What's the cheapest way to withdraw cash rupiah (IDR) in Bali using a foreign bank card?
Based on 1 discussion with 3 participants · Last activity: 2 days ago
TL;DR
ATM withdrawals cost around $2 in fees per transaction plus hidden losses from double currency conversion, and single-transaction limits are often capped around 2 million IDR (roughly $130), especially at airport ATMs. Cards are more convenient than money changers but not necessarily cheaper — you'll still need some cash.
What the community said
Holders of UnionPay cards should check with their issuing bank in advance about the exact withdrawal fee and maximum cash limit for Indonesia — terms vary a lot between banks, especially for withdrawals in the 1-10 million IDR range.
2 days ago UnionPay card, 1-10M IDR limit
One traveler clarified their case: the actual charge came out to about $54 per transaction. The bank shows the fee separately in the SMS notification (around 1.2%), but factoring in the exchange rate and double currency conversion, real losses end up higher than advertised.
2 days ago ~$54 per transaction
Exchanging cash at a money changer instead of withdrawing by card resulted in even bigger losses — in one example the difference was over $2 more expensive than using a card, despite the ATM fee.
2 days ago money changer $2+ more expensive
The ATM cash withdrawal fee is around $2 per transaction, not the $0.05-0.10 that some travelers mistakenly expect.
2 days ago ~$2 fee per transaction
Withdrawing more than 2 million IDR (~$130) in a single transaction is often not possible, especially at airport ATMs — there's a per-transaction limit.
2 days ago ~2M IDR (~$130) per transaction limit
Paying by card at most places in Bali adds a surcharge of about 3% of the purchase amount.
2 days ago ~3% card payment surcharge
Converting your home currency to rupiah usually goes through an intermediary currency (typically USD), which further worsens the final exchange rate.
2 days ago double currency conversion