Supermarket Discounts in Buenos Aires

Today I was pleased to use my Capital One credit card (does not charge any international transaction fee, see former post for details) at the Disco supermarket and get an instant 15% savings.

Generally supermarket discounts in Argentina are linked to a local credit card such as Banco Santander Rio, Banco Francés or Banco Galicia and most foreigners can´t take advantage of such discounts with our foreign-issued cards. Disco is the first supermarket I have seen that offers discounts linked only to using a credit or debit cards without specifying the bank.

Sign up for Disco mailing list here to receive their weekly promotional updates.

Cheap Kitchen Supplies and Housewares in Buenos Aires

The Once neighborhood is the bargain-lover´s haven.

A good spot for houswares is located on Pueyrredon 218. The shop features a good selection of cups, kitchen wares, trays, etc. The prices are hard to beat, a Tupperware-style plastic container will set you back just 2 pesos. You don´t have to purchase in bulk and credit cards are accepted -- a real rarity in Once!

Nearby on Valentin Gomez and Pueyrredon there is an Asterix 11 shop with good prices and assorted products.

Any bus that goes to the Once train station or the Plaza Miserere Subway stop (Linea A) will leave you just 1 block away.

Movies on a budget

Going to the movies in Buenos Aires is not cheap! However, I am happy to say that I have never paid full price to go the movies because there are so many promotions and discounts available if you just know where to look! Check out this site to stay updated on the recent promotions. Note: Many promotions (but not all!) are directly linked to the local credit/debit card you have -- for many Expats this is not applicable!

www.promosencines.com.ar

If a trip to the theater is out of the question just rent! Just about anything in this city can be ordered for "delivery" and movie rentals are no exception. Talk to your local rental place to see if they deliver. You can often save a lot of money by pre-purchasing 5+ rentals at the same time and then slowing using up your pre-paid rentals.

Shopping Tip: "Por Mayor" versus "Por Menor"

When shopping in Once or any other busy commercial center one must know the difference between buying "por mayor", ie buying in bulk versus "por menor", which means buying in small quantities.

Many stores do not allow you to purchase anything unless you buy "por mayor" so its a good idea to read the signs outside before entering if you know you just want to buy one small item. However, it is worth it to ask the store what exactly constitutes buying "por mayor" because it may be as little as 30 pesos to get the bulk pricing.

Free Museum Night / Noche de los Museos

Mark your calendar: Noche de los Museos, November 14th

Every year Buenos Aires hosts their "Museum Night" in which museums and art galleries open their doors (for free) during the evening hours. Last year over 450,000 people visited over 120 galleries and museums during the evening hours (8pm-2am). This year promises to be even better as new neighborhoods like Colegiales and Flores have been added to the circuit. Last year the night ended with a giant electronic music party in Puerto Madero in front of the Centro de Museos de Buenos Aires that went on into the wee hours.

Here´s the link to learn more: http://www.lanochedelosmuseos.com.ar/ingles.html

Cheap City Tour: Buenos Aires Free Tour

For all of us long-term BA residents a city tour of BA is not exactly high on our list of priorities, however it is nice to know about budget tourism options so that when we meet newcomers or have visitors in town we can help them save money in BA !

Buenos Aires Free Tour provides free city tours - Recoleta circuit and Downtown Circuit. Although the tours are "free" there is an expectation of some sort of tip...

Here´s the link: http://www.buenosairesfreetour.com

Tours are offered in English and Spanish.

Monedero / SUBE cards

How many times have you had to buy something at a Kiosco just to get the coins to take the bus? Although the moneda situation is improving in Buenos Aires it is still easy to find yourself short on coins.

A welcomed improvement has been the introduction of the Monedero and SUBE cards which function as debit cards. The cards are free and you can recharge them with cash and avoid searching for Monedas.

Bus lines that use the SUBE or Monedero card: 5, 8, 20, 50, 101, 61, 62
Trains that use the SUBE card: Urquiza, Belgrano Norte
The Monedero card can be used on all subways

In addition, you can use your Monedero card to pay for other things and get discounts. The Kioskos 25 Horas give a 10% discount for using your Monedero Card, Blockbuster offers a 2x1 movie rental deal with Monedero payment, 15% off at Munchis, etc.

Learn more about Monedero here: http://www.monedero.com.ar/

More information on the SUBE card, including distribution centers: http://www.sube.gov.ar/default.aspx