Does a UnionPay card work in Bali (paying by card and ATM withdrawals)?

UnionPay card payments work almost everywhere — supermarkets, restaurants and taxis process them reliably, sometimes just a bit slower than usual. There's a small transaction fee. One reported failure was at McDonald's.

Topping up a UnionPay card through someone who frequently travels to the card's issuing country is more reliable — there have been cases of blocked or stuck funds when using unverified top-up channels.

Drove around the entire island of Bali and paid with a UnionPay card at chain stores like Circle K, Indomaret, Alfamart, Uncle Jo, Coco, Pepito, and Bali Collection, plus gas stations and cafes — always asked in advance if the card was accepted, and it worked fine everywhere. Ended up bringing 95% of the cash back home unused.

In shops with multiple payment terminals, staff picked the one with the UnionPay logo themselves — don't hesitate to ask which terminal to use.

Cash withdrawals from a UnionPay card work at ATMs — for example, cash for a Gili Islands day-trip excursion was withdrawn this way.