Need suggestions where to buy Chilean and Argentinian currency. Should I buy them in my home country or there?

[gam888]

Going on a South America cruise on Princess. Will need some Chilean and Argentinian currency. Is it best to buy them in my home country before I leave? Or should I wait till we get to these countries? Once I get to these countries, where can I get their currencies? Can we get these currencies on the ship? Thank you in advance.

[Torquer]

We have the same question, but are traveling on Oceania.  We go to Europe a lot, and always get Euros or the local currency from an ATM in that country.  The interesting thing about this trip to Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay is that all the private tours we have booked want cash in US dollars.  We have also learned that these tour guides will happily accept tips in US dollars too.  So we are now wondering if we even need foreign money here or if we can get by with credit cards and US dollars.  We are certainly glad we didn't get Argentinian pesos prior to now, since the government just devalued them by less than half of their former value.

[gam888]

We are staying in a hotel in Buenos Aires for a few nights before the cruise. So we figure we would need some local currency to pay for food sometime. Since we might eat some of the meals in a small venue, not necessary in a restaurant that accepts credit card. I find that the local tour companies are asking for U.S. dollars for their excursions as well. But I feel that I should at least have a small amount of local currencies for small purchases. Yes, it's disturbing how the Argentinian pesos lost half of its value overnight!

[terry&mike]

Definately don't buy Argentine pesos in advance. If you do, you will get about half the exchange rate. For Argentina you can rely on your credit card for most everything, even a bottle of water in the park. This will get you the very best exchange rate. Most vendors we found preferred US dollars when it came to cash. If you really want some Argentine pesos, there are lots of cambios/money exchange offices around. Further, if you walk down the pedestrian shopping street in front of Galerias Pacifo Mall there are 1-3 people per block calling out "cambio", this is a risky prospect but I am aware that lots of folks use them. In this area there are tons of official money exchange shops as well. 

[waterbug123]

The best exchange rate is typically at ATMs once you're at your destination.  By waiting, you can also assess the situation once you are boots on the ground.  More and more, credit cards are accepted even by small vendors.  Not all, but "cash only" is getting less and less common.

[txjim09]

8 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

The best exchange rate is typically at ATMs once you're at your destination.  By waiting, you can also assess the situation once you are boots on the ground.  More and more, credit cards are accepted even by small vendors.  Not all, but "cash only" is getting less and less common.

Not in Argentina, suggest you read https://secretsofbuenosaires.com/change-money-euro-dollar-buenos-aires/

[uktog]

On 12/19/2023 at 1:11 AM, gam888 said:

We are staying in a hotel in Buenos Aires for a few nights before the cruise. So we figure we would need some local currency to pay for food sometime. Since we might eat some of the meals in a small venue, not necessary in a restaurant that accepts credit card. I find that the local tour companies are asking for U.S. dollars for their excursions as well. But I feel that I should at least have a small amount of local currencies for small purchases. Yes, it's disturbing how the Argentinian pesos lost half of its value overnight!

But the devaluation works in favour of tourists. The currency was devalued against the dollar that means the locals have to pay more pesos for every dollar. You are turning up with dollars so you get more pesos. 

[lynncarol]

Just returned this past November from two weeks in Argentina and Chile on our own. Having heard so much about the currency issue in Buenos Aires we did visit a Cambio and exchanged a fifty dollar bill for pesos. (Be aware that Cambios do not want US currency in bills smaller than $50.) You can charge almost everything in both countries anyway. After a week in Argentina, we still had almost 15 US dollars worth of pesos left which we used for our last tips.  Everyone wanted US dollars. In Chile, we left a 5 dollar US tip for the waitress in a small town who seemed a bit confused about the currency.  Her co-worker then rushed over and said to her in Spanish (which we understand) "No! This money is American, You want it!" 

[Mercruiser]

We will be in Argentina soon, for a Patagonia land trip and Buenos Aeries cruise. I think I'm bringing lots of small bills in USD. See photo below.

 

At home, I grumble about our worthless pennies, and nickels. Why do we still have them? But Argentina has taken this to a whole new level, where all coin and paper money doesn't buy anything. 

 

Edited January 2 by Mercruiser

[mcmarya]

I would not recommend tipping with $1 bills in Argentina.  The person who receives them may have trouble using them, especially if they are not pristine.  In terms of changing bills smaller than $50, you might be able to do so at a cueva with a pristine bill but at a lower rate--someone posting on Trip Advisor was able to do so recently.  We have visited BA 3 times and each time the currency situation has been totally different. The only constant is change.

[Mercruiser]

1 hour ago, mcmarya said:

I would not recommend tipping with $1 bills in Argentina.  The person who receives them may have trouble using them, especially if they are not pristine.  

That's kind of ironic if Argentinians want large USD notes, given that the largest Argentinean note is 2000 pesos = $2.47 USD, at the official exchange rate and $2.01 USD at the blue rate. If the coming year has the same rate of inflation as last year, 2000 pesos will be worth 70 cents in a year. USD notes of any denomination seem like a wonderful store of wealth by comparison.

 

I'm not arguing that $1 bills might be hard to use in Argentina. I'm just amazed at the absurdity of their currency situation.

[Mercruiser]

I am in El Chalten Argentina now. Went to a steak house last night.   I paid the bill on a Visa CC. But the server suggested the tip in cash. I said it would have to be in USD. He said "that is even better".

 

Also, every business in this tourist town accepts credit cards, even for small purchases. We bought cookies at a bakery. The cost was $0.69 USD on a credit card.