Indonesia runs on the rupiah and cash still matters outside hotels and tourist restaurants. Indonesian banks charge a per-withdrawal access fee on foreign cards - Mandiri added a 50,000 IDR one in February 2026 - and QRIS, the national QR standard, only works cross-border with Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean apps. Apple Pay is not available in Indonesia at all.
- The currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR), and cash still rules at markets, warungs and local transport.
- Hotels, better restaurants and the ride-hailing apps take cards without trouble.
- Every withdrawal carries a local access fee on a foreign card, on top of whatever your own bank charges - Mandiri introduced a 50,000 IDR fee on 22 February 2026, and BCA and BNI charge in the region of 25,000-30,000 IDR.
- The fee is shown on screen before you confirm. Read it, and withdraw larger amounts less often.
- Refuse dynamic currency conversion and take the amount in rupiah.
- QRIS is the national QR payment standard, but cross-border QRIS only works from Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean payment apps - a European or American app cannot scan it.
- Apple Pay is not available in Indonesia. Google Wallet's usefulness is limited too, so carry a physical card.
- Tipping is voluntary; check whether a service charge is already on the bill.
Cash and cards
The currency is the Indonesian rupiah (IDR). Hotels, the better restaurants and the ride-hailing apps take cards as a matter of course. Markets, warungs, local transport and small businesses want cash, so you cannot travel on plastic alone.
Withdrawing
Budget for two layers of fee: your own bank's, and the Indonesian machine's.
- The local access fee is real and it has been going up. Bank Mandiri introduced a 50,000 IDR access fee for foreign Visa and Mastercard cards on 22 February 2026, stated as separate from anything your issuer charges. BCA and BNI sit lower, in the region of 25,000 to 30,000 IDR per withdrawal.
- Because the fee is per transaction, not per amount, fewer and larger withdrawals cost proportionally less - within your card's limit.
- The machine shows the fee before you confirm. Read that screen; it is the only reliable, current number.
- Refuse dynamic currency conversion. If the ATM offers to bill you in your home currency, decline and take rupiah, so your own bank does the conversion.
QRIS - and its limit for foreign visitors
QRIS is Indonesia's national QR payment standard, introduced by Bank Indonesia, and it is everywhere. The catch for visitors is that cross-border QRIS only connects to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. If your payment app is European, American or Australian, you cannot scan an Indonesian QRIS code, whatever the merchant assumes.
Phone payments
- Apple Pay is not available in Indonesia. Apple's own list of supported countries covers Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines in the region, but not Indonesia.
- Do not plan around tapping your phone. A physical card, cash, and in-app payment inside Gojek or Grab are what actually work.
Tipping
Not formalised. Rounding up is common in tourist areas and a small tip for a driver or at a spa is normal. Check the bill first - many restaurants add a service charge, in which case nothing further is expected.
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