.

I know I've looked into the foreign exchange charge on my credit cards and the associated exchange rates versus the spreads for exchanging dollars for cash and what I've gotten out of ATM machines and they were pretty close for me like several or less percentage points. This may be different depending on your financial institutions, where you're exchanging money, etc. Sometimes you'd need to carry an unmanagable number of bills with you to buy certain things and security is also an issue. I weigh these risks and trouble versus the possible monetary reward in each situation and pay accordingly.

[Jaimito Cartero]

Just remember that you will pay a 1-3% foreign exchange charge on transactions. Some businesses will offer a cash discount, if you ask for it as well.

I usually try to bring a moderate amount of cash to exchange, and then take money out of ATM's.

Some merchants have told me they pay 5-8% to the credit card companies, so they'd don't like them either. You can't put a tip on your card for this reason.

[Silent Monger]

HGL & Incaboy,

thanks for the informative replies!

SM

[Incaboy]

Dear Gentlemen,

please forgive me for asking any questions which may seem simplistic to some of you experienced travellers out there; however I am a less experienced traveller, especially where South America is concerned.

I was wondering if someone could please tell me if many restaurants, cafes and shops in BsAs accept credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard or Amex?

Also what is credit card security like there, has anyone experienced problems with fraudulent or unauthorised transactions after using their card in BsAs?

Do Argentinian merchants use electronic payment at point of sale, or are credit card transactions usually processed manually using a sales voucher?

Thank you,

SM

I've found it to be pretty much like back home in the U.S. I've spent several months of my life here since the late 90s using my credit cards (mostly VISA but also MasterCard) for nearly everything but mongering and small purchases like eating at the confiterias and I've never had a problem even far away from tourist areas. However, it wouldn't surprise me if some smaller businesses didn't accept credit cards just like in other countries. I'd always have enough cash on you to cover yourself just in case. I can't recall how it was done in the past but the past few weeks that I've been here on this trip the transactions have all been electronic.

[HappyGoLucky]

SM

Dear Gentlemen,

I was wondering if someone could please tell me if many restaurants, cafes and shops in BsAs accept credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard or Amex?

YES.

Also what is credit card security like there, has anyone experienced problems with fraudulent or unauthorised transactions after using their card in BsAs?

I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. IF YOU WANT A LITTLE EXTRA SECURITY, GET THE AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL FUNDS CARD. IT'S LIKE THE OLD TRAVELLERS CHECKS, EXCEPT IT'S A PREPAID CARD WHICH CAN BE RELOADED BY PHONE USING ANOTHER CREDIT CARD AND NO CASH ADVANCE FEE. PLUS IT HAS ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF THE OLD TRAVELLERS CHECKS, E.G. CARD AND FUNDS REPLACED IMMEDIATELY IF LOST OR STOLEN. I USE IT TO WITHDRAW CASH AND MAKE PURCHASES IN ARGENTINA. NO PROBLEMO.

Do Argentinian merchants use electronic payment at point of sale, or are credit card transactions usually processed manually using a sales voucher?

I HAVE SEEN BOTH.
-HGL

[Silent Monger]

Dear Gentlemen,

please forgive me for asking any questions which may seem simplistic to some of you experienced travellers out there; however I am a less experienced traveller, especially where South America is concerned.

I was wondering if someone could please tell me if many restaurants, cafes and shops in BsAs accept credit cards such as VISA, MasterCard or Amex?

Also what is credit card security like there, has anyone experienced problems with fraudulent or unauthorised transactions after using their card in BsAs?

Do Argentinian merchants use electronic payment at point of sale, or are credit card transactions usually processed manually using a sales voucher?

Thank you,

SM

[Incaboy]

Also be aware that you can get the 21% Value Added Tax back at the airport for purchases over $200. There is some paperwork that needs to be filled out at the place of purchase. Sometimes they forget, like today at Ona Saez where I bought several shirts, so be sure to stay on top of this. That 21% might represent a few blowjobs.

[Incaboy]

I suggest you call your credit card companies prior to your trip to let them know you are visiting Argentina and give them the dates. If you don't, they may stop your card from working for security reasons to prevent unauthorized transactions.

Even if you do this, if a store's machine has trouble reading your card and someone there needs to type your account number manually, that may be enough to raise an alarm. That happened to me once last year. I had to make a free collect call to my credit card company and they enabled my card after explaining why they disabled my card.

[Jackson]

Thread Starter.