In Reply to: Commonwealth ATM cards posted by takemetobali on Wednesday, 26. October 2011 at 16:42 Bali Time:
I have used ATM's in Bali since 1993 and found that the exchange rate was better than what I get at the Kodak shops. I am a retired Bank Executive so I don't pay fees and that helps. Different banks "load" the exchange rate to disguise fees - others are quite open and charge a separate fee. Never the less I have not had any trouble in 20 or so trips with ATM's.
Always check the ATM for anything unusual (as you should at home) - The machines are quite user friendly and a Welcome Mr Surname comes up on the screen. You have a choice of languages to use and as others have mentioned your cash comes out before the card so don't walk off without it. I usually take out the maximum I can each time (machines will dispense a maximum of 30 notes) so if the machine 50,000 denomination notes you can get 1.5ml or if it has 100,000 notes you can get 3m. The less you use it the less the fees.
I always take cash, use the Atm's and pay the hotel account on credit card.
If you have two different credit cards it's serves as a back up in case something strange happens with one of them. - Enjoy your holiday