| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? 08:32 - Jan 20 with 1890 views | WeWereZombies |
Am in Argentina at the moment and have been advised to use them for withdrawing cash as I will get an unofficial rate on pesos that is almost double what I am getting from an ATM or by paying with credit card. But I am a typically wary East Anglian when it comes to things I have not used before. And, no, I am not up for swapping date of birth and bank account details... |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 08:56 - Jan 20 with 1822 views | DJR |
Here's a fairly recent article about exchanging money in Argentina, which I obviously can't vouch for.
https://becci.dk/money-exchange-argentina/ |  | | |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 09:06 - Jan 20 with 1796 views | Keno |
I use western Union for sending money to Sri Lanka and it works well
That said I can a charge card I use for everything online, not my “normal” bank account |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 09:10 - Jan 20 with 1805 views | GavTWTD |
I have used them once to bail out some friends who had money stolen whilst abroad. It made me uncomfortable but all went OK. |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 09:24 - Jan 20 with 1776 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 09:10 - Jan 20 by GavTWTD |
I have used them once to bail out some friends who had money stolen whilst abroad. It made me uncomfortable but all went OK. |
Did you ever see them again? |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 10:01 - Jan 20 with 1728 views | WeWereZombies |
Thanks very, very much for that. Fits what I am experiencing very closely. I got charged £9.29 to visit the Recoleta cemetery on my credit card (the Necropolis in Glasgow and Pere Lachaise in Paris are free for chrissake, and Evita may be a name but she"s no Jim Morrison) then a £3.94 tax refund turned up a few days later. | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 10:38 - Jan 20 with 1687 views | WeWereZombies |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 09:10 - Jan 20 by GavTWTD |
I have used them once to bail out some friends who had money stolen whilst abroad. It made me uncomfortable but all went OK. |
When you think about it I guess there is a comparison to the official Town website and TWTD, you get an acceptable flow of information from ITFC but TWTD gives a much richer feed. Referencing the second of the articles that DJR linked you can call TWTD 'the blue rate'. | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 10:55 - Jan 20 with 1629 views | bluelagos |
W.U are every scammers dream, so be super careful if a third party is suggesting you pay to them etc, Go into one and get the details rather than from a random.
They also charge from memory 5 to 10% on exchanges. Far better is to take Usd and change on the street - but that carries risks too (carrying cash / getting mugged)
Whatever you change, balance the charges (to change) with the ongoing devaluation.
Also, ATMs as well as using the official rate, charge extortiinate fees, from memory like $6+ per transaction.
So for me, best is cash, second WU, then ATMs. And do like a couple of hundred USD at a time due to depreciation.
As you are already there, if WU can be used to receive USD I'd do that and use a street changer, but ffs go with someone big to both the WU and the street changer. You really are a sitting duck otherwise in a country with lots of poverty... |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 11:02 - Jan 20 with 1622 views | acj |
If you’ve got a couple of days free then jump on the buquebus ferry to Montevideo (great city to visit for a weekend anyway). They have ATMs in the ferry terminal on the Uruguayan end where you can withdraw US dollars - get as many out as you can, then take those back across the water to Buenos Aires and exchange them for pesos at the blue rate on calle florida in the city centre ðŸ‘🻠|  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 11:27 - Jan 20 with 1602 views | WeWereZombies |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 10:55 - Jan 20 by bluelagos |
W.U are every scammers dream, so be super careful if a third party is suggesting you pay to them etc, Go into one and get the details rather than from a random.
They also charge from memory 5 to 10% on exchanges. Far better is to take Usd and change on the street - but that carries risks too (carrying cash / getting mugged)
Whatever you change, balance the charges (to change) with the ongoing devaluation.
Also, ATMs as well as using the official rate, charge extortiinate fees, from memory like $6+ per transaction.
So for me, best is cash, second WU, then ATMs. And do like a couple of hundred USD at a time due to depreciation.
As you are already there, if WU can be used to receive USD I'd do that and use a street changer, but ffs go with someone big to both the WU and the street changer. You really are a sitting duck otherwise in a country with lots of poverty... |
Thanks, sound advice as always. I did get a couple of hundred US dollars out on the way here (should have got a couple of thousand but, as you say, carrying large amounts of cash makes a mugging more painful still), however I was tired after the flight and went and paid for my first six nights in Buenos Aires with it. I only plan to use Western Union for an assigned collection of US dollars and then to use them to pay my accommodation.
Also, there is obvious poverty in Argentina but no more so than in, say Poland...or Ipswich town centre. It reminds me of Italy - always cap in hand to the IMF but a lot of swanky houses, brand new cars and well dressed folk. | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 11:37 - Jan 20 with 1582 views | Keno |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 11:27 - Jan 20 by WeWereZombies |
Thanks, sound advice as always. I did get a couple of hundred US dollars out on the way here (should have got a couple of thousand but, as you say, carrying large amounts of cash makes a mugging more painful still), however I was tired after the flight and went and paid for my first six nights in Buenos Aires with it. I only plan to use Western Union for an assigned collection of US dollars and then to use them to pay my accommodation.
Also, there is obvious poverty in Argentina but no more so than in, say Poland...or Ipswich town centre. It reminds me of Italy - always cap in hand to the IMF but a lot of swanky houses, brand new cars and well dressed folk. |
when you say "always cap in hand to the IMF but a lot of swanky houses, brand new cars and well dressed folk" I take it its less like Ipswich and more like Kesgrave? | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 12:35 - Jan 20 with 1502 views | bluelagos |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 11:27 - Jan 20 by WeWereZombies |
Thanks, sound advice as always. I did get a couple of hundred US dollars out on the way here (should have got a couple of thousand but, as you say, carrying large amounts of cash makes a mugging more painful still), however I was tired after the flight and went and paid for my first six nights in Buenos Aires with it. I only plan to use Western Union for an assigned collection of US dollars and then to use them to pay my accommodation.
