Indonesia ATM Travel Guide
ATMs in Indonesia don’t usually pose any challenges, however there are a few exceptions where we’ve heard of problems. There is also a lot of skimming of cards in tourist areas.
If there are no ATMs close by or the ATMs in Indonesia are not working with your card, check back here for our guides about how to send yourself money online and pick it up at an authorized local cash pick up point.
It is a very similar process to buying something on the internet with your debit card and is probably the quickest way to send yourself money online to Indonesia.
There’s also currently a promo code so you pay NO FEE on your first money transfer. What’s more, it’s convenient, safe and cheaper than paying high ATM withdrawal fees allowing you to transfer more than the maximum ATM limit.
For the following places there’s a step by step guide below which shows how to send yourself money instead of using an ATM.
– Papua ( Wamena, The Baliem Valley )
You can send money to the post office on Jl. Timor, Wamena Kota, Wamena, Kabupaten Jayawijaya, Papua 99511, Indonesia
– Maluku, Bukit Lawang
You can send money to the BRI or post office 10km away in Bohorok
– Samosir island / TukTuk Lake Toba
If the ATM doesn’t work you can send money to the post office on Jl. Raya Danau Toba No. 1 (SPBU) or to the BRI (there’s 3 branches on Samosir)
As this method is especially useful in certain places, we have provided separate guides for these (click links for destination specific guide):
Tejakula, Bali – ATMs exist but are not reliable |
Banda Islands |
Ujung Bocor Point, Krui, Lampung, South Sumatra |
Mentawai |
Here are two useful links to find the nearest ATMs in Indonesia : Visa / MasterCard
Indonesia ATM Fees & General Information
Most ATMs in Indonesia charge fees. These usually range from 2 to 5 USD, though standalone machines in shops and tourist areas can be even higher.
You will also probably get charged a fee by your own bank.
Having a Wise (formerly TransferWise) MasterCard can help reduce your home bank fees and gives a great exchange rate on purchases. With their borderless account / card you can hold your money in more than 40 currencies and use the debit card to get your cash out with low conversion fees and zero transaction fees. Click here for more info.
ATMs in Indonesia dispense Rupiah in either 50,000 or 100,000 notes, with a sticker indicating which one. Most ATMs have withdrawal limit of 1,250,000 (50,000 note machines) or 3,000,000 (100,000 note machines). It’s worth tracking down the 50,000 note machines so you can reduce fees.
Major hotels take debit/credit cards, but cheaper / smaller accommodations, tourist sites and restaurants tend to only take cash. It’s best to have small denominations as change can be a problem in smaller businesses.
You’ll find Visa and MasterCard are generally equally accepted by ATMs in Indonesia.
Unfortunately, ATM fraud in Indonesia is not uncommon. In particular, tourist areas of Bali see a lot of skimming and the general advice is to use ATMs associated with a bank rather than standalone machines in convenience stores etc. Check out our Travel Money Tips for what to look out for and more general information covering pre-trip planning, fees, scams, and general safety.
Getting Cash Without Using The ATMs In Indonesia:
– Send Money To Indonesia & Pick It Up Locally
With so many overseas workers sending money home to their families, there are lots of local cash pick up points to collect these funds.
In a similar way, you can use your ATM card (debit/credit) or bank details to securely send yourself funds online through a reputable International money transfer service that has a partnership with a domestic money transfer agent in Indonesia where you can pick up your money.
This means when there’s no ATM you can still withdraw cash within a few hours.
Check to see if there is a local authorized cash pick-up point where you are.
In Indonesia, this is any branch of the
- Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) or PT Pos – collect from any branch of the bank or Indonesian Post Office network.
- Bank Rakyat network (BRI)- click HERE for locations
If there’s a branch locally, then follow the step-by-step guide below.
