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.

Tipping in Argentina: How Much to Tip and How Without Cash (2026)

Tipping in Argentina is customary, not mandatory: about 10% in sit-down restaurants, rounding up in taxis, a few thousand pesos for porters and parking attendants, and US$5 to US$15 per person on free walking tours. Many card terminals cannot add a tip. With no pesos, send it to an alias or pay a QR with an app like CacaoCash.

How much to tip in Argentina, by situation

This is the usual amount in each situation and how the tip is normally paid. Peso amounts are from early 2025 traveler guides; dollar amounts are what guides recommend, paid in pesos.

Situation	Usual tip	How it is normally paid
Restaurant (table service)	10% of the bill, more for great service	Cash on the table or to the waiter; card add-on only when the waiter offers it; otherwise transfer to the restaurant's alias or QR
Café	5% to 10% at a table; not expected at the counter	Cash or tip jar; alias if the café has one for tips
Bar	Not required; a few bills for good cocktails	Cash or tip jar
Delivery (PedidosYa, Rappi)	≈5% of the order	Inside the delivery app, which usually suggests an amount; or cash at the door
Taxi	Not expected; round up the fare, more if the driver helps with bags	Cash ("quedate con el cambio")
Remis or airport transfer driver	US$3 to US$5, depending on the trip	Cash, or transfer to the driver's alias
Uber	Optional; round up or a small extra	In the Uber app after rating the trip (up to 30 days later), or cash
Hairdresser or barber	Rarely expected; a little extra for a regular barber or a big job	Cash, or transfer to their alias
Hotel porter	US$1 to US$2 per bag, or a few thousand pesos	Cash, handed over
Hotel housekeeping	US$1 to US$2 per night (not expected, appreciated)	Cash left in the room
Tour guide (paid tour)	≈10% of a private tour; US$5 to US$10 per person on a group tour	Cash at the end; some guides share an alias or QR
Free walking tour	US$5 to US$15 per person (the tip is the price)	Cash at the end; some guides take transfers or online payment
Parking attendant ("trapito")	A few thousand pesos; ARS 5,000+ in Palermo or Recoleta; ARS 10,000+ near big events	Cash, often half when you park and half when you leave

Assumptions: restaurant figure from Argentina's official tourism site (October 2026); café, delivery, taxi, porter, guide, trapito and hairdresser figures from Landing Pad BA (January 2025); housekeeping and transfer drivers from Andean Trails (September 2024); free tours from GuruWalk and Andean Trails. Peso amounts lose value with inflation, so treat them as a floor. Delivery ≈5% is a common guideline, not a rule.

Is tipping in Argentina expected?

In restaurants, yes. The official tourism site of Argentina calls tipping "not mandatory, but a widespread custom" and puts the usual amount at 10% of the total. In bars, cafés at the counter, taxis and hairdressers it is optional and rounding up is normal. Tips matter more where the service is personal: guides, porters and the people who watch your car.

Cubierto is not a tip

Many restaurants add a cubierto or servicio de mesa, a per-person charge for bread and table setting. It goes to the restaurant, not the waiter, so the 10% tip is still on top. If you want to understand every line of the bill, see how to read menus and bills in Argentina.

Why the card terminal often can't add a tip

On paper, Argentina moved toward digital tips: Decreto 731/2024 (published August 2024) asks restaurants, hotels and similar businesses to let customers tip from a digital wallet, and requires payment processors to offer a tip option at checkout with no extra fee. In practice, many terminals (the posnet) still have no tip line, and the waiter cannot add the tip to the card charge. The official tourism site puts it carefully: "in some cases" the waiter will ask if you want to add a tip to the card total. When that does not happen, the fix is to ask for an alias:

"¿Puedo dejar la propina con la tarjeta?" (Can I add the tip to the card?)
"¿Me pasás un alias para la propina?" (Can you give me an alias for the tip?)

Some places have a shared tip account that staff split later; others will give you the waiter's own alias. Either way it is normal, and waiters are used to it.

