Lombok Money and Payments | Cash, Cards and QRIS

As of August 2026 · based on official information

This information is as of August 2026. Currency exchange and payments are an area where rules change often, so please check the latest information on the official pages of your bank and each service just before you travel.

All US$ figures in this article are approximate conversions at US$1 ≈ Rp17,800 (September 2026). Actual rates move daily, so please treat every amount as a guide.

What you will learn here

The short answer: get your cash in this order after you arrive

If you are getting cash after arriving on Lombok, the order of priority is as follows.

1. After you land, get only enough for that day’s transport and food, at the airport exchange counter or an ATM (a guide is about Rp500,000 to 1,000,000, or about US$28 to 56)
2. After that, withdraw a larger amount at a bank ATM in town, such as in Mataram, Senggigi or Kuta Lombok
3. Use a licensed money changer (Authorized Money Changer) in town as an option if you bring a large amount of foreign cash

The official website of Lombok International Airport (Praya) lists “Penukar Uang (money exchange)” and “ATM & Bank” in its facilities guide (as of August 2026). It is hard to imagine arriving and being unable to get any cash at all.

Here is the flow for getting cash after arrival, as a diagram.

Figure: decision flow from arrival to getting cash

* The rate tendencies are general guides. No public body publishes figures such as “the airport is X% worse” (as of August 2026).

For travellers with a foreign-issued card, an ATM withdrawal is in many cases the least trouble. Considering the effort of comparing rates at several changers and the risk of rate scams, the realistic approach is to make ATM withdrawals the main route, and to use cash you bring and money changers as a supplement.

Note also that transactions inside Indonesia must in principle be made in rupiah by law (Bank Indonesia regulation PBI 17/3/PBI/2015, “Obligation to Use Rupiah in the Territory of the Republic of Indonesia”). Do not plan on paying in foreign currency as it is.

Airport, town changers and ATMs: how to choose

“Where is the best place to exchange?” is what many travellers wonder first. Here are the features of each.

Exchange rates are set freely by each operator, and no public body publishes figures such as “the airport is X% worse.” The “rate tendency” column in the table below is only a general guide.

← The table scrolls sideways

Method	Rate tendency (guide)	Fees	Best for / when
Airport exchange counter	Tends to be worse than in town	Usually the fee is built into the rate rather than shown separately	Only for transport on arrival and cash for the day
Licensed money changer in town (Authorized Money Changer)	Tends to be better than the airport, but varies a lot by shop	Varies by shop; asking for the total amount up front is the surest	People who bring a large amount of foreign cash (US dollars etc.)
Bank ATM (foreign-issued card)	Based on your card company’s exchange rate plus its set fees	The ATM’s withdrawal fee, plus your card issuer’s overseas transaction fee, charged separately	People who want to withdraw a larger amount and save the trouble of finding a changer
Credit card cash advance	Treated the same as a cash advance at a local ATM	Interest accrues daily, so early repayment is assumed	Emergency backup

* A general guide as of August 2026. For actual rates and fees, please check the official information of each operator and card company.

Bank Indonesia sets out how to recognise a licensed money changer (KUPVA BB). The conditions are that the sign at the shop says “Authorized Money Changer” with an official logo carrying a QR code and an ID number, and that a permit issued by BI is displayed in the shop. You can scan the QR code to check whether the licence is valid. If you see an unlicensed operator, you are directed to report it to your local Bank Indonesia office or to the BI contact centre, “BI 131.”

How to withdraw at ATMs, and the fees

Cards with the Visa (Plus mark) or Mastercard (Cirrus mark) can be widely used at bank ATMs on Lombok (BCA, Mandiri, BNI, BRI and others).

Limits per withdrawal and per day

There are two layers of limits: the ATM’s limit and your card issuer’s limit.

