Track your spending in Argentina, in pesos and dollars

Which dollar rate Kesef uses

Argentina has several dollar rates at the same time. Between pesos and dollars, Kesef uses the DolarApp rate, taken from CriptoYa: the midpoint between buy and sell at the moment you log the expense. That rate stays fixed for that expense, so last month doesn't shrink or grow when the dollar moves.

infoIt isn't the official Central Bank rate, and it isn't what your foreign card will charge. Every expense also keeps its original currency, so nothing is lost if you compare with your statement.

Mercado Pago, logged on its own with Kesef Pro

Mercado Pago is how a lot of Argentina pays: QR codes at the grocery store, transfers to your landlord, purchases online. With Kesef Pro you connect your account once and those movements come in with the merchant and a suggested category. Kesef can't pay or move your money, and an installment purchase made through Mercado Pago arrives as one movement for the total.

Cash, installments and the asado

Cash is still everywhere, from the corner store to the plumber, and no app sees it. In Kesef you dictate it right after paying; with a peso account, "groceries, 32000" is ARS 32,000.

Argentine cards offer "cuotas sin interés", equal monthly payments without interest. Pick your credit card, enter the total and the number of installments, and Kesef places each one in its month with a reminder the day before.

For shared costs, from an asado with friends to a trip to Bariloche, a group keeps the balance: everyone logs what they paid and Kesef tells who owes whom, in fewer transfers if you turn on simplify debts.

Examples in pesos and dollars

• ExampleRent in dollars, the rest in pesosYour apartment is USD 700 a month and you log it as a recurring expense in dollars. Your monthly total in pesos includes it at that day's DolarApp rate.
• ExampleGroceries paid by QR with Mercado PagoYou scan a QR code at the supermarket and pay ARS 48,000 with Mercado Pago. With Kesef Pro and your account connected, the purchase shows up with the merchant and a category.
• ExampleAn asado for sixYou pay ARS 90,000 for the asado and log it in your friends' group, split six ways: Kesef shows each of them owes you ARS 15,000.
• ExampleYour phone plan with PersonalPersonal is on the list of suggested recurring bills in Argentina: you pick it, enter ARS 25,000 and a category, and it repeats every month.

Argentine wallets, banks and bills, already on the list

When Kesef sees you're in Argentina, from your currency or your phone's time zone, it suggests the payment methods locals use, with their logos: Mercado Pago, Ualá, Cuenta DNI, Brubank, Lemon, Naranja X, Galicia, Santander, BBVA, Banco Nación and others, plus Visa, Mastercard and Amex. For recurring bills it offers the power and gas companies, phone carriers and private health plans, like Edenor, Metrogas, Personal or OSDE; you set the amount.

infoChoosing Ualá or Galicia only labels how you paid. The one account Kesef can read on its own is Mercado Pago, with Kesef Pro.

The app speaks Argentine Spanish when your phone is set to it, so locals in your shared groups see it in their own words, while you keep it in English.

Everything else Kesef does

• Category budgets that tell you how much you can spend per day until the period ends.
• Savings goals with their contributions.
• Groups to split expenses with an invite link, free for everyone who joins.
• Recurring expenses, like a subscription, that repeat on their own.
• A calendar with what you spent each day and what's coming.
• A Chat you can ask about your own spending.

Downloading and using Kesef is free, on iPhone and Android. Kesef Pro is an optional subscription that removes ads and limits, and you see its price in the store before subscribing.

Keep reading

• Track spending across currencies without doing the maths yourselfHow Kesef handles several currencies.
• Your Mercado Pago spending, logged on its ownThe Mercado Pago connection, in detail.
• Split the household bills without keeping score in your headGroups for flats, trips and dinners.
• What is the MEP dollar?What the MEP dollar is, in the glossary.