Not the end of the world if you have to buy Pesos at the official rate. Afterall, the locals have to do that all the time and they don't have the option of earning good money outside of the country.
Fuel prices are another area where budgets get a hammering as you will have to forget the crazy low prices that Americans pay for their fuel.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I'm an Aussie Tony so I'm used to being shafted on petrol prices.

It is not a good idea to carry more than a couple hundred dollars, or any amount you cannot afford to lose.... when on the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, or in just about any other large city.

There is a way to transfer USDs to Buenos Aires, Argentina and pick up the money in Argentine pesos receiving more Argentine pesos for each dollar than the you would receive from the Official Rate at an ATM or a bank.

Use www.xoom.com/ the exchange rate today - June 14, 2015 as
given by xoom.com is 11.45 pesos ar for each USD you send.

You will not receive the top Blue Rate, which according to the Buenos Aires Herald on the 6th of June 2015 was 12.68 pesos ar for each USD... but you will receive an amount about half way between the Official Rate and the Blue Rate.

"12/06/2015 | Argentina
'Blue' up one cent at 12.68 pesos amid controls
The US dollar closed half a cent higher today at 9.05 pesos in banks and foreign exchange agencies, while the "blue" parallel dollar ended one cent up in underground houses at 12.68 pesos."

As a permanent foreign resident of Argentina, I have been using xoom.com for many years.

The only problem I encountered is one of their pick up locations in Rosario was closed, when I was in Rosario and needed to pick up money...

There are several pick up locations in Buenos Aires, and I have never had a problem picking up my money in Buenos Aires.

If you are a tourist with a valid tourist stamp in your passport and:

1. If you have a checking or savings account in the USA
2. If you can produce proof of the origin of your USDs: social security, retirement pension etc, pay stubs, bank statements

Then you can use xoom.com to send USDs to Argentina and pick up Argentine pesos at any one of several pick up locations in Buenos Aires.

Hint: send small amounts $500.00 USD or less for less hassle
as the fees xoom.com are very little......

Eat, Drink and Be Careful with your cash

xfiltrate

That only helps people from USA.

Europeans or Australians won't have USD accounts.

There is a blue Euro rate, but I'm not sure how common or in demand Euros are. That would make it much easier for europeans and probably even better value for brits given the Euro-Sterling rate.

EDIT: azimo seems like a good alternative to xoom if you aren't American.

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Me too, but a few months in Turkey, or UK, or Iceland - or for that matter filling up at well 33 on the Canning Stock Route - soon gets you thinking normal Oz prices aren't so bad after all

I had no problem getting rid of Euro, but that was in Buenos Aries. Elsewhere dollars are a lot more in demand.

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Tony
Click here for Travel Photos & Travel Map

Open a "Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking Account" and pay no ATM fees, anywhere. In fact Schwab refunds the fees. This would be useful loading up with cash before entering Argentina from a bordering country... I plan to open an account before my next trip to SA.

Buck it up and load up on cash before you cross the border. Its a great time to travel through Argentina because their peso is weak, really weak. It ain't the end of the world to withdraw cash from an ATM in Argentina. I did it when I ran out of USD and the funds from an offshore swap with a local ran out. Its a truly lovely country with screwed up central economical planning that always manages to fail.

...and one more time

Don't cry for me Argentina...

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride

We exchanged $20 US bills in Tarija Bolivia and got a rate of 13.6, better than what we were told on the streets in ARG. The exchange was done at an official "casa de cambio" near one of the main squares. It worked out to be 49% better than the official exchange rate.

-Terry

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