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.

Does Argentina Use PayPal, Venmo, Cash App or Zelle? (2026)

Mostly no. Venmo, Cash App and Zelle do not work in Argentina: they need US accounts and cannot pay an Argentine person or shop. PayPal exists, but locals use it to get paid from abroad. Argentines pay each other by transfer to an alias or CVU, by Mercado Pago or MODO QR, and in cash.

A visitor can do the first two from a USD balance with an app like CacaoCash. Below is the app by app answer, what locals actually use, and how to pay like them without a DNI. For the full picture of paying in the country, start with how to pay in Argentina as a foreigner.

Does Argentina use PayPal, Venmo, Cash App or Zelle? App by app

App	Pay an Argentine person?	Pay a Mercado Pago or MODO QR?	Can the Argentine turn it into pesos? At what cost?
PayPal	Yes, if they have a PayPal account (many freelancers do, most shopkeepers do not)	No	Yes, withdrawal to a peso account: 3.5% conversion spread plus ARS 75 per withdrawal. From a US account you also pay 5% (max US$4.99) to send abroad
Venmo	No. Venmo does not sign in from outside the US, and its PayPal link for international payments does not include Argentina	No	Not applicable
Cash App	No. Sending, adding money and cashing out only work in the US and UK	No	Not applicable
Zelle	No. Sender and recipient both need a US bank account	No	Not applicable
Wise	Only to an Argentine bank account (CBU), only from the UK, Europe or Australia (from the US it is waitlisted), and not to an alias	No	Arrives in pesos at the official rate, a few percent below the crypto dollar, plus the Wise fee
Revolut	No peso transfers. Revolut does not serve the public in Argentina yet (launch planned for 2027)	No	Not applicable

Assumptions: fees from PayPal's Argentina fee page (updated September 2026) and US fee page (updated May 2026), Venmo, Cash App and Zelle help centers, and Wise and Revolut checks, all read in October 2026. PayPal converts at its own base rate; the 3.5% is charged on top.

The Wise and Revolut cards do work at card terminals and ATMs in Argentina, at the non-resident card rate. Details in does Wise work in Argentina and does Revolut work in Argentina.

Does PayPal work in Argentina?

Yes, but not as a way to pay for things day to day. PayPal Argentina accounts hold dollars, and Argentines mainly use them to get paid by foreign clients. Receiving a personal payment is free when there is no currency conversion. Turning it into pesos is where the cost sits: PayPal charges 3.5% over its base rate to convert and ARS 75 per withdrawal to an Argentine bank account (PayPal Argentina fees, September 2026).

From a US PayPal account, a payment to someone in another country costs 5% with a minimum of US$0.99 and a maximum of US$4.99, and 4% on the exchange rate if they receive a different currency (PayPal US fees, May 2026). So paying your Airbnb host or a tour guide in Argentina through PayPal works only if they agree to it, and they lose part of it on the way to pesos.

No café, kiosk or market takes PayPal at the counter, and PayPal cannot scan a Mercado Pago QR.

Does Venmo, Cash App or Zelle work in Argentina?

Venmo: no. Venmo says you cannot sign in to your account while you are outside the US. Since March 2026 Venmo can send to PayPal users in some other countries, but Argentina is not on the list.
Cash App: no. Cash App says sending P2P payments, adding funds and cashing out are unavailable outside the US and UK. The Cash Card still works abroad like any foreign card.
Zelle: no. Zelle requires both sender and recipient to have US bank accounts.

The useful part: the dollars sitting in those apps are not stuck. You can move them into a USD wallet that pays pesos (see the last section).

What Argentines actually use to pay each other

Transfers to an alias or CVU. The everyday P2P payment. Rent, a landlord, a tour guide, a dog walker, your share of dinner, a tip: someone gives you an alias (a word like sol.rio.mate) and you send pesos to it. Transfers between banks and wallets arrive in seconds. If the terms are new, read CBU vs CVU vs alias explained.
QR codes. Shops, cafés, taxis, markets and kiosks show a Mercado Pago or MODO QR. Many small places are QR first, some are QR or cash only.
Cash pesos. Still common, and still the fallback when the QR is down.
Cards. Bigger shops, restaurants and supermarkets take Visa and Mastercard, including foreign ones, at the card rate.

So the Argentine equivalent of "Venmo me" is "pasame por alias" (send it to my alias). The catch for a visitor: Mercado Pago and Argentine bank apps need a DNI, so you cannot open one. See Mercado Pago for foreigners.

How to pay like a local as a visitor

CacaoCash is a USD app for foreigners in Argentina. You sign up with your passport, with no DNI, no Argentine bank account and no Argentine phone number, and from your dollar balance you can:

Send pesos to any alias, CVU or CBU. The person receives pesos in their bank or Mercado Pago account and pays nothing.
Pay any Mercado Pago or MODO QR, plus the interoperable QR codes of Argentine banks.
See the cost before you confirm. Each QR payment or peso transfer has a 2.5% fee, shown on the screen before you pay. Full breakdown on the fees page.

You load the balance by bank transfer (ACH, SEPA, SWIFT) or crypto. If your dollars are in PayPal or Venmo, you can send PYUSD to your CacaoCash deposit address (step by step); from Cash App, you can send USDC (step by step).

What it does not do: it cannot receive pesos (there is no alias or CVU of your own), and it does not pay inside Uber, PedidosYa or Cabify.

How much you get: CacaoCash vs a foreign card

US$50 spent in pesos	Pesos received
CacaoCash (crypto dollar, 2.5% fee included)	≈ 77,900 ARS
Foreign card, no FX fee	≈ 73,250 ARS
Foreign card with a 3% FX fee	≈ 71,100 ARS

Assumptions: October 2026. CacaoCash ≈1,559 ARS per dollar charged (≈1,598 before the fee); foreign cards settle at the non-resident card rate, ≈1,465 (Fiserv/Posnet). Rates move daily.

That is about 6% to 10% more pesos than a foreign card, even after the fee. Why the two rates differ is explained in card dollar vs crypto dollar, and today's numbers are on the Argentina dollar rate page.

Frequently Asked Questions