• The ATM’s limit differs by bank, machine and the banknotes loaded. No official source pulling together the limits for foreign-issued cards has been published, so how much you can actually withdraw is not settled until you try on site. As a guide, prepare on the basis that it often falls within about Rp1,250,000 to 3,000,000 (about US$70 to 169)
• For reference, the daily limits Indonesian banks set on their own cards: Bank Mandiri announces Rp20,000,000 per day (about US$1,124, official announcement) for its chip Gold and Platinum debit cards, and BNI announces a daily limit on the order of Rp10,000,000 (about US$562) depending on card type. However, these figures are for cards issued in Indonesia
• For a foreign-issued card, your card issuer (your bank or card company) applies its own separate per-transaction and daily limits. You can only find these on your own card’s official page or app. Be sure to check before you travel
• A fee is generally charged for each withdrawal. Withdrawing up to the limit in one go and cutting the number of withdrawals keeps your costs down

Fees are charged twice

• The local ATM’s fee: it varies by bank and machine, and almost no bank publishes what it charges for foreign-issued cards. When the amount appears on screen, always check it before you confirm. If it is higher than expected, it is also a good option to cancel on the spot and try another bank’s ATM
• The overseas transaction fee from your own card issuer: this differs by issuer and is stated officially by each issuer. Always check the terms for your own card on the issuer’s official page

Always decline DCC (payment in your home currency)

If an ATM or card terminal asks “Pay in your home currency? (Convert to …)” or shows “DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion),” choose “No” or “Pay in IDR (local currency)”.

With DCC, a rate calculated automatically by the payment terminal is applied (Sumitomo Mitsui Card’s official merchant guidance also explains it as “calculated automatically at the credit payment terminal”). The mark-up is often not disclosed beforehand, and in practice it tends to be worse than paying in local currency. There are no official statistics on the size of the mark-up, so we cannot give a specific figure, but the rule is always to choose local currency (IDR) when you can.

Other points to note

• You may run into ATM network failures or machines that are out of cash. Do not panic if one machine does not work; try another bank’s ATM nearby
• The advantage of withdrawing with a debit card is that, unlike a credit card cash advance (a loan), no interest accrues. However, the size of the exchange mark-up differs a lot by card, so it cannot be said flatly which is better (see FAQ Q2 for details)

The reality of where cards work and where they don’t

“You can use cards in Lombok” is only half right. In practice it splits clearly by the size and type of business.

Places where cards tend to work

• Mid-range and upscale hotels and resorts
• Large supermarkets in cities such as Mataram
• Shops in the airport, and some large restaurants and cafes

Places where cards hardly work (cash is a must)

• Warungs (everyday local eateries)
• Street stalls and stands at night markets
• Locally arranged boats (such as the boats to the Gili Islands and South Gili)
• Private drivers and motorbike taxis
• Markets and small general shops
• Many homestays and guesthouses

The further you go from the tourist centres, and the more you deal with individual shops and independent operators, the more you have to rely on cash. Even in shops that take cards, the payment terminal (EDC) may have an unstable connection and payment can take a while. Some shops also add a card surcharge. The rate is each shop’s own decision and there is no official standard. Before paying by card, it is safest to ask “Does the price change if I pay by card?”

Here is how the ease of using cards changes by area and type of business, as a diagram.

Figure: map of payment methods by area

* The positions are schematic. The only direction stated in the text is that Sekotong is in the south-west of the main island of Lombok. Whether cards work is a tendency by business size and type, and reflects the situation as of August 2026.

Can foreign tourists use QRIS (the unified QR payment)?

QRIS (QR Indonesian Standard) unifies Indonesia’s domestic QR-code payments, including GoPay, OVO, DANA, ShopeePay and bank apps, into one standard. The short answer: as of August 2026, no mechanism is shown for using a foreign-issued card or a home-country payment app directly with Indonesian QRIS. The grounds are as follows.

• The payment instruments that can be linked to QRIS are Indonesian domestic deposit accounts and server-based e-money (GoPay, OVO, DANA and others). Bank Indonesia’s official explanation also gives the scope as debit cards, credit cards, credit lines and server-based e-money, and shows no mechanism for linking a foreign-issued card directly to QRIS
• Bank Indonesia is developing “QRIS Antarnegara” (cross-border QRIS), and its official page lists Japan alongside Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore as partner countries. However, the Japan row still shows the transaction limit as “TBA” (to be announced), and the participating financial institutions on the Japanese side are also still marked “TBA” (as of August 2026)
• The link with Japan started on 17 August 2025, but in the opposite direction. Bank Indonesia’s official news release explains that at launch, “people in Indonesia can pay by scanning JPQR Global at 35 merchants in Japan using their domestic payment apps.” For the reverse direction, visitors from Japan using their own apps in Indonesia, the release only says it “is planned to expand to merchants in Indonesia in the future,” and neither a start date nor supported apps have been announced
• A system called “QRIS TUNTAS” has also been reported, but it is an extension of QRIS to cash withdrawal, transfer and deposit, and Bank Indonesia’s official explanation gives the condition for use as “a person who holds a deposit account or server-based e-money account with a QRIS TUNTAS participating operator.” It is a separate matter from linking a foreign-issued card

