I'm traveling to Argentina/Chile fron Texas in three week. Is it the custom to pay a travel agent cash for a trip? I want to pay with my credit card for my protection.
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Cat:Central and South AmericaForum:0EE6B350
Cat:Central and South AmericaForum:0EE6B350Discussion:a3d04c6b-05e8-41f7-9be3-ba98138d0a0a
I'm traveling to Argentina/Chile fron Texas in three week. Is it the custom to pay a travel agent cash for a trip? I want to pay with my credit card for my protection.
During our recent visit to Mendoza and Buenos Aires in November/December 2011, cash was what was requested. Even inside the hotels (four star rated), the concierges asked for cash to pay for the tours and other outsider services that they set up for us. Our experience in the shops were similar. Credit cards got us their full prices, but if we paid in cash, there was always a small discount. More discount if we paid with US dollars.
I paid cash for a trip to Australia awhile back, but only because I was dealing with a local, reputable agency, and only for what constituted the "package" portion of the trip: flights, car rental, and 4 nights' accommodations. I made the remaining hotel/ferry/activity reservations myself and definitely used a CC. The considerable cash discount on the package paid for several very nice dinners.
In multiple trips to Peru we found that paying in cash will garner a significant discount. Not only do vendors save on the percentage, but it appears they save in taxes as well. We used a no-fee ATM card and accessed our funds from widely available ATMs every day or two. It was just as safe as using a credit card and nearly as convenient. This has saved us literally hundreds of dollars.
There may be a misunderstanding here. I assumed that you were asking if paying a travel agent in cash in the US for this trip was customary, not taking advantage of cash discounts for paying for things in cash there. If that is the case, it most assuredly is not customary to pay cash to a travel agent here and most probably is very dangerous. This is because you do have recourse to your credit card company in the US if the agent doesn't produce what you ordered and keeps your cash. You get no discount for paying for airfare and hotels in the US, so that part is irrelevant. Why is this agent asking for cash? Most likely, it is because it is short of cash to operate and/or may be going to grab yours and shut down. I have been traveling for over 40 years and have never been asked to pay in cash to an agent. They are going out of business left and right with the internet because people can easily arrange their own travel themselves. I haven't used one in years as a result.
I am not sure if you are asking about a travel agent in the US or one in Argentina. A US travel company that I have dealt with frequently takes credit cards but will give a 5% discount if you make payments after the initial downpayment with a check instead of a credit card. I have had no problem with their trips so I feel comfortable paying by check. If you have not used a particular travel agent before, you may want to be cautious and pay with a credit card which does offer you more protection. This may be especially true if the agent is in Argentina and not bound by our legal system.
In my experience of traveling to Chile and Argentina for 14 nights (days), I recommend you pay for everything in U.S. cash. In that manner, you can obtain big discounts, which in the end can translate into hundreds of dollars saved. You can use the ATMs to retrieve dollars.