How to tip in Argentina without cash

If you have no pesos, you have three real options:

Add it to the card, when the terminal and the waiter allow it. A foreign card is charged at the non-resident card rate, ≈1,465 ARS per USD in October 2026, plus whatever your bank adds. Wise and Revolut cards work the same way here.
Send it to an alias. An alias is a short, word-based name for an Argentine account (for example nombre.apellido.mp). With CacaoCash you type the alias, enter the amount in pesos, check the name that appears and confirm. The money comes from your USD balance, the person receives pesos and pays nothing to receive them. New to alias, CVU and CBU? Read CBU vs CVU vs alias.
Pay a QR. If the restaurant, guide or driver shows a Mercado Pago, MODO or bank QR, scan it with CacaoCash and type the tip amount. No DNI or Argentine bank account needed; registration uses your passport.

CacaoCash charges a 2.5% fee per QR payment or peso transfer, shown before you confirm (see fees). Even with that fee, the crypto dollar it uses gives you ≈6% to 10% more pesos than a foreign card. CacaoCash cannot add a tip inside Uber, PedidosYa or Rappi; those tips go through each app's own payment method, or in cash.

Always check that the name shown for the alias or QR is the person or the business you mean to pay. A transfer to the wrong alias is hard to reverse; see money scams in Argentina.

What a tip costs you in dollars

Tip in pesos	With CacaoCash (≈1,559, fee included)	Foreign card (≈1,465)
ARS 2,000 (rounding up a taxi, a café)	≈ US$1.28	≈ US$1.37
ARS 5,000 (porter, trapito in Palermo)	≈ US$3.21	≈ US$3.41
ARS 10,000 (10% on a dinner for two)	≈ US$6.41	≈ US$6.83
ARS 20,000 (free walking tour for two)	≈ US$12.83	≈ US$13.65

Assumptions: October 2026 rates. CacaoCash ≈1,559 ARS per dollar charged, which already includes the 2.5% fee (≈1,598 before it). Foreign card at the Fiserv non-resident rate ≈1,465, before your bank's foreign transaction fee. Rates move daily: see the live Argentina dollar rate and card dollar vs crypto dollar.

When you still want some cash

Taxi drivers, trapitos, housekeeping and street performers are still mostly cash. A small stash of pesos in small notes covers them. If you need to get some, compare options in how to withdraw cash in Argentina with low fees, and for everything else see how to pay in Argentina as a foreigner.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do you tip at a restaurant in Argentina?

About 10% of the bill, a bit more for great service. The cubierto is a separate charge for the restaurant, not a tip.

Can I add the tip to my card in Argentina?

Sometimes. Some waiters will ask and add it, but many terminals have no tip option. If not, ask for the alias and send the tip by transfer, or leave cash.

How do I tip without pesos?

Ask for the alias of the waiter or the restaurant and send the tip from an app like CacaoCash, or pay their QR. It is paid from your USD balance, with a 2.5% fee shown before you confirm, and the person receives pesos.

Do you tip Uber drivers in Argentina?

It is optional. You can add a tip in the Uber app after rating the trip, for up to 30 days, or give the driver cash.

How much should I tip on a free walking tour in Buenos Aires?

US$5 to US$15 per person in pesos is the usual range, depending on length and how much you enjoyed it. The tip is how the guide gets paid.

Tip like a local, even with no cash

Keep the table above handy, and when the posnet can't add the tip, ask for the alias. Get CacaoCash to send it from your dollars.

Checked October 2026.

Sources

Argentina.travel (official tourism site): how much to tip at a bar or restaurant (October 2026).
Landing Pad BA: tipping and gratuities in Argentina (January 2025).
Andean Trails: tipping and gratuity guide for Argentina (September 2024).
GuruWalk: free tours in Buenos Aires.
Uber Argentina: tips in the app.
Boletín Oficial: Decreto 731/2024, propinas (August 2024).