| The Argentine peso , divided into one hundred centavos, was exactly
equal to one US dollar at the time of writing. Recent political
upheaval, however, has led to a major devaluation of the peso and
rapidly fluctuating exchange rates. Please keep this in mind when
referring to any mention of costs throughout this guide. In Argentina,
and throughout this guide, the peso is represented by the "dollar sign"
($). There has been off-and-on talk of dolarización (adoption of the US
dollar as the official currency and legal tender), but political and
popular resistance has so far stood in its way. Notes come in 2, 5, 10,
20, 50 and 100 peso denominations while 1 peso and 1 (rare), 5, 10, 25
and 50 centavo coins are in circulation. Sometimes people are loath to
give change, as coins are in short supply, so it's a good idea to have
plenty of loose change on your person; otherwise insist that they find
change, if they want to do business. Ask for small denominations at
banks if possible, break bigger ones up at places where they obviously
have plenty of change (busy shops, supermarkets or post offices), and
withdraw odd amounts from ATMs ($90, $190, etc) to avoid getting your
cash dispensed in $100 bills only. In theory you can use US banknotes
(in pristine condition only, and watch for fakes), but not coins or
travellers' cheques, though some places take only Argentine money. ATMs
often give you a choice of pesos or dollars and it might be a good idea
to keep a stock of both, remembering that Argentine money is difficult
to change outside the country, except in Uruguay, or border areas of
Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, where it may be used as legal tender. |
