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Indonesian Currency Exchange
Click the appropriate above link to find out
how many Indonesian Rupiah a single
unit of your home currency is worth.
Quite a bit huh?! 
When you consider a nice large cold bottle of Bintang (at some bars)
will cost you around 10,000 Rp, and a decent meal for one at quite
a nice (tourist) restaurant under 80,000 Rp, and a recent release
CD around 80,000 Rp, you can see your money can go a long way in
Bali / Lombok. But, as you are unable to bring more than 5,000,000
Rp into the country, you will have to exchange most, if not all
of your currency there.
The rest of this page deals with the options, and some very important
advice on how to avoid getting "ripped off".
Bali web site owners, have you checked out our Featured
Sites Page?
"Balifiles" - Don't be shy to suggest extra text, links
or other information.
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So, what is the best method of bringing foreign currency in and exchanging
it? Well, you obviously have four options. Cash, travellers checks, credit
and debit cards.
Travellers checks do give you extra security,
but you usually pay charges to get them in the first place, and get a
slightly lower rate when you actually come to exchange them. Also, away
from the major banks, money changers & hotels in Kuta / Sanur / Ubud,
you may have trouble finding anywhere that will exchange them.
Money speaks louder than words, especially
the US$! Because Bali & Lombok are relatively crime free, you do not
have to worry quite so much as you might in other countries. However,
be well warned, bag snatching, young women being over friendly with their
hands, belongings disappearing from the beach, pick-pocketing on bemos
(buses), car and hotel room break-ins do occur. If you are staying in
a fairly high standard of hotel, no problem, they'll have security boxes.
If you're travelling around, you can rent security boxes at certain money
changers. Or you can wear discrete, slim-line body "belts".
There are plenty of places to change hard currency in the main tourist
areas; banks and money changers. They advertise their rates quite clearly
outside.
If you are changing US$, you will find most changers have similarly competitive
rates. If you are changing another currency, shop around, as some changers
penalize other currencies with poorer rates. Also, the higher the denomination
of bill / bank note you are exchanging, the better the rate you will get.
That is why you often see 4 different rates on money changer boards; one
for US$100 bills, one for US$50's, one for US$20's and one for US$10's
(you may get appalling rates for anything lower). Also, if there is a
newer version / issue and you have the older one, or if your bank notes
are not brand new, you will get less! In fact, some older US dollar bills
are declined (the ones that people have managed to forge). The best US
dollar bills to have are crisp, new bills with the large head on the front.
Money changers tend to offer much better
rates than banks. Banks tend to offer much better rates than hotels and
some exchange counters at the airport. Therefore, only use money changers
and banks if you can. The only time you may have to break that "rule"
is when you first arrive and if you need to get a taxi (and don't want
the hassle of stopping at a money changers en route). In that case, if
you are bringing US$, bring all US$100 bills to get the best rate once
you are settled in your hotel, and a US$20 to change at the airport for
a taxi.
With money changers, it pays to be very careful. Although many are extremely
honest, perhaps most aren't. It often pays to avoid the changers down
the side streets who offer slightly higher, but odd rates on their boards
(e.g. Rp8,050 to the US$1, when most are offering Rp7,900). The reason
is that rate may be all they need to confuse and shortchange you. Also,
when you look at their board, check to make sure it says "No Commission",
and hold them to it.
You may want to take your own pocket calculator, in case theirs doesn't
work properly (a common trick)! Also, they like to use very big calculators
and some like to hold it right up to your face (so you can not watch the
piles of money). Once they have counted out your Rupiah into different
piles and you have also checked them / counted it out for yourself, don't
let them touch / recount the piles, as some notes may accidentally "fall"
on the floor! One way of dissuading them from recounting your money is
to keep it out of their reach and / or put elastic bands around the counted
piles. Money changers along Jl. Legian in Kuta, and those in Sanur are
the most notorious for trying to cheat people.
One last thing on the subject of changing cash, you might want to check
that the changer has Rp100,000 or Rp 50,000 bills to give you, not Rp10,000's
or, even worse, Rp5,000's. Why? Because even a US$100 worth of Rupiah
is a mighty large "wad" of notes in Rp50,000's. It's an uncomfortable
"advertisement" in Rp5,000's and harder to count!
ATM's are quite commonplace in major tourist
areas these days, and relatively reliable if you get to one before the
money runs out (imagine how quickly the ATM's in your county would run
out if your currency had suffered so). ATM's seem to prefer "CIRRUS"
to "STAR". Also, MasterCard and Visa withdrawals are possible.
But, if the money doesn't come out, let your card company know a.s.a.p.
as some unlucky people have reportedly been charged for money they did
not get! You will find plenty of ATMs in the tourist south, Ubud, Candi
Dasa and Lovina / Singaraja.
Credit Cards in most reasonable quality hotels
and restaurants are not a problem (unless you use American Express - which
they don't normally accept !). Just look out for rate hikes. Also, if
you have an older style credit card without the "SIM" (microchip)
implant, be careful whichever country you are in. Fraudsters do the "double
swipe" which gives them all the information they need from the magnetic
strip to make a duplicate! The answer? Get a modern CC or never let it
out of your sight, and never let them run it through their machine twice.
Another thing to watch out for with credit cards is giving your details
to travel agents and tour companies. Too many reports of erroneous charges
from places guests have never been to are emerging. If you pay for accommodation
online and in advance of your visit to Bali / Lombok, the order form may
be secure, but are the agent's staff? You may want to read our Name
and Shame section for more specific information on this.
As a footnote to "money", you can arrange for your bank at home
to wire you some. Opening an account while in Bali / Lombok with an Indonesian
bank is not a problem. You will need your passport when you go though.
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