As a practical alternative, GoPay supports top-ups with Visa and Mastercard debit cards (GoPay official). However, the official GoPay page does not say whether foreign-issued cards can be used, or whether you can open an account without an Indonesian phone number. Think of it as a bonus if it works.

Our recommendation for now is to treat QRIS as “nice if it works” and prepare mainly with cash and cards. Rules in this area change quickly, so we will update this article in line with future official announcements.

Tip guide and how to give

Tipping is not obligatory in Indonesia. The figures below are not an official standard but a guide to the going rate heard in the tourism trade. Whether to tip is entirely up to you.

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Situation	Guide
Restaurants (where service charge is not included)	About 5–10% of the bill, or round up the change
Hotel porter	Rp10,000–20,000 per bag (about US$0.56–1.12)
Private driver or guide (per day)	About Rp50,000–100,000 (about US$2.81–5.62)
Spa and massage	About Rp20,000–50,000 (about US$1.12–2.81)

* Not an official standard, but a guide to the going rate heard in the tourism trade (as of August 2026).

Figure: tip guide (per occasion)

Restaurants are excluded because the tip is about 5–10% of the bill. A guide to the going rate, not an official standard

Of the “++” you often see on hotel and restaurant bills, the tax (Tax) part can be confirmed as part of the legal system. In Indonesia, food and drink served at hotels, restaurants, warungs and similar places are outside value-added tax (PPN) and instead subject to the regional tax PBJT (tax on certain goods and services), whose rate is capped by law (Law No. 1 of 2022, UU HKPD) at 10% (Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes, official). The actual rate is set by regional regulation.

The service charge, on the other hand, is a business practice that differs by operator and is not set by law. Check the menu or bill to see whether it is included. If a service charge is included, there is no need to tip on top. When you do tip, have small notes ready and hand it over discreetly.

Why you should keep small notes

At small places such as warungs, street stalls and car-park attendants, if you offer a large note such as Rp100,000, they may not have change. Change tends to run short especially in rural areas, early in the morning and just after opening. There are no official statistics on this, but it is a situation widely seen in cash-based societies, so it does no harm to be prepared.

The rupiah notes now in circulation are seven denominations: Rp1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 (Bank Indonesia 2022 issue). ATMs normally dispense Rp50,000 or Rp100,000 notes, and which one you get depends on the machine. If you want to build up small notes, the quick way is to choose an ATM that dispenses Rp50,000 notes.

Even so, payments at car parks and warungs, and tips, often call for notes of Rp20,000 or less, so when you shop at a city bank or supermarket, deliberately collect a few notes of Rp20,000 or less each, and later payments will go more smoothly.

ATMs in rural areas such as Sekotong

For the Sekotong area, in the south-west of the main island of Lombok, we have not been able to confirm the number of working ATMs even through each bank’s official ATM search. It is certain that the financial infrastructure is thinner than in main tourist areas such as Mataram, Senggigi and Kuta Lombok, but to be honest we found no public information that states “how many are where.”

That is why if you plan to stay in Sekotong or the south-west islands (towards South Gili), we strongly recommend withdrawing the cash you need in one go while you are in a city such as Mataram or Senggigi. Do not plan on the basis of “I’ll look for an ATM after I get there.” If you run out of cash locally and the nearby ATM is out of order or out of cash, you will need the whole travel time to go back to a city to get more.

Estimate the expenses you expect during your stay in Sekotong (meals, boat charter, activities, tips, transport) for the number of days, add a margin, and secure that amount in a city. This is the surest preparation.

