What exactly is CacaoCash?

CacaoCash is a digital wallet built for people who travel or live in Latin America. It lets you pay with the QR codes locals use every day — Pix in Brazil, Mercado Pago in Argentina, and more — using money you load from abroad. No local bank account, no cash runs, no bad exchange rates.

How do I add money to my wallet?

Several ways — whatever's easiest for you: • ACH or SEPA bank transfer • SWIFT bank transfer You'll always see the exact rate and any fees before you confirm. No surprises.

Do I need to verify my identity?

Yes, once. It's a quick in-app process — a photo of your ID and a selfie. It keeps your account secure and lets us work with regulated financial partners across the region. Most people finish in under 3 minutes.

What if a payment is pending, fails, or I get a refund?

Pending payments usually clear on their own within minutes. If a payment fails, your balance is returned immediately. Refunds land straight back in your wallet — no waiting, no friction. If anything ever looks wrong, our support team is one message away.

Are there hidden fees?

No. CacaoCash charges 2.5% per QR payment or peso transfer, and before every payment you'll see: • The exact amount being charged • The live exchange rate • The 2.5% fee What you approve is exactly what leaves your wallet. Bank deposits have no CacaoCash fee. Full details at cacaocash.com/fees.

How do I know my money is safe?

CacaoCash is non-custodial — your funds are never pooled with anyone else's and every transaction requires your explicit approval. Identity verification and money movement are handled by licensed, regulated partners. You stay in control at all times.

Which countries are live?

CacaoCash is live today in: • 🇦🇷 Argentina — Mercado Pago QR Coming soon: • 🇧🇷 Brazil — Pix • 🇨🇴 Colombia • 🇵🇪 Peru — Yape

I lost my phone. What happens to my money?

Nothing bad. Your account is tied to your identity, not your device. Just install the app on a new phone, sign in, and everything is exactly as you left it — balance, transaction history, all of it.

Airbnb in Argentina (2026): Dollars, Taxes and Paying Hosts

Airbnb in Argentina charges in US dollars (it stopped using pesos in November 2022). You pay the booking inside Airbnb with your card, and the 21% hotel VAT discount for foreigners usually does not apply to Airbnb hosts. Never move an Airbnb payment off the platform. Pesos matter for daily spending and rentals agreed directly with an owner.

This guide is for foreigners booking a short or monthly stay in Buenos Aires or anywhere else in Argentina. It covers what currency Airbnb uses, which taxes apply, Airbnb's own rules on paying hosts, and where pesos still come in. For a full budget, see how much a trip to Argentina costs.

Airbnb Argentina: dollars or pesos?

Dollars. Since November 2022 Airbnb charges bookings in Argentina in US dollars instead of pesos. For you as a guest, that means the price you see and the charge on your card are in dollars, and the peso exchange rate does not change what the booking costs.

How your bank handles that dollar charge depends on your card and the currency of your account, so check your card's foreign transaction fee before you book a long stay. What you will not get inside Airbnb is the crypto dollar rate: that rate only applies to things you pay in pesos, like QR payments and transfers.

What to pay in dollars and what in pesos

What you are paying	How to pay	Why
An Airbnb booking (nights, cleaning fee, extensions)	Inside Airbnb, with your card	Airbnb charges in dollars and forbids paying hosts off the platform.
A furnished rental you agreed directly with an owner from the start (not found on Airbnb)	Whatever the contract says: dollars, or a peso transfer to the owner's alias	Contracts are freely agreed between the parties since December 2023.
Daily spending: cafés, supermarkets, markets, pharmacies	Pesos, mostly by QR	You pay in pesos, so the exchange rate you get decides the real price.
A registered hotel	Foreign card or international transfer	That is how you get the 21% VAT discount on lodging.

Rules and acceptance change. Always read your Airbnb listing and your contract before paying.

Airbnb Argentina taxes: does the 21% VAT discount apply?

Usually not. Argentina takes 21% VAT off lodging for foreign tourists who pay a registered hotel with a foreign card or an international transfer. The official tourism site (argentina.travel, November 2024) says the benefit does not apply to hosts registered as monotributistas or working informally, and gives Airbnb as the example of that case.

So if a 21% saving matters for your budget, compare the Airbnb price with a registered hotel or aparthotel and ask the hotel whether it applies the exemption. The details, including which documents you need, are in how the hotel VAT discount works for foreigners.

