ATMs Although it is always handy to carry some dollars as a reserve, Indonesia has many ATMs where you can withdraw cash. BCA and BII are large banks whose machines usually carry the ‘Cirrus’ logo, and you can use your card there (it differs a little per bank at home). The maximum you can withdraw differs per bank; a large branch usually allows IDR 2,500,000 or IDR 3,000,000. However, there are also areas where withdrawing cash is almost impossible… the Gili Islands and Lombok are an example.
PLEASE NOTE!!! With some banks you first have to activate your card for use abroad.
PLEASE NOTE!!! Your bank at home may charge a fee per transaction.
Paying by credit card or debit card (where possible) In hotels, restaurants and shops it is often possible to pay the bill by credit card. Sometimes something goes wrong, for example because of a connection error (or any other reason). KEEP the slip of the failed payment… If an amount has still been debited when you get home, you can prove to your bank that the charge should not have been made, and they can refund it. Without this slip, getting your money back is very difficult and practically impossible!
Tipping Leaving a tip in a restaurant, for a bellboy, for your driver and/or guide, or for the guide who shows you around a sight is, just like in Europe, a welcome extra for the recipient. It often provides the extras for a family.
For example, give a bellboy or porter IDR 5,000 – 10,000 for carrying your luggage. In a restaurant, leave a tip of 10% of the total. The service charge stated on the menu goes to the owner of the restaurant.
Your driver and/or guide during your tour will also be happy with a tip. A reasonable amount for a driver is IDR 50,000 – 100,000 per day. For a guide, around IDR 75,000 – 100,000 per day is reasonable.
For a guide at a sight you can give IDR 20,000 – 100,000, depending on the time he or she spent with you.
If there was no guide or entrance fee but you did see something, leave a small contribution anyway. There is usually a box for this somewhere.
Commission Having a network is important if you want to do business in Indonesia, big or small. Indonesians look for people they can trust and who help them and/or their customers in a good, honest way. Your driver has such a network too. At many sights he knows people who will show you around. Sometimes there are several of them (because of the mandatory rotation system for local guides at popular sights). Home industries or shops you are taken to are often part of this network as well. Sometimes (though often not, given Indonesia’s strict mandatory rotation system) a driver receives a commission when you buy products. Remember: you are never obliged to do anything. If you do not want to go to a shop, just say so. And even once you are there, nothing obliges you to buy.
Performances Sometimes while you are eating, people come by unasked to give a performance and then go round with a hat. You are free to give nothing; if you do want to give money, IDR 5,000 to 10,000 is enough.
Poverty You will come across people who beg, and that is difficult, because helping everyone is impossible, but sometimes you see cases so heartbreaking that you would still like to do something. The Indonesian government prefers that no money is given, because it encourages begging, but on the other hand it does very little to improve living conditions. Advice on this is difficult! The most important rule is: follow your heart. Our personal rule is: only give money to elderly people and people with a physical or mental disability. If you want to give something, consult the driver if he is present, or give a small amount (IDR 500 to at most 5,000 is more than enough).
Shopping When you see something you want to buy in a larger shop or department store, it is normal to hand it to one of the sales staff and exchange it for a slip showing the cash register. It is unusual to walk around with your hands full of goods – shopping empty-handed is so much more pleasant. There are many sales staff in a department store. Not all of them are equally active, but you will usually be greeted with ‘Silakan’ (please, feel free to look around) or ‘Silakan, bisa dibantu?’ (Can I help you?). You ask one of them whether something is available in your size (‘Sizenya M, L, S, ada?’ – Is my size M, L, S available?), they look for it (searching yourself is not always appreciated), you try it on and decide to buy (you then get a slip, and after paying at the register you receive your product).