Question Best way to get Indonesian rupiah cash?

[drrich2]

Batik - Apr and May 2022

My credit card was accepted at both CGK and SOQ

Just as it had been on previous trips

Do you mean Batik Air let you use your U.S.A.-based credit card for paying extra baggage weight fees? Any idea what conversion rate they gave?

I've seen reports where they didn't want to do that. I get the impression from what I've been told that one may not count on consistency and a lot could depend on who you get at the counter.

Richard.

 

[Cert1967]

Do you mean Batik Air let you use your U.S.A.-based credit card for paying extra baggage weight fees? Any idea what conversion rate they gave?

I've seen reports where they didn't want to do that. I get the impression from what I've been told that one may not count on consistency and a lot could depend on who you get at the counter.

Richard.

Yes USA MC and Visa cards are accepted by Batik

Batik does not set the exchange rate, Visa or MC does that at the best rate you can get

Procedure in CGK - The check in counter gives you a bill and you pay it in an office that is a 15 second walk away, return with receipt - skip line - and you are in your way. SOQ - you pay at the check-in counter

Last six trips - no issue in CGK, DPS, LBJ, SOQ paying with credit card for baggage

Also easy to purchase your INDO domestic flights from the USA with your USA credit card

You are listening to the wrong folks

You are way over-thinking the difficulty of USA to INDO travel and travel within INDO

Most of what you have quoted is wrong

My tip for you - don’t travel straight thru to
Sorong and disregard the SB nay sayers

 

[chillyinCanada]

Not everyone in the thread is from the US, though the OP appears to be.

 

[drrich2]

Also easy to purchase your INDO domestic flights from the USA with your USA credit card

Tried to do that with Batik Air months ago; didn't work. U.S. credit cards weren't working to book Indonesian domestic airfare for a number of people, as reported in another thread; there was some sort of card security system issue, as I recall. Not sure to what extent it's been ironed out, but it wasn't that long ago. This thread - Bali Opening - had posts about it, such as one around Post #242. My dive travel agent paid it via the agency and I reimbursed the agency.

If that issue has resolved, it'd be good for other people going forward to know. @Dan - do you know if this is still an issue?

Oct. 7, 2020, @NorCalDM (Post #9) noted:

Batik charged us for anything over 20Kg which is stated on their website and it was $9.55 per Kg over that, their website offers a prepay for luggage at $33 for for 5kg but it does not allow you to actually pay. They finally allowed us to pay in US dollars once they realized it was the only way they were going to get any money. We tried 5 different ATM's and multiple debit cards/credits cards and no go. On our return flight we arranged local currency but at the ticket counter they did not take the cash, you had to go to customer service to pay after they weighted everything and then come back and get your boarding pass. Now that said the locals didn't seem to have this issue and had tons of luggage and went straight through with airport personnel helping them "just my observation". We were able to use our cards everywhere else in the airports including paying for our Visa's, hotels and restaurants were no issue just seemed to be Batik and the ATM's. I would carry some IDR

Aggressor Fleet's Raja Ampat Info. Page says: "Rupiah (IDR) is the official currency. It is required for all guests to have some local currency as overweight baggage charges MUST be paid in local currency." (Note: I didn't book Aggressor, but their info. sheets can be useful references).

I'm delighted to hear Batik Air accepted your U.S.-based credit card. That would make things a good deal easier. It does sound like not everyone has that same pleasant experience.

I did a little checking on my bank's page for my account type; foreign ATM withdrawal fees in total aren't monstrous, but they aren't tiny, either.

My tip for you - don’t travel straight thru to
Sorong

Yes, my plan is to overnight in a hotel in Jakarta.

You are way over-thinking the difficulty of USA to INDO travel and travel within INDO

Maybe so. I don't like long flights (my idea of 'long' includes 3 or 4 hour flights to Bonaire, so flights across the Pacific sound about as appealing as a beating), and I...how shall I say this...don't travel real well. The stress of traveling, getting between gates, dealing with uncertainties, etc..., runs me down. I want to be prepared.

I hope Batik Air just takes my credit card as you described, and all goes well.

Richard.

P.S.: Researching for a Raja Ampat trip has made doing so for the Galapagos look easy...and it wasn't.

 

[Dan]

If that issue has resolved, it'd be good for other people going forward to know. @Dan - do you know if this is still an issue?

Ever since Tiket.com approved my U.S. credit card, I never bother going back to NusaTrip. They just loss a customer.

 

[Dan]

My personal experience only.
Jakarta airport is far far better than their counter-parts in Denpasar.
It is absolutely a rip off to change money at Denpasar airport.

When was the last time you were in Jakarta & Denpasar airports? I was there in August. They are about the same. Even you don’t need to shop around for the better exchange rate as those exchanger booths are using the same exchange rate.

@drrich2 just bring enough USD cash and exchange your USD at the Jakarta or Denpasar airport before you go to So Wrong. Do worry too much about the $1 or 2 that you may get short. Think as the cost for the convenience.

 

[Dan]

I’m going back to Indonesia in two weeks. I’ll be in Banda Sea with Pindito from November 21 to December 2. Then in Raja Ampat with Mermaid 2 from December 2 to 12. I’ll report back the money exchanging situation there (Jakarta, Ambon & Sorong) then.

 

[NorCalDM]

I'm delighted to hear Batik Air accepted your U.S.-based credit card. That would make things a good deal easier. It does sound like not everyone has that same pleasant experience.

I did a little checking on my bank's page for my account type; foreign ATM withdrawal fees in total aren't monstrous, but they aren't tiny, either.

Yes, my plan is to overnight in a hotel in Jakarta.

Maybe so. I don't like long flights (my idea of 'long' includes 3 or 4 hour flights to Bonaire, so flights across the Pacific sound about as appealing as a beating), and I...how shall I say this...don't travel real well. The stress of traveling, getting between gates, dealing with uncertainties, etc..., runs me down. I want to be prepared.

I hope Batik Air just takes my credit card as you described, and all goes well.

Richard.

P.S.: Researching for a Raja Ampat trip has made doing so for the Galapagos look easy...and it wasn't.

Clarification, Batik Air could not accept credit cards in Jakarta or Sorong they finally accepted our USD cash with much negotiation. Our main issue was arriving in Jakarta on a Sunday night and everything was closed. We did not have issues with our debit or credit cards other than Batik Air and the ATMs in Jakarta airport.

 

[NorCalDM]

Batik - Apr and May 2022

My credit card was accepted at both CGK and SOQ

Just as it had been on previous trips

Glad it worked for you but we were there in September 2022 and Batik could not accept credit cards at that time. Maybe we where just unlucky and their machine was down.

 

[Luko]

When was the last time you were in Jakarta & Denpasar airports? I was there in August. They are about the same. Even you don’t need to shop around for the better exchange rate as those exchanger booths are using the same exchange rate.

Ngurah Rai airport exchange booths are the less favorable on the island, hotels apart, they are SYSTEMATICALLY 200IDR more expensive per Euro than what you find in Sanur or Ubud (not speaking about Kuta scammers).
In my case, I often need to change more than 2000€ per trip, so I ask my driver to stop me on the road to Sanur where the best exchange rate is offered. It pays me the transfer to Tulamben.
For sure if you only need to change 100USD don't bother.