What to do in a city before you leave for Sekotong

• Withdraw cash for the days of your stay plus a margin, in one go
• Keep a few notes of Rp20,000 or less
• Check your card issuer’s limits and fees
• Write down your card’s overseas emergency number and carry it on paper

Figure: what to do before you leave for Sekotong

How rate-board tricks and exchange scams work, and how to avoid them

Problems with money exchange are reported across Indonesia, including Bali and Lombok. The tricks and how to avoid them on the spot are as follows.

Figure: exchange scams strike at four moments

* Bank Indonesia gives the official logo with QR code and ID number, and the permit displayed in the shop, as the way to recognise a licensed money changer (KUPVA BB). Unlicensed operators can be reported to the BI contact centre, “BI 131” (as of August 2026).

• A sign with an extremely good rate draws customers in, and “fees” are then deducted afterwards when the amount is worked out: do not agree based on the quoted rate alone, and always check the total amount you will receive beforehand
• Bills are counted quickly and fewer notes are handed over: count again yourself on the counter, where the changer can see you
• Check each note on the spot when you receive it: look for damaged notes mixed in
• An unlicensed street changer calls out that the rate is “good”: Bank Indonesia advises using only licensed operators that have the official logo with a QR code and a permit displayed in the shop. Do not respond to approaches

When using ATMs and cards, there are also risks separate from exchange scams.

• Skimming (stealing card information): prefer indoor ATMs attached to bank branches and ATMs with a security guard, and check that nothing unnatural is attached to the card slot. We recommend covering the keypad with your hand when you enter your PIN
• Fraud by phone calls and SMS from people claiming to be bank staff: warnings have been issued, including by the Embassy of Japan in Indonesia. The caller says “fraudulent use of your card was detected,” gets you to click a link in an SMS, has you enter your PIN repeatedly, and has you approve a transfer. Even if the other party knows your personal information, do not trust them; hang up, and call back using the genuine bank contact details you already have
• Card retained by the machine: in rural areas you have to go back to the counter of a bank branch when there is a problem, and recovery takes longer than in cities. It is reassuring to write your card company’s overseas emergency number on paper and carry it

The basics of avoiding trouble are to choose by “is it licensed?”, not by “how high is the rate?”, and to count the cash on the spot and leave the shop only once you are happy with the amount. If anything feels even slightly off, you also need to be ready to walk away from the deal on the spot.

Should you take a Cash Passport or Wise?

Besides cash and cards issued in your own country, whether to also use a Cash Passport (a prepaid foreign-currency card) or a multi-currency card such as Wise is another question people often ask about.

• Advantages: some products keep the exchange mark-up and overseas ATM fees low. Another comfort is that if you lose one, your loss can be limited more than if you lose cash
• Disadvantages and cautions: the companies do not officially publish figures on how well their cards work at Indonesian ATMs or how often errors occur. We cannot rule out that a foreign-issued prepaid card is rejected at an ATM in a rural area, so always carry cash or another card you can rely on in an emergency

In conclusion, a Cash Passport or Wise is realistically not “your main way of getting cash” but “a secondary option to cut exchange fees,” carried together with your ordinary credit and debit cards and cash. Not relying on a single card or a single method is especially important on a stay on Lombok that includes rural areas.

Cautions and downsides at a glance

• In rural areas (the south-west including Sekotong), cards hardly work compared with cities, and life is cash-based
• ATMs in rural areas are few, and can be out of order or out of cash. Do not rely on them
• Airport exchange is convenient, but the rate tends to be worse than in town, so it is safest to keep it to a small amount
• On Bank Indonesia’s official page Japan is listed as a QRIS partner country, but the limit is “TBA” and the Japanese financial institutions have not been announced. The start date of the Japan-to-Indonesia direction has not been published, so prepare mainly with cash and cards
• If an ATM or card terminal asks whether to pay in your home currency, always choose IDR (local currency)
• Even at shops where you can pay by card, connection problems and surcharges (a mark-up on the price) can occur
• Both the withdrawal limit and the fees are ultimately decided by “your own card’s terms.” Please check on your card issuer’s official page before you travel

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

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Sources this article is based on

