Paying in Argentina: QR, cards and cash
A practical guide for short stays · Argentine peso (ARS)
How to pay in Argentina as a visitor
For a visit to Argentina, combine a foreign card with pesos and, where useful, a QR app that accepts your documents. Paying a merchant QR through a visitor app is different from opening a local wallet or bank account. Compare the final ARS purchase cost with your card's rate rather than assuming QR is always cheaper.
- Cards, QR and cash all matter.Foreign cards are useful in cities, QR is deeply established, and pesos remain a sensible backup for small merchants, outages and places with weaker coverage.
- An interoperable QR still needs the right app.Transferencias 3.0 connects Argentine wallets and merchant QRs. A visitor needs a cross-border app that accepts their identity and funding and reaches that local rail.
- Pay by card in Argentine pesos.Eligible foreign Visa cards receive the tourist-rate treatment automatically. Choose ARS at checkout and account for any fee charged by your own card issuer.
Argentina QR apps for foreign visitors
These products document an Argentina QR route without requiring the visitor to open a conventional Argentine bank account. Eligibility and QR coverage still differ substantially.
| App | Sign up | Fund from | Payment cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moreta official payment guide | Passport + three selfiesAddress and phone required | Bank, card or Solana cryptoSome card-issuer countries excluded | 1.5% + conversionFunding and exit cost separately |
| WanderWallet official payment guide | Passport or ID + selfiePartner checks can add requirements | Bank, Revolut or Polygon USDCDeposits must be from your account | 1% + US$0.20Funding cost is separate |
| Airtm official payment guide | Government ID + selfieFull verification required | P2P, card, bank or cryptoMethod availability varies | Quote in appUS$2,000 monthly QR limit |
| Belo official payment guide | Country-specific ID + video12 Latin American residence countries | Local rails, bank or cryptoOptions depend on account country | Quote in appNo stable Argentina fee published |
| Peanut official payment guide | Passport or national ID + selfie18+; restricted countries apply | SEPA, ACH, wire or cryptoPublic pages still say early access | No separate QR feeConversion is in the shown rate |
| Tucu official payment guideRequest an invite (opens in a new tab) | Identity verificationDepends on residence and ID document | US/SEPA bank or Base USDCBridge decides bank availability | 1% + US$0.20Bank deposit fee is separate |
| Takenos official payment guide | ID or passport + selfieArgentina terms require local documents | USD/EUR bank or cryptoNo general card top-up found | No added QR feeRate refreshes every two minutes |
Moreta
WanderWallet
Airtm
Tucu
TakenosWhich Argentina QR can each app pay?
Moreta, Airtm, WanderWallet and Belo document Argentine merchant QR. Tucu pays Argentine merchant QR too and is opening through early access. Belo and Takenos explicitly describe open and closed QR. Peanut is narrower: it supports Mercado Pago merchant QR and explicitly excludes MODO and Cuenta DNI. None of these providers clearly documents importing an Argentina QR image from the same phone, so a camera-only flow may not work for an online checkout.
Why is Takenos marked as conflicting?
Two July 2026 Takenos guides say any user or any accepted document, including European documents, can pay Argentina QR. The Argentina-specific terms say the feature is for Argentine users registered with Argentine documentation. Until Takenos resolves that contradiction or the foreign-document flow is tested, do not rely on it as a visitor route.
Can I open Mercado Pago or MODO directly?
Mercado Pago registration begins with an Argentine DNI or CUIT. MODO requires a physical Argentine DNI, including for foreigners, then connects accounts and cards held with participating local institutions. Prex accepts a passport but also requires Argentine residence. These are local or resident routes, not simple short-stay visitor accounts.
Can I use my card on public transport?
Foreign-issued contactless Visa and Mastercard cards work on SUBE-equipped buses where open payments are active, without advance registration. Rail and subway availability can still follow the equipment rollout. The official QR transport flow is generated inside BNA+ or SUBE and presented to the validator; it is different from scanning a merchant QR with one of the apps above.
Using foreign cards
- Foreign cards are useful in main cities.Foreign credit and debit cards are accepted in Argentina's main cities. A merchant may ask for photo identification, and you should keep the card in view.
- Eligible foreign Visa purchases use the tourist rate.Visa says the preferential conversion applies automatically while the program remains active. Its page includes a numerical example from December 2022; do not treat that historical percentage as today's saving.
- Choose ARS at checkout.Decline dynamic currency conversion when a terminal offers your home currency. The merchant's conversion can include an extra markup, while your issuer's own foreign-transaction fee still applies separately.
- Contactless cards can cover many SUBE journeys.Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted on equipped buses in the open-payment rollout. Keep another payment method for a route or validator that is not enabled or rejects the card.
Cash and ATMs
- Keep a modest ARS fallback.Cash, QR and cards coexist. Carry pesos for a small merchant, outage or route where your preferred method fails, but do not assume taxis, markets or street food are cash-only.
- ATMs can be expensive.Foreign-account withdrawals are subject to low per-withdrawal and daily limits, and substantial service charges may apply. Review the operator and issuer fees before confirming.
- Use authorized exchange channels.BCRA says foreign-currency operations must be handled by authorized banks and exchange houses. Compare the live amount received rather than relying on an old named-rate comparison.
Argentina payment checklist
Work through these checks before relying on a payment app during your trip. Keep the card and cash sections above as your fallback.
- Check foreign-document eligibility.
Moreta documents passport verification. Takenos has conflicting public guidance: its help pages describe foreign-user access, while its Argentina QR terms specify Argentine documents. Resolve that before relying on Takenos for this trip.
- Compare a card purchase with the QR quote.
Visa documents special exchange-rate treatment for purchases on eligible foreign-issued cards. Compare your issuer's complete ARS purchase cost against the app's USD debit, payment fee and funding charges.
- Set up the app before checkout.
Moreta requires a funded USD balance for Argentina QR payments. Update the app, enable its camera, and check the merchant name, ARS amount and fee before confirming.
- Plan transport separately.
A merchant QR app is not the same as the SUBE transport payment flow. Check whether the services on your route accept a foreign contactless card or require another supported payment method.
Sources
Payment app documentation
QR, cards, transport, cash and local wallets
Continuing your trip?
Check payment access again when you cross a border. A wallet or QR code that works here may have different requirements elsewhere.