Top 10 Buenos Aires

Streetsmart
108
Left Banco Francés Center ATM Right Locutorio and Internet Café
Banking & Communications
! Banks
Banks generally open
10am–3pm on weekdays,
though some may open
an hour earlier or close
an hour later. Currency
exchange counters within
banks tend to offer better
exchange and commission
rates than an
exchange bureau,
although rates vary from
bank to bank. All banks
are equipped with ATM
machines; just look for
the “Link” sign that
shows they accept
foreign bank cards.
@ ATMs
ATMs provide the
easiest way to access
money and are a good
way to beat commission
charges. Nearly all of
them accept Visa,
MasterCard, and
American Express cards
and operate 24 hours.
Surcharges depend on
your bank.
£ Credit Cards
The most widely
accepted credit and debit
cards in Buenos Aires are
Visa and MasterCard and
to a lesser extent,
American Express and
Diner’s Club. d In case of
stolen credit cards call:
American Express 0800-
777-3165 • MasterCard
0800-555-0507 • Visa 4379-
3333 • Diners Club
0810-444-2482
$ Changing Money
There are numerous
currency exchange bureaux
(casas de cambio)
in Microcentro, on
Florida, Sarmiento, and
San Martín streets in
particular. They are open
9am–6pm daily. Commission
rates at banks tend
to be lower.
% Traveler’s Checks
Traveler’s checks can
always be changed at
banks or a currency
exchange bureau, but at
high rates of commission,
often as much as
3 percent. The American
Express office however,
cashes its own traveler’s
checks free of charge.
Note that businesses
other than a currency
exchange bureau rarely
accept traveler’s checks
under any circumstance.
d American Express:
Arenales 707; 4310-3535
Bank Transfers ^ Sending money from
overseas can be done via
Western Union. Visit their
website for charges,
maximum payments, and
a list of local affiliates.
d www.westernunion.com
& Mail
Branches of the
Correo Argentino postal
service are open 9am–
6pm on weekdays and
they send airmail by
general delivery as well
as registered post (correo
certificado). Poste
Restante mail should be
sent to the city’s central
post office and addressed
as follows: Recipient’s
name, Lista de Correos:
Correo Central,
Sarmiento 189, (1003)
Capital Federal,
Argentina. Telephone call
centers undertake
airmailing too, but by
general delivery only.
d Correo Argentino: www.
correoargentino.com.ar
* Telephone
and Fax
Call centers (locutorios)
are ubiquitous in Buenos
Aires, and telecom giants
Telefónica and Telecom
are the two largest operators.
Most centers are
open 10am–11pm daily
and all offer international
call and fax services.
( Cell Phones
Most foreign cell
phones work in Argentina
with a tri-band or quadband,
but making calls
can be expensive, and
receiving calls and text
difficult. You can use your
own phone and buy a
local SIM card, which can
be bought at kiosks for
around US$3. Renting a
cell phone is a good
alternative. d Mobile
Phone Rental: San Martín
948, 3rd floor; 4311-2933;
www.phonerental.com.ar
) Internet Access
Call centers and
Internet cafés provide
Internet access and both
are found at almost every
turn in Buenos Aires.
Service is via speedy
broadband connection
and is usually very cheap.
Most modern bars, cafés,
and restaurants have
wireless connections.
When calling Buenos Aires from overseas, dial +5411 before the
local 8-digit number. When calling from Argentina, first dial 011.