– Step By Step Guide…incl fee free promo code
Note: The process is quicker than the detailed guide suggests. It is currently possible to send from 50 countries, however, Israel and a few others are not yet included due to local government policies
- To begin, click World Remit LTD
(IMPORTANT: If you don’t see ‘Indonesia’ in the Choose a Country To Send To list, this is because you must first choose which overseas country to send money from. The “Send From” option can be found at the top of the page on PC/Laptop. On mobile it is the last option in the drop down menu at the top of the page represented by the 3 horizontal lines) - Once You have chosen ‘Indonesia’ as the Country To Send To, click “Get Started”
- On the next page make sure the Cash Pickup tab is ticked and click “Continue”
- On the next page, where it says “Select a cash pickup payout network” choose your preferred option
– Bank Negara Indonesia or PT Pos. for BNI bank or the post office
– Bank Rakyat Indonesia for BRI bank. - Enter the amount to send in your currency or receive in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR).
The exchange rate & fee (which you can remove with a promo code later) will automatically show. Once you’re happy click “Continue”. You are then prompted to register / create an account.
There is no need for a referral code on this page as you will apply your fee-free promo code on the payment page as you process your money transfer. - Once registered you will input details of who you are sending the money to, so for the recipient, put yourself (as your name appears on your Passport) and use the address of your current accommodation. You will also be required to provide a local mobile number, however if you don’t have one, people have successfully used all zeros, or asked their accommodation to use their number. For the sending reason, select “Sending Funds To Self”.
- When it comes to payment details, it is important to make sure your name and address match the name on your Debit card and the billing address is used. Don’t forget to use the promotion code “FREE” (without quotes) on the payment page to get your first transfer FEE-FREE!
If your card payment fails for any reason, select the Sofort option and pay using your online banking log-in details. - Almost instantly you will receive a welcome email (don’t worry if this does not arrive) and a confirmation email of your transfer informing you to wait for a further email. In most cases this takes 10-30 minutes (longer if paying via bank details & not debit card or your financial situation is complicated). The final email will say whether identity / regulatory checks have been completed and inform you if your transfer is available to pick up. Note: Sometimes further information may be required from you before they can process the transfer in order to comply with regulatory requirements, however this is unlikely in most cases.
- Once complete just go to the pickup point (the closest branch of whichever payout network you chose i.e. Bank Negara Indonesia, PT Pos or Bank Rakyat):
-For Bank Negara Indonesia and PT Pos network (The Post Office), show your Passport and quote “Merchantrade” and the 14-digit transaction reference number.
-For Bank Rakyat network, show your Passport and quote “Xpress Money” and the 16-digit transaction reference number.
We update this guide every month or so, however, if you have any feedback to help keep this guide up-to-date or make it more comprehensive and easier for others to follow, please Message us on Facebook
Sending Money To A Bank Account Instead
You can also use the above method to quickly transfer money to an overseas bank account, perhaps to pay for your accommodation or an activity. The promo code above for NO FEES on your first money transfer also applies for these transactions.
Click HERE for this service.
IMPORTANT: If you don’t see ‘Indonesia’ in the Choose a Country To Send To list, this is because you must first choose which overseas country to send money from. The “Send From” option can be found at the top of the page on PC/Laptop. On mobile it is the last option in the drop down menu at the top of the page represented by the 3 horizontal lines.
Once You have chosen ‘Indonesia’ as the Country To Send To, click “Get Started”
On the next page make sure the ‘Bank Transfer’ tab is ticked, click “Continue” and proceed with your transfer. Don’t forget to use the promotion code “FREE” (without quotes) on the payment page to get your first transfer FEE-FREE!
For more information visit this FAQs section.
Wise, formerly TransferWise is another service that also offers bank transfers. If you are new to the service, and follow THIS LINK, you will automatically pay NO FEES on your first transfer of up to £500 (or the equivalent amount in any other currency).
Arguably the best thing about them is that they give you the mid-market rate on the currency exchange, so it’s much cheaper than a traditional bank to bank wire transfer. You won’t need any SWIFT or IBAN numbers, just the name of the account holder, their account number, the bank name and branch location.
Useful Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia
*** ATMs In Indonesia ***