Cellphones & Data
- We understand Claro to have the best coverage for the entire country and in particular Patagonia, although coverage in Patagonia is naturally sparse.
- After one month we can say that Claro in Argentina definitely has better coverage than it’s counterpart in Brazil which was often limited to towns only.
- to obtain a SIM (“chip”) is a simple process: walk into a local Claro outlet and request a tourist SIM. Take your passport with you and you should be registered within a few minutes.
- Obtaining data is a little more complicated: The shop won’t sell you that instead you must find a KIOSKI (small corner shops) that has a claro “recargo” sign on the door. In here you can ask to load money onto your number. As of October 2022, 10gb data valid for 30 days was ARS1520 and 25GB was ARS3000. Many Kioski didn’t have that kind of credit available on their systems so it can mean trying multiple places until you find someone who can assist. Some shops charge an “admin” fee and some don’t.
- Once you have a balance on your account, then you need to convert this to data via the Claro app.
Forex and the “Blue Dollar”
- Due to the terrible economic situation and hyper inflation a parallel and partly black market currency situation exists known as the blue dollar.
- the exact rate of the blue dollar fluctuates as a normal currency would but can be worth almost double the official rate. You can obtain the daily rate at https://bluedollar.net
- There are basically two ways of obtain your pesos at the blue dollar rate: (1) changing physical USD notes at a Cambio or with a street changer; (2) making a “withdrawal” at Western Union. The WU is by far the most practical and painfree.
- Western Union: Either download the app yourself or have a friend/family member send you money via WU. To send money via the app you follow the following process: (1) select send money to Argentina, (2) select “cash pickup”, (3) choose the amount of “hard currency” you wish to send (this can be USD, GBP, EUR, etc) – the app will tell you the amount of ARS you can expect to receive and it should agree favourably to the the blue dollar rate. (4) enter recipient full name details (this must agree to their/your passport), (5) enter recipients address as “argentina”, (6) enter recipients email address, (7) enter recipients Argentina cell number. (8) once you complete the transaction the money is available for collection “within minutes” and your should received a “MTCN” number. (9) take the MTCN number and your passport into a WU branch and collect your cash.
- UPDATE: Since December 2022, using an international credit card (VISA or Mastercard) will result in you being charged a rate which is very close the blue dollar rate. In our experience the difference can be in the region of 10% to the published “blue” rate as the card companies charge a conversion fee however the convenience of not having to constantly visit a WU more than makes up for this slightly worse rate. Anyhow you typically incur some costs when doing a WU transfer from your own bank. VISA applies the rate instantly whereas Mastercard seem to take a few days to apply the rate so you first get charged at the official exchange rate and then a few days later get refunded the difference.