Paying Chile reciprocity fee with $50 bills

[4774Papa]

You should be able to get NEW $20's. $100's are not accepted due to all the counterfeit $100's floating around South America. I specifically don't know about $50's because I haven't paid the reciprocity fee for almost 10 years, but I KNOW new $20's are available. I had my admin get some for one of my employees in December for the reciprocity fee.

 

To be on the safe side, I would get new $20's. Have the teller go to the vault and pull out a NEW packet and give them to you. OR get the manager to give you NEW one's. Put them in an envelope so they don't get "crunched" and use them for entry into Chile.

We paid our private tour in Chile in $100 and $50 bills.

[greatam]

We paid our private tour in Chile in $100 and $50 bills.

 

You may have been able to use them with a private tour. My answer referred to using large bills at the Airport.

 

There are so many counterfeit $100's floating around South America that it is VERY hard to use $100's at "official" places, large hotels or major banks.

 

Between the drug dealers, counterfeiters, money launderers and gun smugglers operating in South America, it is pretty easy to "wash" the counterfeits in the underground. But in the tourist world and for regular people, it is difficult to even use them.

 

Please don't encourage people to take large US bills off the ship in most of South America. They can be VERY problematic. I export about $10-15,000 of alpaca and other primarily Peruvian products to the US each year. I used to go with wads of $100's. While my specific vendors in Peru will still accept the large bills, I have run into just too many places that won't take them for other things (restaurants, hotels, small shops and the airport shops particularly.) The "flea market" (just outside the permanent market in Santiago) very often has some spectacular finds that I can resell. Ran all over Santiago trying to get 2 $100's changed one day-by the time I got back to the flea market, what I wanted had sold. Taught me a very good lesson.

[4774Papa]

You may have been able to use them with a private tour. My answer referred to using large bills at the Airport.

 

There are so many counterfeit $100's floating around South America that it is VERY hard to use $100's at "official" places, large hotels or major banks.

 

Between the drug dealers, counterfeiters, money launderers and gun smugglers operating in South America, it is pretty easy to "wash" the counterfeits in the underground. But in the tourist world and for regular people, it is difficult to even use them.

 

Please don't encourage people to take large US bills off the ship in most of South America. They can be VERY problematic. I export about $10-15,000 of alpaca and other primarily Peruvian products to the US each year. I used to go with wads of $100's. While my specific vendors in Peru will still accept the large bills, I have run into just too many places that won't take them for other things (restaurants, hotels, small shops and the airport shops particularly.) The "flea market" (just outside the permanent market in Santiago) very often has some spectacular finds that I can resell. Ran all over Santiago trying to get 2 $100's changed one day-by the time I got back to the flea market, what I wanted had sold. Taught me a very good lesson.

Sorry,

Thanks for the information. When we were in SA no one said anything about large bills. I understand that counterfeiting US bills is huge with the North Koreans.

Also, we have been warned before our upcoming trip to China about all the fake bills in Chinese currency.

We are going back to SA in Jan 14, so I will make note of your advise.

[Traveler50]

The fee still applies to all United States Passport Holders.

 

Keith

 

What if a U.S citizen (my husband & I) will be arriving in Santiago 2/12/12 on a cruise ship that departs Buenos Aires on 1/30/12? The next day 2/12/13 we will fly to Easter Island for 4 days from the Santiago airport. When/if will we be required to pay a fee? We will already have paid a fee for arriving in Buenos Aires....this could get very expensive!

[Traveler50]

What if a U.S citizen (my husband & I) will be arriving in Santiago 2/12/12 on a cruise ship that departs Buenos Aires on 1/30/12? The next day 2/12/13 we will fly to Easter Island for 4 days from the Santiago airport. When/if will we be required to pay a fee? We will already have paid a fee for arriving in Buenos Aires....this could get very expensive!

 

I was up too late typing this question so to calrify the dates:

 

Cruise leaves Buenos Aires on 1/30/13

Arrives Santiago 2/12/13

Depart Santiago for Easter Island 2/13/13

Depart E.I. for Lima, Peru 2/17/13

 

My question is do I have to pay the fee for Chile? I understand that I will be required to pay a fee in Buenos Aires for sure.

 

Thanks