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Old Jun 11, 2008 | 3:12 am
  #106  
 
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Originally Posted by ramfunes
It's a temporary rule for all foreigns accounts.
Do you have any further informations as to if it really is temporary?
For how long?
Why only for foreign accounts?
Source of that information?
Important to know for my Bank "negotiation"...
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Old Jun 11, 2008 | 8:43 am
  #107  
 
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Originally Posted by 1MIOflight-km
Do you have any further informations as to if it really is temporary?
For how long?
Why only for foreign accounts?
Source of that information?
Important to know for my Bank "negotiation"...
You can make all the withdrawals that you want up to your bank daily limit but just up to 600 pesos/withdrawal.
It was on the news and newspapers (began in April). It's a governemnt federal rule for all ATM's around the country. They say that is mainly for security reasons (protect tourist for possible robbery) but in my opinion just want extra bank fees.
You can't predict what's going to happen...changes week by week
I love my country but we have these things...or these politics...
Good luck!
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Old Jun 11, 2008 | 12:04 pm
  #108  
 
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Originally Posted by ramfunes
It was on the news and newspapers (began in April). It's a governemnt federal rule for all ATM's around the country. They say that is mainly for security reasons (protect tourist for possible robbery) but in my opinion just want extra bank fees.
You can't predict what's going to happen...changes week by week
I love my country but we have these things...or these politics...
Good luck!
Well, that's news; nobody before in this forum wrote that this is an Argentina government federal rule for all ATM's around the country...

And I strongly doubt that it was published like that in the news and newspapers as nobody really knows the background to this, besides wild speculations.
The only media that I know about that has written something and or informed their email news subscribers about this is www.seprin.com

Besides the fact that the same is happening also in Uruguay and Chile.

So, locals are not subject to security issues......

I'm as "local" as you are, born and raised in Baires... and know how unpredictable Argentina is.
I do not blame it on the government, 43% of the population in theory voted the actual one...
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Old Nov 17, 2009 | 4:30 pm
  #109  
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What's the latest on this matter?

My bank charges no transaction fees so don't mind the limit that much.
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Old Nov 26, 2009 | 4:05 pm
  #110  
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Ok, here was my experience today walking down Santa Fe in Palermo.

First bank wants (I think in the Banelco network) $11.44, which I guess is exactly USD 3.00 to withdraw cash. I decide to try the next one, which was a Link. Same fee, but I decide that I need the cash. Tells me that there is a $320 limit but also in increments of $50, so try $300 and it tells me that it is maximum $320. Leave in frustration. Third bank, another Link bank, same exact thing. Finally, a bank near the Subte at Piazza Italia (forget the name, the receipt just says Banelco). There I could take out $800 and paid the $11.44 fee.

So are there any (foreign owned?) banks downtown currently that have no fee and/or no limit?
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Old Nov 27, 2009 | 3:00 am
  #111  
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I think the fees are set by your banks agreement with third party banks....

The foreign owned banks that have ATMs in EZE are...

HSBC
CitiBank
BNP Paribas
Santander Rio
BVBA Banco Frances
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Old Nov 28, 2009 | 4:29 am
  #112  
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Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
I think the fees are set by your banks agreement with third party banks....

The foreign owned banks that have ATMs in EZE are...

HSBC
CitiBank
BNP Paribas
Santander Rio
BVBA Banco Frances
I subsequently found some detailed blogs with comments from upset expats. It is the local banks in concert with Banelco and Link that are doing this. The verdict is that Citibank is the only option to get unlimited withdrawals without a fee, maybe because they do not use Link or Banelco. When I passed a Santander at a shopping mall in Palermo, I checked and it is the same deal since it uses Banelco. I also walked by either a BVBA or a BNP and noticed the Link sign, so didn't bother. Link appears to have the $320 cap as reported in my earlier post.

(I'll report back if I pass a Citibank.)

When you get your receipt it lists $800 (pesos) or whatever you take out and then a separate line with the $11.44 fee (or whatever the exchange of the day is vs. USD 3). It's the same as when you take out money from an ATM in the US where they usually charge fees for other customers. I have not had an account with a bank in the US that charges "foreign" ATM fees for more than a decade but I recall that they only emerge on your monthly statement.

