The coin nobody wants

I got two coins in my change last Thursday at the feria. They are the same diameter, though one is slightly thinner.

the thoroughly unloved Uruguayan 50-peso coin

Here the thinner one is on the left. It’s quite plain, not at all distinctive, and just looks cheap compared to the one on the right.

the thoroughly unloved Uruguayan 50-peso coin

When you flip them over, the distinctive one clearly states its value. The other you really have to take into bright light (as I did for the picture) in order to read.

the thoroughly unloved Uruguayan 50-peso coin

Yes, that wretched coppery coin is worth FIVE TIMES the other.

Normally I get rid of them in the very next transaction, so normally I would not have one to show, but this was from my last purchase of the day.

Is it just me? I asked the cleaning girl today when she arrived. No, she confirmed, everyone hates them.

Issued in 2011, it says Bicentenario de los hechos historicos. Which means (drum roll, please) Bicentennial of historic events. What events? They’re not saying.

It’s not the first 50 peso coins, but at least the others clearly stated their denomination.

It’s an idiotic coin, produced by idiots. I will pass this one on this afternoon, when I stop by the butcher’s.

Update: done.

Moving money for cheaper

Living in one country and getting money from another can be expensive. The last time I did an international bank wire transfer, the originating bank charged USD 25 and the recipient bank USD 35. Since anything over USD 10,000 becomes a hassle, I have usually wired something less than that.

I have from time to time looked into alternatives, but they have always ended up being even more expensive.

Until now. I don’t know when it changed, but with Western Union I just picked up USD 500 cash locally for a fee of USD 5. It took, as promised, four days to get from my bank in the US to Uruguay. Had I charged it to a credit card, the fee would be USD 15 and the transfer instant. The maximum transfer without signing up for their FX service is USD 5000.

And I could have sent it in Uruguayan pesos as well. Sweet!

Western Union logo

Of course, I can’t quite make sense of their slogan, but who cares? It works. The service, not the slogan.

UPDATE: after 9-10 transfers, they suddenly cut me off for life, after informing me money was ready for pickup. No reason offered other than “know your customer,” no appeal. What a truly shitty company.

No, this is not a Cyprus-style bank run

Uruguayans apparently find nothing annoying, unnecessary, or unusual about waiting 15 or 20 minutes for an ATM (even where it replaces what used to be two ATMs).

You could always go into the bank to withdraw money, but that’s a minimum of 30,000 pesos (USD 1,600; 28% more than when we first arrived). Inside the bank, you would take a number, and often wait 45 minutes or more before getting to the counter.

That, of course, only if you happen to be there at the right time.