MONEY

The Indonesian Rupiah is the local currency, normally abbreviated to Rp followed by the value. Denominations of Rp.100 and 100 are in the form of coins, 500 and 1,000 are in either coins or bills, and Rp.5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 are only available in bills.

In Bali, carry a handful of Rp.10,000 to Rp.100,000 notes for your daily expenses. Backing this up with a credit card for major purchases is a good idea. Take note though, most mid-range hotels, all top-end hotels and some tourist attractions, car rental agencies and tour companies list their prices in US dollar. The Rupiah is still acceptable in these establishments but the exchange rate is usually more advantageous to the vendor than the tourist.

Changing Money
Foreign currency, whether in banknotes or traveler’s checks, should be exchanged at major banks or authorized money changers (PT. Central Kuta is highly recommended).

The US dollar and nowadays the EURO are the preferred foreign currency in Bali; bring always new, clean US$ bank notes which are not damaged in any way. Yes new, even in perfect condition a dollar bill from 2006 might not be accepted. But for any currency watchout that the condition is good. If for instance a corner is missing or someone scribbled something on an otherwise perfect bill, a cut (even small) hardly any moneychanger on Bali will accept it at full value – or at all.

Exchange rates offered by money changers in Bali are generally better than by the banks, they stay open longer and transactions are faster. Sometime for US$100 notes better exchange rates are offered than for US$10 or US$20 bills.

Avoid hole-in-the-wall operators by all means, and always ask about any commission imposed before the exchange, as many money changers are advertising better rates and then simply charge a commission. Count the money you receive carefully and never ever hand it back to the money changer after you counted it!

Some of these guys are magicians, and the million you just counted suddenly is less than 700,000 Rupiah after the seller touched the bank notes again! At times you might even have a nicely printed worthless piece of paper within the stack of bills and you wonder a few hours later, what really happened.

Plastic Money
Many shops accept credit cards and charge cards but often add 2-3 percent to your bill. Visa and Mastercard are accepted by most – American Express and JCB is getting much less accepted. American Express is a memory of the past. The amount signed for and charged is in Rupiah and the bill is then converted by the clearing banks to your domestic currency.
ATM

Automatic Teller Machines are mushrooming all over the island, especially at shopping centers and bank branches. it will be easy for you to find one in any of the main tourist centres. Most of them are connected to international banking networks thus making it possible to look for machines that are affiliated with your own ATM network. You can draw usually between 1.5mio and 3mio in one go. So if you need more money you will have to pull several times adding to the bank charges, as each transaction counts!
There should be a sticker on the machine, that says either 50.000 or 100.000. Like this you will know what bills you will receive. Naturally, the ones with 100.000Rp bills can go up to 2.5 or 3mio.

Banks, Moneygram, Western Union Bali
Most major banks have branches in the main tourist centers and provincial capitals. Monday to Friday and until 11 a.m. on Saturdays. Moneygram, Western Union places are opening, if you are in need to receive quick cash from abroad.