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 • Credit or debit card • SWIFT bank transfer • Crypto deposit (USDC and other major assets — paste your address or scan from any wallet) 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?

Never. Before every single payment, you'll see: • The exact amount being charged • The live exchange rate • Any applicable fees What you approve is exactly what leaves your wallet. That's a promise.

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.

How to Top Up a Prepaid Phone in Argentina (2026)

To top up a prepaid phone in Argentina you have four options: the carrier's own app or website (Mi Claro, Mi Personal, Mi Movistar), a kiosk or supermarket where you pay cash pesos, an international top-up site like Ding or BOSS Revolution with a foreign card, or the CacaoCash app, which recharges Claro, Personal and Tuenti lines from a USD balance with no DNI and no Argentine card. All of them work for your own line or someone else's, so you can also top up a relative in Argentina from abroad.

If you just landed and are still sorting out money, our Buenos Aires money checklist covers the rest of the setup: how to pay, how to get pesos and what to skip.

Ways to top up a prepaid line in Argentina

Option	Carriers	How you pay	Cost	Speed	What you need
CacaoCash app	Claro, Personal, Tuenti	USD balance	≈ 1,470 ARS per USD + US$0.25 service fee	Seconds to minutes	Passport-verified account; no DNI, no Argentine card
Kiosk or supermarket	All, including Movistar	Cash pesos	Face value in pesos	Instant	Pesos in hand
Carrier app or site (Mi Claro, Mi Personal, Mi Movistar)	Each carrier its own	Card	Face value in pesos, at your card's rate	Instant	Argentine cards work; foreign cards are hit or miss
International top-up sites (Ding, BOSS Revolution)	Varies by site	Foreign card	Their own exchange rate and fees	Usually minutes	A foreign card

Assumptions: CacaoCash rate from an ARS 9,000 Claro top-up priced at US$6.11 in October 2026; other sites set their own rates, so compare the final total before paying.

How to top up in the CacaoCash app, step by step

Open the app and tap Top-Up on the home screen.
Choose your carrier: Claro, Personal or Tuenti.
Enter the number: area code plus number, without the 0 and without the 15. For a Buenos Aires line that looks like 11 2345-6789.
Choose an amount from the list of peso amounts.
Check the Review before recharging screen. It shows the exact total in USD, including the US$0.25 service fee, before you confirm.
Tap Recharge. You will see Recharge sent, and the credit reaches the line in seconds to minutes.

The app checks that the number belongs to the carrier you picked. If you choose Personal for a Claro number, it tells you so ("That number is Claro. Choose Claro to top it up.") instead of letting the top-up fail. Numbers you recharge are saved under Your numbers, so the next top-up is faster.

Amounts you can load (ARS)

Carrier	Amounts
Claro	1,000; 1,500; 2,000; 2,500; 3,000; 4,000; 5,000; 6,000; 7,000; 8,000; 9,000; 10,000; 13,000; 15,000; 20,000; 30,000; 34,000; 40,000; 45,000; 52,000; 58,000
Personal	1,000; 2,000; 5,000; 10,000; 15,000; 20,000; 25,000; 30,000
Tuenti	5,000; 10,000; 15,000; 20,000; 25,000; 30,000; 35,000; 40,000

Amounts as of October 2026. The app shows what is available at that moment.

What about Movistar?

Movistar is not available in the CacaoCash app today. To recharge a Movistar line, pay cash at a kiosk or supermarket or use the Mi Movistar app with a card.

Credit vs data packs

A top-up adds credit (saldo) to the line. It does not buy a data pack by itself. Once the saldo is there, you use it to buy a pack: usually in the carrier's app (Mi Claro, Mi Personal). Pack sizes and prices change often, so check them in the carrier app before you choose how much to load. The same apps show your current balance.

Tips before you recharge

Double-check the number. Credit sent to the wrong line usually cannot be reversed. The app catches a wrong carrier, but not a wrong digit inside a valid number.
Mind the format. Drop the 0 before the area code and the 15 before the number. Outside Buenos Aires the area code is longer and the number shorter, but you still drop the 0 and the 15.
Load enough for the pack you want. Look up the pack price in the carrier app first, then pick the closest amount above it.
Read the total. The review screen shows the exact USD amount, fee included. The quote is valid for 10 minutes, so confirm or start again if you step away.

What it costs, honestly

CacaoCash charges top-ups in USD at about 1,470 pesos per dollar, plus a US$0.25 service fee per order. Example from October 2026: an ARS 9,000 Claro top-up cost US$6.11 plus the US$0.25 fee. That rate is close to what a foreign card gets in Argentina (≈ 1,465 per dollar), not the crypto dollar (≈ 1,603) you get when you pay QR codes or send pesos to an alias with CacaoCash.

So for phone credit, the advantage is convenience, not the rate: it works from a foreign balance, from anywhere, at 3 a.m., with no DNI and no trip to a kiosk. If you already hold cash pesos, a kiosk is about as cheap, and for big amounts it can be slightly cheaper. Our guide on the card dollar vs the crypto dollar explains why the rates differ, and today's numbers are on the Argentina dollar rate page.

Topping up a relative's phone from abroad

CacaoCash takes any Argentine Claro, Personal or Tuenti prepaid number, not only yours. Your mother in Córdoba, your partner's brother, the student you sponsor: enter their number, pick an amount and the credit lands in minutes, while you pay from a USD balance wherever you are.

If they are on Movistar, or you would rather let them choose, send pesos instead. A transfer to their alias lets them recharge any carrier themselves and spend the rest on whatever they need, and with CacaoCash that transfer uses the crypto dollar. If alias, CVU and CBU are new to you, read CBU vs CVU vs alias explained; for larger amounts, compare options in our guide to sending money to Argentina from abroad.

Getting a prepaid line as a foreigner

Argentine lines must be registered with an ID. Under ENACOM rules, non-resident foreigners register with a passport. Claro and Movistar usually need a store visit; Personal has also let passport holders sign up online. Once you have the line, any of the top-up methods above works.

Short stay? You can skip a local line entirely. A data-only eSIM covers maps, WhatsApp and payments; see our guide to eSIM for Argentina.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I top up an Argentine phone with a foreign card?

Sometimes. Carrier apps accept foreign cards only some of the time. International sites like Ding and BOSS Revolution take foreign cards with their own rates and fees. CacaoCash avoids the card problem: you fund a USD balance and recharge from it.

Can I top up Movistar with CacaoCash?

No. Today the app recharges Claro, Personal and Tuenti. For Movistar, use a kiosk or Mi Movistar.

How long does a top-up take?

In CacaoCash the credit usually arrives in seconds, and at most a few minutes after you see "Recharge sent".

What if the top-up fails?

If the payment goes through but the carrier does not deliver the credit, write to info@cacaocash.com with the number and the time, and support resolves it.

Does it work for contract (abono) lines?

No. Top-ups are for prepaid lines only. Contract lines are billed monthly by the carrier.

Can I top up from outside Argentina?

Yes. You only need the CacaoCash app and a USD balance. The number must be Argentine; where you are does not matter.

Top up in a minute

Fund a USD balance once, verify with your passport, and recharge any Claro, Personal or Tuenti line in a couple of minutes, yours or your family's. Get CacaoCash.

Amounts and prices checked October 2026.