Trying to plan ahead so any know if card payments are common at hostels in Argentina or cash is king?
Booked six hostels - four accepted cards, one didn’t work, and one surcharge bit sucked at 5%. Hostel payments in Argentina are largely cash-based, but Visa is often accepted if the POS holds up. I withdrew at Banco Galicia ATMs and carried enough pesos to cover deposit and first night. That strategy kept check-ins tension-free - even when tech didn’t co-operate.
In Salta I hit a snag: the hostel’s card machine limit was ARS 4,000 and mine was declined. I ended up withdrawing cash to pay. Cash is king at hostels in Argentina, although some places do accept card with low surcharge. POS reliability varies. I now message ahead to check payment methods and always withdraw extra pesos before my first night in new city.
I booked hostels in Córdoba and Bariloche and in both cases paid with Visa debit at common area desks. Machines worked about 80% of the time. The rest of the time I had to find bank ATMs, which were nearby. Hostel card acceptance in Argentina is hit-or-miss, so carry small pesos for fallback. Hostels here might avoid fees but only if their POS terminal cooperates.
Most of the hostels I stayed in - Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Salta - preferred cash. Some listed “card accepted,” but machines either failed or were offline. Card payments at hostels in Argentina are inconsistent. One hostel charged 3% surcharge on card, so paying cash was cheaper. I made sure to keep enough pesos for immediate check-in and topped up at a bank ATM daily. No panic.