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  • 🇦🇷 Argentina: bunq Community Travel Tips

✈️ Heading to Argentina? We've gathered some tips from the bunq community to make sure your trip is the smoothest it can be. 😎

Check them out below! 🌈 👇


Using your card

💳 Do I need cash in Argentina, or can I use my card everywhere?

ATMS are widely available nearly in every city. Card payments are quite common, but may not be accepted at all shops. Because of this, you should always carry some cash on you.

💰 What currency do they use here?

The currency here is Argentinian Peso. The symbol is ARS.

🏧 Which ATM’s can I use for free?

The bunq community hasn't reported reported any free ATM's here yet but they've let us know that there are two banking-systems in Argentina. “Link” and “Banelco”. Foreign debit cards (like bunq) can be used at Banelco ATM’s while they don’t work in Link ATMs. Be aware that some towns only have Link ATMs . 👍🏻

Most shops do accept foreign debit cards. But always ask the shop owner if you can pay with “Maestro debito”. Some shops only accept “Visa debito”.
Note that some shop owners want to check your passport when you pay with your debit card. The name on your ID/passport should correspond with the one written on your debit card. Most of the times you will also have to sign the receipt after your payment.

💵 If I want cash, how much should I take out of an ATM?

2000 ARS should be enough for a few days, since you can use your card for nearly everything.

💳 Should I choose local currency or Euros when paying?

If you're asked to choose between local currency and Euros, always choose local currency.

That way bunq does the conversion for you, and you get to take advantage of the best rates with bunq ZeroFX.


Staying connected

📱 Can I roam, or should I get a local SIM?

Most EU mobile plans will charge you for roaming in Argentina.

Wifi is readily available in Argentina, especially in coffee shops.

If you want to get a local SIM card (a "chip"), you can learn about your options here. You'll find these SIM cards in most tobacco shops of the country for approximately 20-30 pesos.


Useful things to know

💁‍♀️ How does tipping work?

Tipping is not a standard practice, but some extra pesos are always welcome.

🍺 How much does a 0.5L beer cost?

€1,50

🍽 How much does an average meal cost?

€4,50

🚨 What’s the emergency number?

911

🔌 What type of plug do they use?

This one! It’s the standard Australian plug.

🚗 What side of the road do they drive on?

They drive on the right side of the road here.

🗺 How do I navigate my way around?

Google and Apple Maps both work well in Argentina.

Otherwise, we recommend Rome2Rio as the best way to find out how to get anywhere. It even tells you the cost of each option. 🙌

👀 Any other good tips?

Milanesas (crumbed schnitzels) are a must. Originally imported
from Italy by inmigrants, are now part of the Argentinian cuisine.

Campsites and national parks 🏕

Campsites and parks do not accept card payments at all. Cash only.

Taxi 🚕

bunqers recommend to use Uber or Cabify to move around since it's seems to be a safest option.

Public Transport 🚎

It is very practical to get a SUBE card to use the public transports. You'll be able to use it in most of the country.


Travel Perks

🎢 Visit famous attractions with 10% off

We've partnered with Tiqets to bring you discounts on attraction tickets in Argentina 🇦🇷. To get your discount, simply follow the link here and use our coupon code BUNQTIQETS10 at checkout. That's it! 🎊

Travel hands-free with a 20% discount on Stasher

Our partnership with Stasher will allow you to enjoy your destination to the fullest without having to worry about your luggage. You’ll be able to drop off your bags at trusted shops and hotels in Argentina with a 20% discount through this link 👌🏻.

If you've been to Argentina 🇦🇷 share your experience! The following would be really useful for other bunqers to know:

  • Which ATMs are free to use?
  • What card should I use and where?
  • Any other info you think may be useful.

Share your experience with us in the comments below! 🌈 👇

    3 months later

    It now has happened twice to me that a "Link" ATM crashed without returning my bunq card when trying to withdraw cash. So from now on I will avoid any Link ATM. Traveling for two weeks now and almost none ATM works with bunq card and the one that did work charged about 650 pesos fee for 2000 pesos withdrawal which was the largest I could select.

    Cash is king.

      18 days later

      @Simon-Golden-Dolphin#137115 I had this same experience with my Travel Card on day 1 (so exactly 0 free withdrawals for me)... wish I read your post sooner. Seems like Bunq needs to do some work in getting their system up and running here...

      Beside that (and this is not a bunq issue), it is super annoying that you can’t take more than ARS2000 from and ATM and pay ARS378 fee on top of that... be warned to take a decent amount of cash into the country if you plan to stay here for long

        3 years later

        So I have read this article about Mastercard reimbursing the difference between the official dollar and the tourist dollar. It was always a no go to pay with foreign cards in Argentina because they would use the official dollar which is way way less than the tourist dollar. But now since this year this seems to have changed. Did anyone try it already? And does it work with Bunq? Can we finally skip Western Union lines or the Cambio guys?

        Mastercard joined the program on December 2 and Visa followed suit just under two weeks later, meaning payments made in Argentina through foreign credit card from those companies are now processed at the MEP dollar rate.

        Source of that information: https://buenosairesherald.com/argentina-101/foreign-tourist-dollar-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-preferential-exchange-rate

          @Technosterone#274999 I have read reports about this working now generally with Mastercard and Visa. Should also work fine with bunq cards, but haven't seen a confirmation here on the forums yet. Maybe you can be the first one to enlighten us by trying it out :)

            14 days later

            @Jakob-Y#275027 So yeah, I did try it and it works fine with my bunq card. Took 5 days until I got refunded the difference. :)

              2 years later

              I have used my card a few days ago and haven’t gotten a refund or any sort of adjustment yet. One thing to note: I linked my cards to my USD account so the charges are not in Euros, it’s taken out as USD straight away.

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