If you are just visiting, TLDR, bring $1,000 USD or so cash, make sure they are not charging you extra if you pay with credit card, make bank withdrawal's with western union or a bank that doesn't charge ATM fees, the days of the blue rate, are relatively gone.
I never thought this article would be necessary, and with the ever changing economy here, maybe it's pointless to write, but as of now October 2026, after living in Argentina for 6 months, here's how I structure my payments, and how things have changed since I moved here...
Argentina Pesos: I pay with cash/effective/pesos now pretty much how I paid in USA, smaller purchases like coffee, or an empanada, and tips. Luckily bigger places like restaurants that in the past only took cash, now seem to widely accept at least debit or transfers. Transfers was a new thing for me to pay with for something like dinner...
Transfers: I will use my Galicia bank account to pay for services like my gas, as mentioned above some restaurants or bars, my rent, and friends the way we did with Venmo in the USA (no fees Argentina bank to Argentina bank). If you are lucky enough to have a landlord with a bank account in America its great to be able to pay US bank to US bank for an American based salary.
US Dollars: When I first got here, dollars were a part of my life, I paid for some things in dollars, and extended my Airbnb reservation in dollars, I also tipped a bit in dollars. If you are visiting you'll probably do the same. Living here, I have some dollars, not the $10,000 max that some expats bring because I grew up in Brooklyn and even though I'm in a safe neighborhood, the idea of my apartment being robbed is a possibility, but I keep a few dollars for emergencies, or for international trips out of Argentina, we are going to Antarctica next month, and Asia for New Year's, for both destinations I'll bring my dollars for tips, or currency exchange. USA is my financial center of interest, I will go back twice this year, and that's the plan from here on, so I can always reload on trips back.
Debit Card: I use my Argentina Debit card WAY more than I ever used a debit card in the USA that was virtually never aside from cash withdrawals. I pay for dining, clothes, a lot of shopping, mainly because a lot of places charge 10-20% if I use credit card. Note I also never keep too much in my debit account because the risk of less coverage of a credit card if it's lost or stolen. Now that I have an account here, I have not used my US debit card at all.
Credit Card: As someone who loves travel, free travel on points, or business class upgrades, I sure as hell miss paying for everything with credit card. My credit spending has been reduced by about 30%, so I still can use it a lot, but not as often, too many times there's a fee for credit cards. But if there isn't, it sure as hell is a place I will shop at or eat at again. And needless to say I only use credit cards that don't charge a foreign transaction fee. All travel is still booked on credit cards, no extra fees... for now!
Argentina Credit Card: I do not have one, but I should note, many establishments will do the opposite here of the US credit card extra charge and offer a discount when you pay with an Argentina credit card.
Western Union: Before I had a bank account here I had to use Western Union for cash, having to pay 30,000 pesos to withdraw 100,000 pesos at a normal ATM didn't make sense, so I did withdrawals from Western Union which was a pain in the ass. One time I needed about $500 USD in pesos, and I had to sit in the office for 2 hours while the companies did security checks. I still use Western Union now, but not the physical office, I transfer from my US debit card to my Argentina account, this is about 5-10% cheaper than a bank to bank transfer, because bank to bank charges transaction fees on both ends.
There's other ways to pay for things, like Crypto, apps, P2P, but the above is all I use. It's been a ride learning, and the inflation here is always more of a ride. But that's my go to methods for everything here in my 6 months. Hope this article helps you!
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