In Reply to: Money in Bali posted by Bruce NZ on Monday, 6. February 2012 at 03:10 Bali Time:
I generally take about $200-ish as "back up" cash for just in case, and have never had to use it.
I leave the rest of my money in my credit union savings account and use my visa debit card to make as many withdrawals as needed. Not a problem because my credit union charges no fees for international withdrawals and the exchange rate is not far from the genuine money changer rates on the same day.
I also only leave a small amount in my main bank account and just transfer more across as needed. Phone banking is easy to use and cheap with a Bali SIM card. That way there's no major loss if the account is somehow compromised.
I have a second visa debit card issued on the same account (but different card number) that is only for use when I'm in Bali so I don't have to use my main one. That way if anything does happen (skimming etc) I don't have to cancel all my payments set up at home - I just cancel the Bali card and my regular card is still fine to use.
I keep my regular card in the safe with my back up cash for 'just in case'.