In this article, we’ve collected important information about money in Bali: the Indonesian currency, exchanging money, and our tips on exchanging cash, using your bank card, and tipping
Local currency
The country’s currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR), and it is preferred in many restaurants and shops. Banknotes in circulation are 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000. Coins are 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000. Importing and exporting foreign currency is not restricted, but rupiah is restricted to no more than 100 million. While no one will refuse US dollars, they may exchange them at an unfavorable rate for you, so it’s always better to have local currency with you
Currency exchange
There are no problems with exchanging money on the island. The main things you will need are your passport and the name of the hotel where you are staying
What currency should you bring to Bali? It’s best to bring US dollars. Many tourists arrive with Russian rubles and Ukrainian hryvnias and face difficulties exchanging them. You can exchange this money, but not everywhere and not at the best rate — and they may add a commission. Most often, it will be at the worst rate. It’s also important to remember that, as in most Asian countries, only US dollar bills issued after 2003 are accepted
You can exchange foreign currency at an exchange office, a bank, or a hotel. The only difference is that hotels always offer a slightly lower rate, just like airports. If you arrive at night and need cash, exchange a small amount
We’ll also share a few tips for safe currency exchange:
- Avoid exchanging money at hidden exchange booths (for example, at the end of a street or in a corner behind a shop), because you risk losing your money altogether. Exchange currency only at authorized exchange offices and banks. You can recognize them easily: they have an indoor office with a door, a security guard, and air conditioning inside
- Don’t chase a high exchange rate. In Bali, most exchange offices follow the same rate. The difference is usually small. But very often you can find small exchange booths on the streets and in back alleys offering an obviously inflated rate. This is done intentionally to attract naive tourists and trick them. The scam scheme looks simple at first: they give you cash in small bills and short you during the counting. They do it expertly. Even we, living here and knowing all the details of this “art,” sometimes still wonder how they manage it. From our experience, some tourists know about this scam and still go to test themselves in this roulette. In the end, the result is always the same — no matter how attentive and careful they are. So our advice is: don’t ruin your vacation and your nerves, and use a reputable exchange office
- Avoid exchanging money on weekends and Indonesian national holidays. The rate is less favorable, as exchange workers take precautions to avoid losing money because the official rate is not available to everyone while banks are closed
Bank card
A week before departure, inform your bank about your trip to Bali and provide the travel dates so they can remove filters. Many banks really do block cards when their use in certain countries is considered risky, in order to limit fraud and protect your money. It would be a shame to waste time trying to contact your bank from Bali just to be able to use your card — especially with the time difference
You can withdraw money from your bank card using one of the many ATMs available in all tourist areas of Bali. However, we want to warn you: in many Asian countries, and more and more often in Europe recently, criminals install skimmers on outdoor ATMs. These are hidden devices designed to steal your bank card details in order to access your funds
There are two safest ways to avoid this:
- Don’t keep all your money on your card. It’s best to keep most funds in your account and transfer only the necessary amount to the card for withdrawal. Nowadays, with your bank’s app on your phone and internet access in almost any café or hotel, you can easily make transfers. Don’t be lazy — and you won’t be scammed
- Before traveling, get a “disposable” card. This means opening a separate card and transferring only the amount you need for withdrawals
In both cases, after returning home, you should replace these cards. There have been many cases where scammers withdrew all the funds from a card six months or even more than a year later
Credit card
Nowadays, more and more restaurants and shops accept credit cards — especially in tourist areas, where this is growing fast. But don’t rely on your credit card the way you would in a Western country. Cash is often the only acceptable payment method, so it’s better to be safe and carry Indonesian rupiah with you. Especially in remote areas, a credit card will be of little use to you
Visa and MasterCard are the most popular credit cards in Bali. Some hotels and restaurants accept Amex, and Diners Club even less
Keep in mind that a fee of 3% and sometimes even 5% is often charged for credit card transactions. This happens because credit card companies keep this percentage for themselves, and providers in Bali pass this fee on to the customer
