Check Chile's official entry rules for the passport you will use, since visa requirements depend on nationality. If your trip includes Rapa Nui, complete its separate FUI before departure, hold a return ticket and a booking at a SERNATUR-authorized accommodation, and respect the 30-day maximum stay. Cards are widely used in cities, but carry some Chilean pesos for markets, smaller businesses, regional buses and places with weak connectivity. In Santiago, contactless Visa and Mastercard work directly on Metro and MetroTren Nos, but not yet on Red buses; a physical Bip card remains the simplest visitor option when buses are involved. App-based rides operate widely, although Chile's new transport-app law was still awaiting its completed regulation at this review date. At Santiago airport, use a transport desk inside the terminal, an official airport transfer or the pickup instructions shown in your app, and ignore unsolicited drivers. Phone and bag theft is a real risk in crowded transport, restaurants and tourist areas. Keep the phone out of sight near the street, watch your luggage, and call 133 for police, 131 for an ambulance or 132 for fire services. Follow SENAPRED alerts and local evacuation instructions during earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires or volcanic activity.
A visitor does not need a Chilean payment app.
Visa and Mastercard cards are widely used in cities, and the Central Bank's 2025 survey places debit ahead of cash among residents, but cash remains important for fairs, low-value purchases, some public transport and small or remote businesses. Carry at least two physical cards from different networks and a modest reserve of Chilean pesos rather than depending only on a phone wallet. Foreign-issued prepaid or digital-first cards can be refused even when ordinary bank cards work. Tell the terminal operator whether the card should be processed as crédito or débito, check the displayed amount, shield the PIN, and keep the card in sight.
If a terminal or ATM offers to convert the charge into your home currency, choose Chilean pesos so your own card network handles the conversion. Chilean ATMs commonly add a disclosed local fee and may impose a relatively low per-withdrawal limit, so read the fee screen before accepting instead of relying on an old bank-by-bank recommendation. Use machines inside a bank, shopping center or staffed area and decline help from strangers. Mercado Pago and similar wallets are designed around a local account, identity verification and country-specific payment details, including RUT fields in Chile.
They are useful to residents but not a dependable short-stay workaround. Never invent a RUT or use someone else's identity. A merchant can often accept your card directly even when its own wallet is unavailable to you.
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How to Pay in Chile