Why keep separate accounts per currency?
Pesos and dollars live side by side in a travel agency: the passenger pays in one currency, the operator gets paid in another and the bank holds accounts in both. If balances are added up after converting them to one currency, the cash changes value every time the rate moves, even when no money came in or went out.
That is why it pays to keep one account for each place that holds money (cash, bank, wallet, card) and a single currency per account. The total in pesos and the total in dollars are read separately.
How do you record a payment in another currency?
When a passenger pays a dollar booking in pesos, the payment has two sides: the pesos that come into the cash and the dollars that come off their debt. What links the two is the exchange rate, which should be saved with its source and its date:
- Official: the Banco de la Nación rate.
- MEP or Blue: the market rates used in many transactions.
- Manual: the rate agreed with the passenger.
With the rate saved, anyone on the team can later work out how much was collected and why the balance ended up where it did.
If you later invoice in dollars, the invoice carries a different rate: Banco de la Nación's selling rate for the business day before the invoice, under RG 5616/2024. It can differ from the rate used for the payment.
How much of the cash belongs to the agency?
Not everything in the cash belongs to the agency: part of it is already owed to operators for bookings that have been collected but not yet paid. The net position shows it for each currency:
| Item | USD |
|---|---|
| Balance in accounts | 12,000 |
| Plus: owed by passengers | 8,000 |
| Minus: owed to operators | 15,000 |
| Net position | 5,000 |
In the example, the agency has USD 12,000 in its accounts but owes USD 15,000 to operators: what it keeps depends on collecting the USD 8,000 still due. Looking only at the bank balance leads to spending money that belongs to third parties.
How do you reconcile the cash with the bank?
Every week, or at least every month, compare each account's balance with the bank statement or with a count of the cash. Record any difference as an adjustment (a shortfall or a surplus) with its reason, instead of editing old movements: that way the history stays intact.
The agency's expenses (rent, salaries, utilities) go into the same cash, in their account and currency, so each balance matches the real one.
How does Tripwise handle it?
In Tripwise cash flow, each agency account (cash, bank, wallet or card) carries one currency and its balance. Payments from passengers and payments to operators land in their account automatically, expenses are recorded in the same place, and balances are squared with shortfall or surplus adjustments.
The position shows, per currency, how much of the balance belongs to operators and how much is available. Cross-currency payments save the exchange rate with its source (Official, Blue, MEP or manual) and its date (Multi-currency), and each payment issues its payment receipt.
Sources
- Cotizaciones del dólar (billete y divisa) · Banco de la Nación Argentina, checked on October 29, 2026
- ARCA, Resolución General 5616/2024: condición frente al IVA del receptor y comprobantes en moneda extranjera · Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina, checked on October 29, 2026
This guide is for information. For your specific case, ask your accountant.