Best ways to spend travel money in Indonesia and Bali: Debit and prepaid cards

Indonesia has been an attractive destination for UK travellers for several decades. Be it as part of a gap year, an escape to the beaches of Bali or a surf trip, Indonesia has something for most travellers.

Low-cost travel money options for Indonesia

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Taking a debit card to Indonesia

Many debit cards on the market charge a 2–3% fee when you make a purchase or withdraw cash outside the UK. But it’s worth checking with your bank to see if this is the case and if it is, look for a debit card that waives this fee.

Compare UK debit cards with low transaction fees

Using prepaid travel cards

If you’re looking at taking a travel money card to Indonesia, do your research. There are very few decent travel money cards on the UK market that allow you to load and spend in Indonesian rupiah. The only real contender is the Wise Travel Money Card. Otherwise, there are a couple of travel cards which may be suitable to take to Indonesia, including the Travelex Travel Money Card. However, a drawback is the 5.75% currency conversion fee.

These cards should only really be considered if Indonesia is the first leg of your international holiday. The Travelex Prepaid Card offers up to 22 different international currencies and can be used all over the world. However, due to the lack of support for Indonesian rupiah, the exchange rate margin when you load the card with funds and the fee structure, there are cheaper products to use in Indonesia than a travel card.

Compare prepaid cards for travelling

Travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fee

A credit card can be useful when travelling overseas – especially when it comes to big-ticket items you may want to pay off over a couple of months, or hotel check-in where a deposit is required. Credit cards also give you access to emergency cash if you need it, and some credit cards have handy benefits like complimentary travel insurance when you charge the cost of your travel ticket to your account.

However, credit cards can be expensive, especially when it comes to withdrawing cash at an ATM. Interest is charged straight away and you’ll pay a cash advance fee.

Compare travel credit cards

Using traveller’s cheques

Traveller’s cheques may not be as popular today as they used to be but they still offer some important advantages over other forms of travel money. When travelling to Indonesia, traveller’s cheques have the added security of needing ID to be cashed. Plus, if they get lost or stolen, they can be replaced in a few days. There will also be a fee for purchasing and cashing traveller’s cheques, so check these out too.

Travel card, credit card or debit cards?

Whether you’re on a quick business trip or taking a holiday, it’s good to have an at least a couple of ways to access your money.

Most digital banking apps, which are a great option owing to very low transaction and withdrawal fees, come with either a Visa or Mastercard bank card. They work as normal bank accounts do, so the “topping up” process simply consists of transferring money into the account.

Choose a mix that suits your needs: for example a debit card for regular spending with a credit card for emergencies, or Indonesian currency supplemented by a debit card. Whatever mix you decide on, you want to have enough Indonesian currency in your pockets when travelling through Indonesia — even if it’s enough for the first couple of days.

A quick summary of travel money options for Indonesia

_{This table is a general summary of the travel money products in the market. Features and benefits can vary between cards.}

How much Rupiah do I need to bring to the Indonesia?

	Budget (cheap)	Mid-range	Luxury (high-end)
	Simple rooms less than £15	Double rooms with air-con and Wi-Fi around £25–£60	Ayana Bali resort £650–£950
	Cheap street meals from £1	Average full meal £1.50–£3	Western food £6
	Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park £12-15	Mt. Batur hike £24–£40	2-Day All-Inclusive Orangutan Trek in Bukit Lawang £85+

^{*Prices are approximate and are subject to change.}

Exchange rate history (GBP to IDR)

A guide to Indonesian banknotes and coins

Indonesian banknotes are quite different to those we have in the UK so you may want to familiarise yourself with the notes before heading there:

Card acceptance

You will be able to use your existing ATM card in most places where merchants display the same logo as the one on your card. Mastercard and Visa have wide acceptance in Bali.

Bottom line

Choose a mix of travel money products that suits your needs. For example, if you’re going to Bali, you can readily use a debit card for regular spending with a credit card for emergencies. As a general rule, it’s probably a good idea to carry enough Indonesian cash on you to cover emergencies, supplemented by a debit card.

While prepaid travel money cards can be useful, there are very few of them that carry Indonesian rupiah.

Make sure you’re able to withdraw cash using a decent prepaid travel money card or no-fee debit or credit card and you should be able to handle all eventualities.

Written by

Jason Loewenthal

Senior writer

Jason is a writer and editor. He worked as a senior subeditor for Finder for 5 years and in that time became familiar with a wide range of financial products and services. Before that, he worked for Australian Associated Press. He has a BA from Macquarie University in Australia. Jason loves to help other people find new ways to save money. See full bio