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Donde Esta ” YOUR STAMP?”
The passport stamping situation is different around the world. For instance, its very ad hoc where I’ve gotten stamped in and out of the Eurozone. Sometimes a country gives me a stamp, sometimes they don’t, but I encountered a unique situation on a recent trip to Uruguay. My buddy didn’t receive a passport stamp on entry to Uruguay, and then upon exit, was questioned as to what had happened, and he couldn’t leave without one. It wasn’t his fault and with language barriers causing more problems, it was a fairly stressful situation that hopefully our experience can ease your mind if you find yourself in our shoes.
The Setup:
We’d taken the Buquebus from Buenos Aires to Colonia 2 days prior. You can read our review on the process, but essentially you pass through both immigration stations back to back. You receive an exit stamp from Argentina, and then two feet later, an entrance stamp to Uruguay. Well, that’s what happened to me.
As soon as we were on the other side of immigration, while still at the Buenos Aires port we noticed my buddy didn’t have a stamp. At the time, the most annoying part of the situation was that he didn’t have that ever coveted passport stamp. We didn’t even think it would be an issue leaving the country. We. were. wrong.
Flash forward two days.
After a great stay at the Carmelo Resort and Spa and with bellies full from the dinner the night before at the Narbona Wine Lodge we arrived at the Colonia port. We tried to check in for our Colonia Express boat ride back to Buenos Aires when we were stopped.
My buddy didn’t have an entry stamp. Technically he was a fugitive of the law, and we suddenly realized that his picture was posted on every telephone poll, empty wall, and 2 liter bottle of soda with MOST WANTED over a picture his face. I joke. But that’s how we immediately felt and luckily between the two of us we could piece together some grade school Spanish.
Resolving the problem
We were told to go to the immigration office upstairs. It’s a one room office with a single attendant. After paying a “processing fee” the attendant simply pulled open a drawer, took a passport stamp, rolled back the dates, and gave my buddy his entry stamp. Pre-dated.
We were then escorted to the Colonia Express desk, then to passport control, expedited through, and pretty much walked straight on to the boat. No questions from immigration, nothing.
Very odd.
The cost? $50
I’m sure this was an honest mistake on behalf of immigration when we entered the country, but I would heavily advise carrying some extra money on you in case this happens, but more importantly check your passport to make sure you receive the proper stamping.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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