Chile
Santiago has excellent metro. Cabify, Uber, and DiDi all compete; PedidosYa and Uber Eats lead food delivery, with Rappi third.
🚖Rideshare & Taxi
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Strong in Spain and Latin America. Often more reliable in mid-size cities.
Reliable in Santiago.
The most widely available rideshare service globally. Works in 70+ countries.
Wide coverage.
China's dominant ride-hailing app, also big in Latin America. China uses a separate app (DiDi China) from the DiDi Rider app used everywhere else.
Often cheapest.
🗺️Navigation & Maps
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Works almost everywhere except mainland China. Offline maps are critical when roaming.
Reliable for walking, driving and Santiago transit.
📱Messaging
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The dominant messenger in Europe, Latin America, India, Middle East, Africa.
Universal.
🍱Food Delivery
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Latin America super-app: food, groceries, pharmacy, cash withdrawal.
Food, groceries, pharmacy — third here behind PedidosYa and Uber Eats.
Latin America's home-grown delivery app — the most used in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and several Central American and Caribbean countries.
Most-used food delivery in Chile, ahead of Uber Eats and Rappi.
Wide coverage in US, UK, Japan, Australia, parts of Europe and LATAM.
Second-biggest delivery app in Chile, behind PedidosYa.
Is Chile one stop of several?
Add your other destinations and get one combined app list, with the adapters and currencies for the whole trip.
The practical basics
Power & plugs
- Plug type
- C / L
- Voltage
- 220V
- Frequency
- 50Hz
- Type C: Two round pins. Used across most of Europe, South America, parts of Asia and Africa.
- Type L: Three round pins in a line. Used in Italy and Chile.
Italian-style plugs alongside European Type C.
Tipping
Tipping is customary in restaurants at 10%, often suggested on the bill as 'propina'; you are not required to pay it but it is expected for table service. Taxis are not tipped, though rounding up is appreciated.
CurrencyCLP
Spanish you'll actually use
Etiquette and scams to know
✓ Do
- Greet with a single kiss on the right cheek between women and between men and women; men shake hands with each other
- Use 'usted' (formal you) with strangers and elders until invited to use the casual 'tu'
- Wait for the host to say 'salud' before drinking, and maintain eye contact when toasting
- Keep good table manners, using utensils for most foods including fries and pizza rather than hands
- Be punctual for business but expect social events to start later than stated
- Show interest in Chile's distinct identity, wine, and culture rather than lumping it with other countries
✕Don't
- Do not compare Chile unfavorably to Argentina or Peru, or assume the countries are interchangeable
- Do not eat food with your hands in formal settings, as it is considered impolite
- Do not make jokes about the Pinochet era or politics with people you do not know well, as it remains sensitive
- Do not yawn in public without covering your mouth, which is seen as rude
⚠️ Common scams to know
- Distraction thefts where someone spills liquid or mustard on you, then an accomplice grabs your bag while 'helping' clean it
- Pickpockets and bag-snatchers in crowded areas of Santiago and Valparaiso, especially on public transport and at markets
- Taxi drivers without meters or taking long routes; use official airport taxis, agreed fares, or apps like Uber and Cabify
- Counterfeit banknotes given as change; check large bills, as Chilean notes have clear security features
This page was last reviewed in September 2026. Apps launch, rebrand and pull out of countries all the time, so confirm anything your trip depends on. Spotted something out of date? Tell us — here's how we check.