In Reply to: Foreign exchange questions posted by charlz on Wednesday, 3. August 2005 at 19:41 Bali Time:
If you take travellers cheques you will not get as good a rate from any money changer. KODAK SHOPS do not charge commission because they make their money on fluctuating currencies and a commission has probably already been factored in anyway. If you take travellers cheques you must also carry your passport with you too, because this is required for identification . I have always found this dangerous because you can loose them both.Its like handing over the key to the door really but you also gave them cab fare to get there. If you use a regular M/C they often will get to know you if you are pleasant as well but take into account the same person doesn't work 24/7. Depending on your choice of hotel the safety deposit boxes are pretty reliable. The good bit about a box is you have to slow down with your spending because you won't have all your money with you but the bad is you always manage to find a bargain when you are running out of daily budget.
* This is quite a concerning thing with ATMs
A friend travelled with me once and only used her ATM Cirrus card to withdraw when she required cash. ATMs are everywhere in Bali. Not once but twice she found the machines didn't carry enough money to complete her transaction but they did calculate the withdrawal from her account. She argued with the relevant banks admin (Nightmare) but never received any refunds which would have only been available on her return to Sydney anyway. She worked for a bank and it still didn't help. She then bacame very wairy about using the machines and withdrawing any money at all which ruined her holiday.