Going to Bali next year, what is the currency of choice.
Thanks Casey

US dollars work really well and the dollar rupiah conversion is fair almost everywhere...

The currency of choice is the Indonesian Rupiah. However, all of the major currencies are exchangable in Bali. We stayed at one hotel (Damai) where the US dollar was the preferred currency with a totally unfavorable exchange rate for payment in Rupiah.

Yes, unlike some other countries, in Bali they use the rupiah almost exclusively. Even the hotels that price in dollars (due to the fluctuating rupiah) expect to be paid with a credit cards, not cash. Note that there are ATMs available in many places on Bali. I took a friend to Bali several years ago. When she took money out of the ATM, it printed her checking account balance in rupiah - suddenly she was a billionaire!

One more thing - spend all your rupiah before you leave Indonesia, as it's another SE Asian surrency that is worthless outside of the country (like VN dong, Lao kip, Cambodian riel, Burmese kyat).

Another funny thing about those ATM's - if, for example you withdraw the equivalent of US$200, you receive approximately 1.8 million rupiah in a big wad of 50,000 rupiah notes.

i spent a week in bali in june and never used anything but the local currency....never saw a chance to use doallars or thai baht or anything other than RP.....the conversion at the time was 9500 to the $1 US....atm's are everywhere....they have a limit on withdrawal amount so you have to do multiple transactions to get several hundred dollars....

The Indonesian Rupiah has fluctuated between 8500 to 9500 to the US$ in the past few months. Today's it's 9083.

If you pay your hotel bill by credit card the hotel must charge you in Rupiah even if they quoted in US$. They usually use the bank rate on the day you check out. Then, when the credit card company posts your charge they use the rate at that time, so you may experience gain or loss. If you're staying several days, this can really make a difference.

To avoid fluctuation you may be able to either arrange to pay in US$ cash or to fix the Rupiah rate in advance. Not all hotels will accomodate this request, but they are aware that currency fluctuation is a problem so they will usually give you a suggestion.

indonesian rupiah as it is widely use ...US dollars can do ..when we were at bali last june, we just convert all our money to rupiah..surprise that you can be a millionaire over night..

Take it from a womn who lived for two-and-a-half years in Bali (2000 - 2003): if you can't buy something there or pay for it in INDONESIAN RUPIAHS, you don't wnt it. Anything and everything that is priced in US dollars will have been outrageously inflated. These are an extremely desperate people, and there is no word for "integrity" in the language of the street. If you are foolish enough to hand the Balinese US greenbacks, they will gladly rid you of them. Beware the "Isle of Fear of the Gods."