MONEY AND MONEY CHANGERS

There are money changers on every street in the main areas . You need to check the rates that they offer as these vary widely. You also need to check whether they charge a commission or not. This can be a trap when you think you have a good rate and they want to take a percentage. We also suggest that you carry a calculator with you when you change money and that you check the money before you leave the shop. It is hard to correct a transaction after you are out on the street and you can be short-changed in some cases.

The moneychangers also offer better rates for cash than for travellers’ cheques. This can be by up to as much as 10% and the difference has increased over the years. You also get a better rate for $100 notes, whether Aussie or US. Discounts apply for changing smaller notes.

The Kodak moneychangers and those who were ‘registered’ gave us no problems at all.

We did however try a moneychanger with a high rate who was at a desk in the back area of a shoe shop. We were looking to see if we would be ripped off and how he would do it. And guess what , we walked out short changed! We did however return straight away and got our $100 Aussie back with no problems , just a smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

There are ATM's available in the major centres that accept most major credit cards and many restaurants and tourist attractions also accept cards. We have never experienced any problems with the ATM's of any of the banks and have used Lippo, Bank Bali, BII and BNI. It is better to take out larger quantities of money when using an ATM as there is a user charge per transaction of $4 Aus.