Also, there is obvious poverty in Argentina but no more so than in, say Poland...or Ipswich town centre. It reminds me of Italy - always cap in hand to the IMF but a lot of swanky houses, brand new cars and well dressed folk. |
Buenos Aires was the last time I saw tear gas fired in anger by the local plod. Demo by the locals who for whatever reason decided to throw rocks at the police lines, who were proper tooled up. Police stood and took it for a while before the order came in to go crack some heads. They did this with a fair bit of enthusiam.
One of my favourite places I've visited tbh, very jealous :-) [Post edited 20 Jan 2023 12:37]
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 14:32 - Jan 20 with 1414 views | BlueForYou |
How is Argentina? One of those places I've always thought would be fascinating to visit. |  | | |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:02 - Jan 20 with 1369 views | clive_baker |
It works |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:07 - Jan 20 with 1361 views | WeWereZombies |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 14:32 - Jan 20 by BlueForYou |
How is Argentina? One of those places I've always thought would be fascinating to visit. |
It is fascinating, but Buenos Aires was sweltering, temperature exceeded 30°C every afternoon I was there. Reading a twelve year old Lonely Planet that I had forgotten I had and only grabbed at the last minute I was surprised to learn that it is the eighth largest nation by area and a contender to the United States for country most likely to become most powerful one hundred and forty years ago. Just goes to show how inflation and military dictatorships can cramp your style.
So I have moved south a bit and it is still warm but not oppressively so. And tonight, rather than return to Buenos Aires for a flight I have decided to take a twenty hour coach trip to the Lake District, we'll see how that goes, especially as I have decided to go full on backpacker and spend four nights in a dorm when I get there.
One difficulty I am finding is, as usual, I struggle to understand speech because I have hearing loss but I am also finding people have difficulty understanding me as I am so used to speaking Castilian Spanish and that is more different to Latin American than I anticipated. So Spanglish is winning out at the moment.
Still, I just managed to get my hair cut so I can add Argentina to the list of countries I have been cropped in (Cambodia, Costa Rica, Cuba, England, Jamaica and Spain I think.) | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:27 - Jan 20 with 1337 views | Ryorry |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:07 - Jan 20 by WeWereZombies |
It is fascinating, but Buenos Aires was sweltering, temperature exceeded 30°C every afternoon I was there. Reading a twelve year old Lonely Planet that I had forgotten I had and only grabbed at the last minute I was surprised to learn that it is the eighth largest nation by area and a contender to the United States for country most likely to become most powerful one hundred and forty years ago. Just goes to show how inflation and military dictatorships can cramp your style.
So I have moved south a bit and it is still warm but not oppressively so. And tonight, rather than return to Buenos Aires for a flight I have decided to take a twenty hour coach trip to the Lake District, we'll see how that goes, especially as I have decided to go full on backpacker and spend four nights in a dorm when I get there.
One difficulty I am finding is, as usual, I struggle to understand speech because I have hearing loss but I am also finding people have difficulty understanding me as I am so used to speaking Castilian Spanish and that is more different to Latin American than I anticipated. So Spanglish is winning out at the moment.
Still, I just managed to get my hair cut so I can add Argentina to the list of countries I have been cropped in (Cambodia, Costa Rica, Cuba, England, Jamaica and Spain I think.) |
You said you were in Peru, Blueas  |  |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:57 - Jan 20 with 1317 views | bluelagos |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:07 - Jan 20 by WeWereZombies |
It is fascinating, but Buenos Aires was sweltering, temperature exceeded 30°C every afternoon I was there. Reading a twelve year old Lonely Planet that I had forgotten I had and only grabbed at the last minute I was surprised to learn that it is the eighth largest nation by area and a contender to the United States for country most likely to become most powerful one hundred and forty years ago. Just goes to show how inflation and military dictatorships can cramp your style.
So I have moved south a bit and it is still warm but not oppressively so. And tonight, rather than return to Buenos Aires for a flight I have decided to take a twenty hour coach trip to the Lake District, we'll see how that goes, especially as I have decided to go full on backpacker and spend four nights in a dorm when I get there.
One difficulty I am finding is, as usual, I struggle to understand speech because I have hearing loss but I am also finding people have difficulty understanding me as I am so used to speaking Castilian Spanish and that is more different to Latin American than I anticipated. So Spanglish is winning out at the moment.
Still, I just managed to get my hair cut so I can add Argentina to the list of countries I have been cropped in (Cambodia, Costa Rica, Cuba, England, Jamaica and Spain I think.) |
Good effort.
Keep heading south and it gets cooler obs. (or up in Andes)
If you have plenty of time (and fck loads of cash) check out Torres Del Paines national park. The hike to see the towers is well worth it, amazing views, especially on a sunny day.
If you're in Baraloche the volcano at Pucon is a bit closer and also worth a guided treck too. | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:58 - Jan 20 with 1317 views | WeWereZombies |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:27 - Jan 20 by Ryorry |
You said you were in Peru, Blueas |
That's enough of that type of carry on Frimmers... | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 16:04 - Jan 20 with 1299 views | Ryorry |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 15:58 - Jan 20 by WeWereZombies |
That's enough of that type of carry on Frimmers... |
Got enough dosh together to fuel your moped yet? | |
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| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 16:18 - Jan 20 with 1286 views | WeWereZombies |
| An appeal to the TWTD hive mind - Western Union, anyone use them ? on 16:04 - Jan 20 by Ryorry |
Got enough dosh together to fuel your moped yet? |
Actually a. moped would be really useful at the moment, I could get out to one of the more remote surfing beaches. | |
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