MSPeconomist

When I've been asked for an ID to pay by (USA) credit card in stores, I've just shown my (USA) passport card rather than the passport itself, which stays in my hotel room safe in Buenos Aires.

For example, I've noticed that supermarkets tend to require everyone paying with plastic to show an ID card, so it's not just foreigners.

iahphx

You are absolutely correct: there will eventually be an adjustment. But RIGHT NOW I guarantee you that the best deals in Argentina for foreign visitors are from merchants pricing in pesos. And it's pretty easy to understand why.

FWIW, in Patagonia, the difference right now can be pretty shocking. A really bad time to be planning luxury travel geared toward foreigners. You have to go where at least some locals go.

Eastbay1K

Um ... where to start?
1) Did you once work for the Men's Wearhouse?
2) Why is it a bad time to be planning luxury travel? Real luxury travelers aren't bargaining for trinkets in a Middle Eastern Shuk. They are willing to pay price X for something that guarantees Y level of experience. They don't want to go where "at least some of the locals go" unless they are the locals that ... well, you won't find much of that in Argentina because the loaded locals are luxuriating elsewhere.
Someone who is perhaps a FTer looking for luxury on the cheap (that's why we all came here once upon a time to have airlines pay us to drink their Dom and eat their caviar) is not someone "planning luxury travel geared toward foreigners."

And like all things La Argentina, today's advice may not hold water for tomorrow's trip. Unless you're in a prepaid situation, or have booked via a US (or Euro, etc) based company, I'd not rely on a peso-denominated confirmation from anyone else. And when you show up and they haven't honored your AR$1800 a night place (booked at $20 to $1) and it is now $40 to $1, and they tell you where to go if you don't like the new $4000 pricee, what are you going to do? Have a tantrum? Go ahead. Sue them? HA. Write in Trip Advisor? They aren't scared. You can always complain in their Libro de Quejas - every business is supposed to have one, even the toll booths. There you go.

But best yet, do we really want to drive businesses into bankruptcy because they didn't technically hold up their end of the bargains when the underlying value of the terms have changed so much to make performance an impossibility?

I haven't changed my US$ based pricing in 10 years. But if you want to pay in AR$, you'll pay the exchange rate du jour at the time of your visit.

malagajohn

i had read that some gas stations were not accepting credit cards . Yesterday it happened to me in General Madariaga in Bs As province about 4 hrs south of the capital. The pumps were clearly marked no credit cards accepted . Debit was ok - the manager of the station said he thought it would beome more prevalent unless the credit card companies changed theri policy of paying the vendor at 30 days from the sale.

MSPeconomist

malagajohn

Fairly common to see a 15% discount one or two days a week . Sometimes rises to 20 or 25 depending on the card

Discounts also available on credit cards from some banks one or two days per week

Co financed by the bank and the supermarket , I understand

Also partially explained by high margins in most supermarkets compared to US and Europe

HIDDY

50% off last Wednesday and next when paying with credit card at most of the large chain supermarkets up to a maximum spend of 3000ARS over the two days. There are restrictions on which items it covers though.
Must admit I find the whole thing all a bit of a farce. The very people who are ripping off the general public every other week seem to be the ones who gain the most from this in the long term.

hfly

malagajohn, it is because for Debit cards they got the money immediately, with credit cards they might have to wait as much as 30 days, the difference is huge in a high inflation/depreciating currency situation. Often with such businesses in such economic circumstances, the test of whether they are profitable or not is ultimately how they balance their payment(s) in and out, ideally getting cash in as immediately as possible, and having payment terms with suppliers that are as long as possible, so in effect if one can get paid immediately, but push off ones payment terms to 60 or 90 days to suppliers, one can if used properly make far more money on the float than one could ever do in ones normal business. The great difference, at least the last two times I was in Argentina during a currency crisis, is that if paying in supermarkets in dollars, if one speaks with the manager, one can usually get incredible discounts/rates, often 10-30% better than any current cash rate, the reason being that as they see it they are possibly selling stock which they either bought way earlier at a different "price" or they are expecting the value of what is on their shelves to depreciate quickly in local currency terms, and are happy to unload it for something "solid" like the dollar.

As for finding deals, irrespective of whether the currency is tanking or not, there has always been a huge disparity in BA between what one might pay for goods. Take for example any leather product, one could buy an item which would normally retail in the US for $1000 and buy it around Florida for $500 and think one is getting a great deal, but if one visited the Armenian wholesalers, in the not greatest parts of town, one would not pay more than $120, and if paying in USD cash get it for $100. That has ALWAYS been the case.

L

malagajohn

hfly , In Argentina the retailer doesnt get the cah immediately with debit card transactions . It normally is credited to his account in 48 hours

hfly

48 hours vs at least a month same difference.

HIDDY

Which supermarkets are these...obviously not chain ones.

hfly

Hiddy, as I said, this was the last two times that I was there during a currency crisis. I obviously have not been in Argentine for the last several months, so have missed this one thus far. In my previous experience I experienced this in big and small SUPERmarkets, not Hypermarkets, so you are not going to get this at a Carrefour, but will surely be able to do it at a Coto or a Disco, if you know how. Jumbo, not too sure.

iahphx

No, but I'm sure it's a fine place to get some decent-looking menswear.

Look, you can encourage people to overpay for stuff, and that's fine. But, in the real world, travel in Argentina is much cheaper right now if you don't buy it priced in dollars. It is not hard to understand why. And you can PREPAY these peso rates if you like. Something tells me that sites like Expedia, booking.com, airbnb, etc aren't going to let the hoteliers add a surcharge when you check in. All it takes to find some travel bargains in Argentina right now is a computer and some brain cells. Or go pay some travel agency that caters to foreigners a ton more. Your choice.

Gaucho100K

For visitors, please be aware that your non-Argentine issued DEBIT Card will be processed here as a CREDIT Card (for the Merchant), so that the Merchant accepting your DEBIT card will receive the funds in the same time period that the Merchant would if he accepted a CREDIT Card. Also, all Discounts offered here are for ARGENTINE ISSUED plastic, so please make sure you read the fine print and dont factor in discounts or promotions that you are most probably not eligible for.

As I always say, the devil is in the details......

Gaucho100K

I wonder why you continue to insist on beating a dead horse.....???

Priced in Pesos, or Priced in Dollars, you forget that pricing is Dynamic so the math changes all the time, as does the exchange rate. You seem to be focused on squeezing every penny out of your travel budget and only like to get the best possible deal above all... thats fine, but there are visitors of all sorts of profiles, and many of them are not only looking to get the best possible deal as their utmost first ultimate priority.

It may be helpful for you to understand that nobody here is advocating visitors pay more for anything.... its just that the constant penny pinching gets old very quickly. So as to not single you out, I feel the same for some "implanted" locals that come down to live here of their own choice, but never seem to stop complaining and moaning about everything that is so wrong, so expensive and so complicated here.... perhaps its best to pack your stuff and return back to where the grass is greener...? Life is tooo short to spend it moaning and having a bad time, especially if you have a choice.

As Ive said before, I sincerely hope you can still enjoy your time here (and elsewhere) and worry less about how much you are paying for what. Then again, it that is what makes your bells ring, then I guess Im just too dumb to understand how it all works.

Thank you for your continued participation in these Forums, while I rarely agree with many of your views you are still a valued contributor and I look forward to reading more of your posts. Im always open to learn new things...