In Reply to: Money and Security advice posted by bjmossi on Monday, 1. August 2011 at 06:00 Bali Time:
If cash is stolen it is gone forever. I take a Commonwealth Bank Travel Card with AUD on it as well as cash & both debit & credit cards for emergencies. Max is $1500 on the Trav Card. I don't trust room safes as I have one at home & know how easy they are to get into for anyone with access to the master key (probably many hotel staff.)
You get 2 CBA cards with different pin numbers in case one is lost or stolen. Check it out on the net. There may well be better options but this has worked for me for a few years. Costs seem to be low. CBA ATMs are not hard to find & when in the sticks I use cash or stock up on rupiah before.
I put some things in the room safe so it looks like all my stuff is in there. I hide my cash separated in various places - some in the safe, some in my locked bag but not all together. Ditto cards apart from the Travel Card which I take with me & about $150 cash in case I desperately need to buy things away from a CBA ATM - but they're everywhere on the coastal tourist strip.
Just be very sure not to carry ALL your cards around with you - in June a friend had a wide, shallow bag. She paid for a cab, got out on the traffic side with her purse poking out of her bag. Someone going by on a motorcycle lifted it - & all her cards. Luckily she had friends who could lend her $ & daughters at home who could rapidly arrange for her cards to be cancelled & replaced before she continued with her travels.
BTW, if this happens you need to keep your money change receipts, get a Police Report & phone your travel insurance co asap. Looks like Jan will get $200 back from the $300+ ($100 excess) in her purse but no compensation for the lovely purse etc. She's not complaining.
I used to put everything in room safes until I got one at home - never again.