Can I pay an Airbnb host directly?

No. Airbnb's off-platform policy is explicit. It does not allow:

Asking for or offering a discount for paying outside Airbnb.
Extending a stay or booking again outside the platform.
Charging mandatory fees outside Airbnb.

Airbnb also says that a request to pay by bank transfer or wire is a possible sign of fraud, and the consequences for breaking these rules go from warnings to removing the listing or the account. In practice, a payment made outside Airbnb is also a payment Airbnb has no record of, so you should assume its protections no longer cover it. If a host asks you to pay outside the app, decline and report it to Airbnb.

Airbnb Buenos Aires: is it regulated?

There is no city law specific to Airbnb yet. Several bills to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb in the city were proposed between 2023 and 2026, and none of them has become law, according to iProfesional. For longer stays, the national Rental Law was repealed by Decree 70/2023, so since December 2023 the owner and the tenant agree the terms of a rental contract freely.

When pesos and CacaoCash make sense

CacaoCash does not pay inside Airbnb, and it is not a way around Airbnb. It is for the rest of your stay in Argentina:

A rental you agreed directly with an owner from the start, for example a furnished apartment found through a local agency or a friend, when the owner accepts a peso transfer. See how to pay rent in Buenos Aires as a foreigner and paying rent with CacaoCash.
Local transfers by alias: a cleaner, a tour guide, a friend who paid dinner. If alias, CVU and CBU are new to you, read CBU vs CVU vs alias.
Daily QR payments in shops, cafés and markets.

You sign up with your passport, no DNI or Argentine bank account, and load dollars by bank transfer or crypto. Each QR payment or transfer converts at the crypto dollar with a 2.5% fee you see before you confirm (see fees).

How you pay in pesos	Rate (ARS per USD)	Pesos for US$100
Foreign card, no bank fee	≈1,465	≈146,500
CacaoCash (crypto dollar, after the 2.5% fee)	≈1,559	≈155,900

Assumptions: October 2026 rates, foreign card at the non-resident rate with no extra bank fee. Rates move daily: check the live Argentina dollar rate. Why the gap exists is explained in card dollar vs crypto dollar.

That is up to 10% more pesos than paying with a foreign card on everything you spend in pesos. Your Airbnb booking itself stays on your card, inside Airbnb.

Frequently asked questions

Does Airbnb charge in dollars or pesos in Argentina?

In US dollars. Airbnb stopped operating in pesos in Argentina in November 2022, so bookings are priced and charged in dollars.

Do I pay VAT or other taxes on an Airbnb in Argentina?

The 21% VAT discount on lodging for foreign tourists does not apply to monotributista or informal hosts, the typical Airbnb case, according to argentina.travel (November 2024). It applies at registered hotels paid with a foreign card or international transfer.

Can I pay my Airbnb host in cash or by bank transfer?

No. Airbnb forbids paying or booking outside the platform, and treats requests to pay by transfer or wire as possible fraud. Pay every part of an Airbnb booking inside the app.

What if a host offers a discount to pay outside Airbnb?

Say no and report it. Asking for or offering off-platform discounts breaks Airbnb's rules, and a payment outside Airbnb most likely leaves you without Airbnb's protection.

Is Airbnb regulated in Buenos Aires?

Bills to regulate it were proposed between 2023 and 2026, and none has become law (iProfesional).

Can I use CacaoCash to pay for an Airbnb?

No. CacaoCash pays Mercado Pago and MODO QR codes and sends pesos to alias, CVU or CBU. Use it for daily spending and for rentals you agree directly with an owner, not for Airbnb bookings.

Book on Airbnb, spend in pesos

Keep your Airbnb booking on your card, and pay the rest of your stay in pesos from a dollar balance. Download CacaoCash.

Reviewed November 2026.

Sources

Airbnb Help Center: off-platform policy (discounts, extensions and fees outside Airbnb; transfer requests as possible fraud).
Argentina.travel: 21% VAT refund on lodging for foreign tourists (not applicable to monotributista or informal hosts, November 2024).
Diario de Cuyo: Airbnb stops operating in pesos in Argentina (November 2022).
El Cronista and Chequeado: Decree 70/2023 repeals the Rental Law (December 2023).
iProfesional: bills to regulate Airbnb in Buenos Aires (2023 and 2026).