Buenos Aires ATM machines and Argentina peso

[imrthr]

I will be traveling from Rio to Buenos Aires in April. In preparation for my trip to Buenos Aires, I tried the search feature of this board. I could not find the answers to my queries which are:

 

1. From the airport in Rio, can one exchange either U.S. currency or Brazilian reais for Argentine pesos?

 

2. If the above is not possible, does anyone know whether there is an ATM at the airport in Buenos Aires and where it is located?

 

3. As the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar is approximately three to one in our favor, if one uses the dollar in Buenos Aires, will the same exchange rate occur or can the dollar be used at all in transactions.

 

4. Can the Brazilian reais be used in Buenos Aires as it is approximately the same value as the peso?

 

Tri, you probably have the answers to these questions. I did not have an opportunity to ask you while I was in Rio last week.

 

Thanks in advance for the answers to the above.

[jakobsen]

>1. From the airport in Rio, can one exchange either U.S.

>currency or Brazilian reais for Argentine pesos?

 

There is a currency exchance on the right side as you exit customs.

 

>2. If the above is not possible, does anyone know whether

>there is an ATM at the airport in Buenos Aires and where it is

>located?

 

Next to the currency exchange is an ATM machine which takes pretty much all kinds of ATM cards.

 

>3. As the exchange rate for the U.S. dollar is approximately

>three to one in our favor, if one uses the dollar in Buenos

>Aires, will the same exchange rate occur or can the dollar be

>used at all in transactions.

 

Not sure if it's still legal to pay in U.S. dollars but the rate is 2.85 Pesos to 1 US dollar.

 

>4. Can the Brazilian reais be used in Buenos Aires as it is

>approximately the same value as the peso?

 

No, the US dollar and Euro are the only foreign currency accepted in Argentina these days.

[trilingual]

Reais and Argentine pesos can be exchanged in both countries, although I don't know if you'll get a fabulous rate. For quite some time, though, the official exchange rates have had the two currencies virtually at par. (There's usually only a few centavos difference between the values of the two currencies.) If you're leaving Brazil and have surplus reais, you might want to exchange them at the airport in Rio or B.A. for Argentine pesos, or vice-versa if you're traveling in the other direction.

 

In addition to the currency exchange and ATMs described above, there's also an ATM in the Banco de la Nación branch at Ezeiza Airport in B.A., near the exit to the terminal as I recall.

 

When the currencies were 1 = 1, dollars and pesos were interchangeable in Argentina, but not any longer. You'll need pesos. Some shops, restaurants and other tourist oriented business may take dollars, but check first to find out what rate they're giving you. It may not be worthwhile.

 

You won't be able to use reais in Argentina, except perhaps in border areas like Iguassu Falls. In B.A. you'll definitely need to get and use Argentine currency.

[imrthr]

Thank you both for the data on the ATMs and currencies. Once again, and as usual, this board is a warehouse for useful information.

[Guest Deweywop]

Beware of counterfeit peso bills

 

You'll notice that every business in BA will examine all your bills very carefully. Do likewise. I got stung with a counterfeit 10-peso note, which was rather apparent once it was pointed out to me. It's not much money, but check your larger bills at least.

[CarloRio]

Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

One little advice that we usually give our customers when leaving Brasil is instead of exchanging back their Reais into any currency (be it US$, euros or even Argentinean pesos) use it to pay your hotel bill.

 

Instead of charging the entire bill to your card, you can use your remaining reais to pay part of the hotel bill, and the rest of the balance can be charged to your card.

 

Just make sure to take enough money with you for the cab or transfer driver, and just enough for a last cup of coffee.

 

This is definitely the best way not to get stuck with foreign currency and not to loose on the exchange rates.

 

Um abraço a todos,

[trilingual]

RE: Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

Carlo's advice is good. However, now that the real and peso are pretty stable, you also may want to keep a couple hundred to take home with you if you plan on returning to South America in the relatively near future. Then you'll have some cash on hand to use on arrival in South America.

 

With stable currencies, you don't risk losing all the value of your cash as was the case during the hyperinflationary years, when the currencies lost value daily and were often worthless within a year (and were replaced by yet another new currency with a new name). Those days, thank G-d, seem to be history!

 

(Somewhere I still have a $1,000,000-peso Argentine bill from the depths of the disaster. When I got it, it was worth US$10. A year later it was worth US$0.10 cents! A year after that it was worthless and there was yet another new currency in place. Just imagine living in that kind of environment. . .)

[Guest msclonly]

RE: Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

Something just occured to me.

If the Hotel bills your credit card in Reals, you should be able to pay some of the billing with those Reals.

 

Of course, the Banks would not be interested in accepting 'questionable' value currencies from a hundred or so coutnries.

 

 

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[imrthr]

RE: Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

>Something just occured to me.

>If the Hotel bills your credit card in Reals, you should be

>able to pay some of the billing with those Reals.

 

 

Hm, Carlo made this suggestion in his post appearing just above Trilingual's post.?????

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

Last November I had a lot of reais left over, so I paid the taxi driver $R50, ate a meal in the restaurant at the international airport, did some last minute shopping of a few remaining gifts (very reasonable rates considering it's an i.a.) and retained the rest to use when I return to Brasil before the end of 2004.

[Guest YFSC]

RE: Best way to spend your last Reais in Brasil

 

>Something just occured to me.

>If the Hotel bills your credit card in Reals, you should be

>able to pay some of the billing with those Reals.

>

>Of course, the Banks would not be interested in accepting

>'questionable' value currencies from a hundred or so

>coutnries.

 

If you mean in cash at the hotel and charge the rest, Carlo already suggested that as a tip of what to do with your unspent money upon leaving.

 

If you mean paying your credit card bill, which is what the second part of your post sounds like you meant, you can't.

 

Your US credit card is denominated in US$. Everything that you do in another currency gets immediately and automatically converted into US$, and the card has to be paid in US$. If you have a Brazilian credit card, it is (probably) denominated in reais (although many countries have US-dollar-denominated cards as well as cards in their own currency). Whatever you charge on that card outside Brazil will get automatically converted into reais, and that card has to be paid in reais.

 

I suppose if you went into the bank and insisted on paying with another currency, they would require that you first exchange it, losing something on the exchange, of course, and then would credit you with the proceeds of the exchange.