How to use Pix as a foreigner in Brazil
Pix is how Brazil pays for almost everything. Here is how a foreigner can pay by Pix straight from a dollar balance, and what to know about receiving.
Why you cannot avoid Pix in Brazil
- A foreign card applies a 2% to 5% markup over the real rate — the card network's conversion spread plus any foreign transaction fee from your home bank — and cannot pay a Pix key.
- Cash from a câmbio booth carries a dólar turismo spread and is awkward to carry.
- Many places simply prefer, or only take, Pix.
The catch for foreigners
How Ruvo lets you pay by Pix from dollars
What about receiving by Pix
Day to day in Brazil
- Rent and bills to a landlord’s key.
- Restaurants, markets and rides by QR code.
- Paying or splitting with friends instantly.
Paying in Brazil: method comparison
| Aspect | Foreign card | Cash | Ruvo Pix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost above real rate | ~2%–5% | ~2%–4% | ~0.9% |
| Pix payments | No | No | Yes |
| Accepted everywhere in Brazil | Card terminals only | Cash vendors only | Yes |
| Convert only what you spend | No | No | Yes |
| Time to set up | None | Câmbio visit | Minutes |
Yes. With Ruvo you hold dollars and pay reais by Pix to any key or QR code, converting only what you spend, with 0% IOF.
Paying out by Pix does not require registering your own key. Receiving into a Pix key does need a CPF, which many foreigners living in Brazil obtain.
Yes. A foreign card applies a 2% to 5% markup over the real rate — the card network's spread plus any foreign transaction fee from your home bank — and cannot pay a Pix key. Paying by Pix from Ruvo is 0.5% to convert, with 0% IOF and no network markup.
Yes. Pix runs around the clock, including weekends and public holidays — one of its key advantages over older bank transfers (TED/DOC), which only process during business hours. When you pay from Ruvo by Pix, the recipient gets it instantly, any time.
Any merchant or individual with a Pix key or QR code can receive from Ruvo. This covers restaurants, markets, landlords, rideshare apps, delivery platforms and people. If a place takes Pix, Ruvo pays it.
Ruvo converts your dollar balance to reais at the commercial rate with a 0.5% fee for personal accounts. There is no tourist rate, no IOF and no hidden markup. You see the rate before confirming each payment.
