Banks are open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. Bank customers have preferential treatment with separate lines and more bank tellers, while non-customers have to wait patiently. Go before lunchtime or you will have to wait in a long line for more than an hour.

In general, bank tellers only speak Spanish. If you don’t have a Chilean RUT card (national identity card) you will need your passport as a form of ID for most transactions. If you are cashing a check, don’t be surprised if the staff asks to make a photocopy of your passport and take a fingerprint.

In order to open a bank account in Chile you must have a residency visa and a salary of at least $1600 paid into your account monthly.

ATMs in Chile are called Redbancs or cajero automático. Most cajeros accept Maestro, Cirrus, Visa and Mastercards. The maximum withdrawal is $200,000 Chilean pesos per day (about $345 USD). Foreigners are charged around $7 USD per withdrawal depending on the exchange rates. Credit cards are accepted in many restaurants, shops and supermarkets but you will need your passport as proof of identity.