Currency for tipping
 

Hi again everyone!

Quick question, for things like tips for hotel housekeepers, would USD be welcome in smaller denominations like $5 or $10? Or should I stick to pesos?

Am planning to get pesos at the ATM upon arrival as well as bring crisp USD $100s as backup, per the advice in this forum. :)

Pesos best for tipping . USD can be a hassle for people in lower end jobs ...

Pesos, they don't want the hassle of exchanging

Thank you! That's sort of what I figured. Will stick w pesos!

In the 80s during hyperinflation a friend of the family worked as buttler in the Hotel Alvear and would be tipped in dollars by gringo visitors. The guy did actually make a sweet difference when exchanging those dollars to australes :)

That said, nowadays I would go with pesos as well.

In many countries, it may not be strictly legal to give foreign currency to the locals, so I would be careful in the absence of detailed information about current laws. It could be interpreted as an offer to change money on the black market, for example.

Extremely extremely extremely highly unlikely in Argentina if you slip your concierge a US$5, 10, or 20 for providing excellent service. I also wonder if all the people in the airport lounge @ LIM will be rounded up for criminal charges for stuffing the tip jar in whatever currency they may have in their pockets, as I usually see quite a few currencies through the glass.

The real problem with smaller US bills is they aren't worth as much for exchange. A crisp new US$100 gets you "top pesos." A soggy old $5, not so much.

Nonetheless, if you have detailed literature regarding current laws in Argentina regarding giving your service provider a gratuity in a foreign currency we'd be grateful and love the education.

It is illegal in Argentina to exchange money outside of the formal market yet we do have a thread about dollar blue and cuevas in this forum :)

Paying in foreign currency is not illegal at all and many stores throughout the country have signs stating the exchange rate they use, which must be close to the one offered by Banco Nación. Even the real estate market operates in dollars in this country.

The problem with tipping in anything other than pesos is that the person may not find it useful. Most bureaux de change or banks will not change 5 or 10 dollars, or if they do it will be at a very low rate.

Yes pesos is best unless you want to hand over a $100 dollar bill. :D

On the subject of tipping in Argentina, saw this pop up in another forum: http://landingpadba.com/tipping-and-...-in-argentina/