In Reply to: ATMs can be expensive... posted by Dave on Wednesday, 19. September 2012 at 06:00 Bali Time:
My credit union never used to charge any fees at all and I was always getting within about Rp100-200 of the going street rate - with no risk of money changer tricks etc.
They've just changed it and now charge 2% conversion fee, so even over a $100 withdrawal, it's only $2 - which is cheaper than most other bank options or any of those prepaid travel cards.
There's no way I'm prepared to carry and risk losing enough cash for one month's spending - and then risk dodgy money changer tricks, which could end up costing more than $2 over a $100 exchange anyway. Plus I like the convenience of not having to plan ahead with money and just withdrawing from an ATM whenever and as often as I need to.