Money in Bali: Wise, Revolut, cards and FX without losing on fees

Earning in euros and spending in rupiah sounds like a problem, yet today it is almost trivial—if you use the right tools. The difference between doing it well and doing it badly amounts to hundreds of euros a year in invisible fees. This guide sums up what actually works in Bali to move, change and spend your money without leaks.

Moving money to Indonesia

Two tools cover almost every case, and it pays to have both because each shines at something different.

Wise

Essential

A multi-currency account with the best EUR↔IDR exchange on the market, fee under 1%. Indispensable for large transfers: a villa deposit, a year's rent, paying the notary.

Visitar

Revolut

The card for daily life and small payments. Good rates during business hours, convenient for ATM withdrawals. Weak on large international transfers: that's where Wise wins.

Visitar

Traditional bank transfers (SWIFT from a European bank to an Indonesian one) remain expensive and slow: use them only when the counterparty expressly requires a formal transfer to an IDR account.

ATMs and physical cards

Always carry two physical cards from different banks: Indonesian ATMs “swallow” cards or fail more often than you’d like, and being cut off from cash 90 minutes from the nearest machine is an avoidable headache.

Local bank account

A personal Indonesian account requires a valid KITAS + registered address. Until you have one, Wise and Revolut cover almost everything. Once you’re a resident, opening a local account is useful for setting up direct debits for rent and utilities, but it isn’t urgent in the first few months.

For a company, the corporate account is opened with the PT PMA’s incorporation documents and the visa of the authorised signatories. We cover this in setting up a company in Indonesia.

Physical currency exchange

To change notes, use only money changers with a physical premises and a solid reputation (Central Kuta Money Exchange, BMC and similar). Be wary of kiosks with no storefront that advertise rates that are too good: the quick count with notes that “vanish” is the classic tourist-area scam. Count your money before you leave, every time.

Wise vs Revolut, at a glance