Useful tips
Buying a SIM card for your phone
What to buy: In case that you need to buy a local SIM card for your stay in Argentina, we recommend the “Tourist SIM” (in Spanish, “Chip Turista Prepago”) by the company “Claro” (website). This card gives you a 25GB data pack with 30 days validity in all the Argentine territory.
Where to buy it: You can buy this pack at any Claro store (list of stores), but the most convenient one if you are in Recoleta is the store located in the Alto Palermo shopping mall (see in Google Maps), open from 10AM until 22PM everyday. This store is located on the first floor of the shopping mall.
Cost: The SIM card costs $4000 Argentine pesos, but in the Claro store they are selling it together with some accesory (i.e. earphone or something similar) bringing the cost to around $5000. It seems that this can’t be avoided. Despite that, we suggest you buy the SIM there, as the employees will also assist you with the registration (you will have to fill a form) and installation of your chip. You can also buy just the “Chip Turista Prepago” at kiosks on the street, but then you will have to go to the Claro store for the SIM registration. In official exchange rate, a cost of $5000 means USD 26.80, but in foreign credit card exchange rate (Visa or Mastercard, but NOT Amex) it will cost around USD 14.60 (see next point).
Exchange rate in Argentina
As of 1 February 2023, Argentina has an official exchange rate of 1 USD = 186.50 Argentine pesos. The daily evolution of this rate can be followed in the site of the Banco de la Nación Argentina (link)
However, foreigners paying by foreign credit card can access a special exchange rate close to 1 USD = 340 Argentine pesos (as of 1 February 2023). This special exchange rate is relatively new (Dec 2022) and is currently working with Visa and Mastercard cards only. Up to what we know, this special regime is not working on Amex yet.
So, if you pay with Visa, you will see an expenditure of ~1 USD for every 340 Argentine pesos spent (as of 1 February 2023). For Mastercard the behavior is slightly different: you will see an expenditure of ~1USD for every 186.50 pesos, and then ~2 days later you will receive a compensation of around 0.45 USD for each dollar that you were originally substracted. This description is based on a recently published article by the local newspaper “La Nación”.
Please let us know if you experience something different in relation to this matter, as your contribution might be useful to other assistants.
At the airport
If you need to book a taxi at the Ezeiza Airport and your hotel does not provide a taxi service, we suggest to use the service provided by the company “On Baires Transfer” (website).
How to reserve: When you enter the website, choose “CABA (Capital Federal)” as destination (that option includes all the city of Buenos Aires), the vehicle type, and your estimated time of arrival (consider ~30 minutes after landing; however, this is just an estimation). As of 1 February 2023, the cost of a normal vehicle is $9500 Argentine pesos.
How to pay: Book the trip by filling out all your data, and choose “Efectivo” as payment option. That implies that you will be able to pay by credit card at the counter when you arrive.
How to get the service: After completing the immigration and customs process at Ezeiza airport, you will see a series of counters offering taxi services. You look for “On Baires transfer” and show your reservation to them.
We recommend this option rather than picking a taxi outside, as many of the drivers will only receive cash in Argentine pesos, or will probably receive your dollars at the official exchange rate, and not the one that you can get by using your credit card.