My bank has no fee on any ATM transactions and gives me the Interbank rate for foreign exchange. If I take out money in Europe and check vs. the interbank rate at www.oanda.com I match the exact amount to the final cent.
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Old Nov 28, 2009 | 4:58 pm
  #113  
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Citibank has both Banelco machines and their own machines with a much more modern looking interface. The latter dispenses large amounts of cash with no fee. This was in the ATM lobby of a branch on Alevar in Recoleta. It had one Banelco and two of the other machines.

The bank that dispensed $800 (with a fee) was a Galicia. So look for this bank if you are not near a Citibank. The Citibank machine also informed of my balance in pesos.

So my general advice is to go to Citibank. If you can't find one of these then look for a Banelco network ATM, especially Galicia. I think the Santander was also going to dispense a large amount but I cancelled when it notified of the $11.46 fee.

Paying $USD3 to withdraw a decent amount of cash is of course tolerable (I guess that's what travellers face in the US) but not when they cap it at $320.

Actually, I forgot to mention that I was rejected by an ATM of an obscure bank in the Banelco network, so it is possible that you need the right type of bank and not just Banelco. But the two Link network banks appeared to be a path to nowhere and were notifying of the $320 limit. (see above).

But the main thing you need cash for in BA is taxis and football tickets.

p.s. I remember walking by a small Citibank across from Galerias Pacifico, which was closed for remodeling. But it didn't quite look like it had the fancier machines.

Last edited by gnaget; Nov 29, 2009 at 7:23 am
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Old Nov 28, 2009 | 6:24 pm
  #114  
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Another vote for Citibank machines..... ^
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Old Nov 30, 2009 | 4:25 pm
  #115  
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It would appear thi8 problem (limit of ARS 320 withdrawal) depends on one's bank. My wife uses the bank card of a major Canadian bank and can't get around the liimit. I have no problem getting ARS 1000 (top daily limit) from the same ATMs using the card of another major Canadian bank.

Posting from Puerto Madryn.
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Old Nov 30, 2009 | 5:54 pm
  #116  
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This keeps coming up... There are many small banks in the U.S. ( I happen to use Mechanics Bank of California) that are not large enough to have their own ATM network. So they rebate ALL fees from ANY ATM. Anywhere in the world I use an ATM, Mechanics will rebate the local fees, so it never costs me anything to use any ATM. With that in mind, I don't care what the local ATM charges, because I know I wont be paying it.

Mechanics only requires something like $1000 in a checking account to get this benefit, so I keep an account there just for travel cash.
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Old Nov 30, 2009 | 6:20 pm
  #117  
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Originally Posted by ULDB65
This keeps coming up... There are many small banks in the U.S. ( I happen to use Mechanics Bank of California) that are not large enough to have their own ATM network. So they rebate ALL fees from ANY ATM. Anywhere in the world I use an ATM, Mechanics will rebate the local fees, so it never costs me anything to use any ATM. With that in mind, I don't care what the local ATM charges, because I know I wont be paying it.

Mechanics only requires something like $1000 in a checking account to get this benefit, so I keep an account there just for travel cash.
Note that they are having problems with the Chile rebates (something with the way they are processed - they have to do it manually) - but my AR$ rebates have been coming through without issue.
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Old Dec 5, 2009 | 9:30 am
  #118  
 
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Are you folks using a Citibank ATM card keyed to a checking account, or a Citibank issued charge card? Might be worth adding one of these for our upcoming trip.

thanks....
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Old Dec 5, 2009 | 9:34 am
  #119  
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As I understand it, it must be a Citi ATM card... dont think it will work with a credit/charge card.
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Old Dec 6, 2009 | 4:51 pm
  #120  
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I used my US based Cirrus networked ATM card at Citibank. On November 30th I withdrew pesos costing me 3.807, which is pretty much the interbank rate on that day.

My withdrawal on the same day of 800 pesos at Galicia was at an effective exchange rate of 3.754 due to the USD 3 fee.
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