How to Handle Money in Argentina in 2025: Cash, Cards, and Cuevas Explained

Intro: If you're wondering how to handle money in Argentina 2025-style—whether to use cash or card, where to exchange pesos, or how to avoid counterfeit bills—this post has you covered.

Argentina is a dreamscape of smoky asados, sultry tangos, and eye-popping street art. But when it comes to money? It's more like navigating a house of mirrors. With evolving exchange rates, a legacy of cash-dependence, and shifting conveniences, you'll want a plan before you land. Here's your no-nonsense, mildly entertaining guide to making your money work harder (and smarter) in Buenos Aires and beyond.

1. The Currency Circus: Welcome to the Land of a Thousand Exchange Rates Argentina uses the Argentine peso (ARS), but it’s not as simple as it sounds. There’s the official rate, the blue rate (unofficial but widely used), the tourist rate, and the MEP rate (used by credit cards). In the past, the blue rate offered nearly double what you’d get at a bank. Today, the rates have nearly converged—making credit card use more appealing than ever.

Check the current rate here: Live daily blue dollar exchange rate in Argentina

2. Your Dollars Deserve Better: Meet the Cueva Cuevas are still around, and you’ll often find slightly better rates than at the bank—but the difference is small. Some travelers still prefer cuevas for speed and privacy, but they’re no longer essential if your cards are accepted.

One trusted location is just a few doors from our Palermo food tour starting point: Av. Scalabrini Ortiz 2354.

Bring crisp, clean $100 or $50 bills. Wrinkled, marked, or small bills are often rejected.

3. ATMs: The Financial Version of a Shrinking Ray Technically, you can get pesos from an ATM. Realistically, it feels like trying to withdraw rationed toilet paper during a national shortage. Expect:

• High fees (USD $5–10 per transaction)

• Low limits (USD $100–200 equivalent)

• A mediocre exchange rate compared to your card or a cueva

Unless you’re desperate, save your ATM card for emergencies.

4. Cards Work—and Now They’re Worth Using Many restaurants and shops accept credit cards—and here’s the good news: most credit cards now apply the MEP rate, which is nearly identical to the blue rate.

That means you can earn points, avoid carrying wads of cash, and still get a great exchange rate. Just make sure to:

• Verify the machine works before you order

• Choose to pay in pesos (not USD) if prompted

• Have a backup plan just in case

  
  

5. Can I Pay in Dollars or Euros? Sometimes. Some tour operators and luxury vendors will take them—often at a favorable rate. But don’t expect to buy coffee or empanadas in dollars. Convert your money first.

6. QR Codes & Digital Wallets: The Local Favorite Apps like MercadoPago, MODO, and Cuenta DNI are widely used by Argentines. You'll see people scanning QR codes to pay everywhere from street markets to supermarkets. But unless your foreign card links successfully (some do, many don’t), you're stuck as a spectator.

7. Western Union: A Clever Workaround An increasingly popular method: send yourself cash via Western Unionbefore your trip. Pick it up at a local WU location and get a great rate—often close to the blue dollar.

• Pros: Safe, convenient, no cuevas needed

• Cons: Occasional long lines, limits on daily withdrawals

8. Peso Counterfeits & How to Spot Them Argentina’s bills include subtle but powerful anti-counterfeit features. The most reliable? Microtext. All new peso bills include tiny BCRA lettering inside the large printed numbers—usually visible when zoomed in with your phone.

Above: A new 10,000 peso note featuring María Remedios del Valle and Manuel Belgrano. Look closely at the large red vertical strip—the letters “BCRA” are printed in microtext inside the zeros and near the edge.

🕵️‍♂️ Tip: If you don’t see the microtext, the bill might be fake. Always double-check large notes when receiving change.

Bonus Tip: Ask for a Discount When Paying in Cash Cash is still king in more ways than one. Many locals—when dining out on spots like those we visit during our food tours—will casually ask the waiter if there's a discount for paying in cash. Often, there is. It’s a quiet little perk that’s not always advertised, but can shave a nice chunk off your bill.

Final Word: If you're heading to Patagonia or smaller towns outside Buenos Aires, keep in mind that accessing cash or finding a reliable exchange can be trickier. Fewer cuevas operate there, and not every business accepts cards. Plan ahead and arrive with cash in hand if you're venturing beyond the capital.

Looking for reliable advice on managing money in Argentina in 2025? You've found it. We've covered the best ways to handle cash, card payments, exchange rates, and real-world traveler strategies.

For a more detailed breakdown of how Western Union transfers work, and a deeper dive into using credit cards at the MEP rate, check out this excellent, in-depth guide by SolSalute on how to exchange money in Argentina, including step-by-step instructions for using Western Union and credit cards at the MEP rate: Money in Argentina – Currency Exchange Guide

Argentina's money system isn’t broken; it just operates in its own strange harmony. A little prep and some crisp bills will take you far. Know your rates, carry a card, and treat cash as your trusty backup. Now go eat steak, sip Malbec, and marvel at how far your dollar stretches when you play the peso game right. Join one of our tours and learn it all firsthand.