4751 ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:27:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Jones <rwjones52@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
My wife and I, who live in Buenos Aires, started
experiencing some ATM problems this past weekend.
Specifically, we were both precluded from withdrawing
more than $100 pesos from the ATMs at Banco Boston and
HBSC using our various VISA cards.
Today on the Yahoo! BANewcomers group, the issue came
up. It would appear a lot of people (foreigners) are
experiencing this down here.
Someone on BANewcomers stated that BANELCO, the force
behind the ATMs, I guess, has instituted this in the
name of protecting tourists in case their credit cards
get stolen.
Other than the fact that my wife and I cannot
withdrawl more than $100 pesos at a crack, I don't
really know what's behind this or why, and how it's
going to play out or for how long.
What I do know is this: I still get charged $2.64 USD
(total) for each ATM transaction here. If I can only
withdrawl $100 pesos (about $32 or $33 USD, I am
losing close to 9% of my currency.
So before you come to BsAs on your tango vacation or
whatever, you might want to inquire as to the status
of this issue, and how people are coping. For all I
know, there are other ways to use the ATMs...there are
other ways to get money...whatever. But in the
meantime, it is surely vexing for us, and I wanted to
pass it along to those of you who are thinking about
coming down anytime soon.
Cheers,
Rick Jones
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:02:44 -0700 (MST)
From: Huck Kennedy <huck@eninet.eas.asu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
To: tango-l@Mit.edu
Rick Jones writes:
> Someone on BANewcomers stated that BANELCO, the force
> behind the ATMs, I guess, has instituted this in the
> name of protecting tourists in case their credit cards
> get stolen.
First of all, if you lose your bank card, a thief
can't get cash out of an ATM without a PIN number
anyway, and second, tourists are already protected under
their own bank's policies, where in most cases you can
get your money back if you notify your bank of the loss
in a timely manner.
Are you sure BANELCO is claiming this is in the
name of protecting tourists? Because if they are,
it's a total CROCK, and they are bald-faced liars.
> What I do know is this: I still get charged $2.64 USD
> (total) for each ATM transaction here. If I can only
> withdraw $100 pesos (about $32 or $33 USD), I am
> losing close to 9% of my currency.
So this little protection racket amounts to
a 9% additional tourist tax on anything one spends
in Argentina using cash.
Unless our banks (meaning US, European, Asian,
etc.) are somehow back-charging BANELCO for excessive
tourist ATM loss (which I doubt--like I said, unless
you hold a gun to someone's head and force them to
withdraw cash from an ATM and then steal it, a thief
cannot get cash from an ATM by himself, so just how
much ATM theft can there be?), then this is clearly
out and out theft on the part of BANELCO, a pure
tourist ripoff. The fact that they would lie about
it and portend to be saints "protecting" tourists
makes it all the more disgusting, about on the par
with mafia thugs coming around to small shop owners
to offer their "protection" (extortion).
Huck
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:32:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Rick Jones <rwjones52@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
To: tango-l@mit.edu
No, I'm not. I tried to make that clear in my first
post. There is a lot of hearsay going on right now
among the expats regarding this issue. I explicity do
**NOT** know the why's and wherefore's. All I know is
that my wife and I are getting gouged at the ATMs just
now...many other expats are, too...and I'm passing
that on to the tango community for consideration if
anyone's planning a trip down here anytime soon.
Rick Jones
--- Huck Kennedy <huck@eninet.eas.asu.edu> wrote:
> Are you sure BANELCO is claiming this is in the
> name of protecting tourists? Because if they are,
> it's a total CROCK, and they are bald-faced liars.
>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:36:47 +0100
From: Thorsten Z?rner <mail@thorstenzoerner.de>
Subject: Re: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
Dear Rick, dear all,
this is Thorsten from Duesseldorf, Germany, writing.
I've been to Bs As last December and I had minor ATM problems once in
a while:
Obviously there were peak shopping/money withdrawal times during the
weekends prior to the holidays
and some banks seemed to have run out of money... well, their ATMs I
mean.
Banco de Galicia - for instance at Scalabrini Ortiz y Cordoba, couple
of blocks from Canning -
always seemed to have enough money though - they were almost always
a save bet for me. Maybe this works for you guys, too.
Ah, right, and I used a Maestro debit card,
which doesn't charge me extra for cash advance,
like a credit card normally does.
Oh, and I lost my debit card two years ago,
when I got confused about the different "workflow" of Argentinian ATMs:
In Europe - and as I remember also in the US - you will always get
your card back first
and then receive the money.
In Bs As you'll get your money first - if you get it, followed by
your card some seconds later.
Have a great stay in Bs As,
cheers,
Thorsten.
https://www.TangoDuesseldorf.de/ --> Learning Tango with a smile.
On 21.02.07, at 00:27, Rick Jones wrote:
> My wife and I, who live in Buenos Aires, started
> experiencing some ATM problems this past weekend.
> Specifically, we were both precluded from withdrawing
> more than $100 pesos from the ATMs at Banco Boston and
> HBSC using our various VISA cards.
>
> Today on the Yahoo! BANewcomers group, the issue came
> up. It would appear a lot of people (foreigners) are
> experiencing this down here.
>
> Someone on BANewcomers stated that BANELCO, the force
> behind the ATMs, I guess, has instituted this in the
> name of protecting tourists in case their credit cards
> get stolen.
>
> Other than the fact that my wife and I cannot
> withdrawl more than $100 pesos at a crack, I don't
> really know what's behind this or why, and how it's
> going to play out or for how long.
>
> What I do know is this: I still get charged $2.64 USD
> (total) for each ATM transaction here. If I can only
> withdrawl $100 pesos (about $32 or $33 USD, I am
> losing close to 9% of my currency.
>
> So before you come to BsAs on your tango vacation or
> whatever, you might want to inquire as to the status
> of this issue, and how people are coping. For all I
> know, there are other ways to use the ATMs...there are
> other ways to get money...whatever. But in the
> meantime, it is surely vexing for us, and I wanted to
> pass it along to those of you who are thinking about
> coming down anytime soon.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rick Jones
>
>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:43:55 -0500
From: "Caroline Polack" <runcarolinerun@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
To: tango-l@mit.edu
"we were both precluded from withdrawing
more than $100 pesos from the ATMs at Banco Boston and
HBSC using our various VISA cards."
Did you try other bank machines, asides from Boston and HBSC? I withdrew
money from Argentine banks with no fees and no limits. Any reason why
you're using only the above-mentioned banks? And have you tried using a
debit card instead of a credit card?
Caroline
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Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:45:16 +0000
From: "Sergio Vandekier" <sergiovandekier990@hotmail.com>
Subject: [Tango-L] ATM Issues in Buenos Aires
To: tango-l@mit.edu
I have been both in Buenos Aires and in Mar del Plata since last November.
I have used my visa/debit card regularly in different banks. I normally
withdraw 600 pesos at the time, which is given immediately and without any
charge (as far as I know).
Some ATM machines offer either US dollars or pesos.
I will try to withdraw more than 600 pesos to see what happens.
Best regards, Sergio
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