• Bank Indonesia, “QRIS Cross-Border (QRIS Antarnegara)” (list of partner countries; Japan shown as Japan, limit TBA, standard JPQR Global, Japanese financial institutions shown as TBA)https://www.bi.go.id/en/fungsi-utama/sistem-pembayaran/ritel/kanal-layanan/QRIS/QRIS-Antarnegara/default.aspx
• Bank Indonesia news release, “QRIS Resmi Dapat Digunakan di Jepang” (started 17 August 2025; users in Indonesia can use it at 35 merchants in Japan; reverse direction to be expanded in future)https://www.bi.go.id/id/publikasi/ruang-media/news-release/Pages/sp_2719325.aspx
• Bank Indonesia, “Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS)” (scope of payment instruments linked to QRIS)https://www.bi.go.id/id/fungsi-utama/sistem-pembayaran/ritel/kanal-layanan/QRIS/default.aspx
• Bank Indonesia, “QRIS TUNTAS (Tarik Tunai, Transfer, dan Setor Tunai)” (condition of use = a domestic deposit account or server-based e-money)https://www.bi.go.id/id/fungsi-utama/sistem-pembayaran/ritel/kanal-layanan/qris/qris-tuntas/default.aspx
• Bank Indonesia regulation PBI 18/20/PBI/2016, “Kegiatan Usaha Penukaran Valuta Asing Bukan Bank” (KUPVA BB = licensing system for non-bank money changers)https://www.bi.go.id/id/publikasi/peraturan/Pages/pbi_182016.aspx
• Bank Indonesia regulation PBI 17/3/PBI/2015, “Kewajiban Penggunaan Rupiah di Wilayah NKRI” (obligation to use rupiah for domestic transactions)https://www.bi.go.id/id/publikasi/peraturan/Pages/pbi_170315.aspx
• Bank Indonesia news release, “Bank Indonesia dan Pemerintah Meluncurkan Uang Rupiah Kertas Tahun Emisi 2022” (the seven banknote denominations in circulation)https://www.bi.go.id/id/publikasi/ruang-media/news-release/Pages/sp_2421922.aspx
• ANTARA News, “BI sebut money changer legal miliki sertifikat berizin dan logo resmi” (Bank Indonesia’s view = how to recognise a licensed money changer: official logo with QR code, ID number, permit displayed in the shop; report to BI 131)https://www.antaranews.com/berita/3773667/bi-sebut-money-changer-legal-miliki-sertifikat-berizin-dan-logo-resmi
• Indonesian Directorate General of Taxes (Direktorat Jenderal Pajak), “Makan di Restoran Tidak Kena PPN” (food and drink are outside PPN; regional tax PBJT capped at 10% / Law No. 1 of 2022, UU HKPD)https://www.pajak.go.id/en/node/81110
• Bank Mandiri, “Bank Mandiri Sesuaikan Limit Tarik Tunai di ATM” (daily limit for Gold and Platinum debit raised to Rp20,000,000)https://www.bankmandiri.co.id/en/news-detail?primaryKey=45078333
• BNI, “Penyesuaian Batas Maksimal Limit Transaksi Penarikan Tunai di Mesin ATM” (daily limit by card type)https://www.bni.co.id/id-id/beranda/kabar-bni/pengumuman/articleid/7845
• Sumitomo Mitsui Card, 「外貨建て決済取り扱いのご案内（DCC）」 (Guide to foreign-currency-denominated payments; the rate is calculated automatically at the payment terminal)https://www.smbc-card.com/kamei/brand/dcc.jsp
• GoPay, “Kini Top Up GoPay Bisa Pake Kartu Debit VISA dan Mastercard” (top-up with Visa and Mastercard debit cards supported)https://gopay.co.id/blog/top-up-gopay-pakai-kartu-debit-visa-mastercard
• Embassy of Japan in Indonesia, 「【注意喚起】銀行員を名乗る者を通じた詐欺」 (warning about fraud by people claiming to be bank staff)https://www.id.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/oshirase24_28.html
• Lombok International Airport (Zainuddin Abdul Madjid) official website (facilities guide lists Penukar Uang and ATM & Bank)https://lombok-airport.co.id/

* The amounts and rules in this article were prepared by checking the official information above as of August 2026. Items for which no public body publishes figures, such as exchange rates, ATM fees and limits, tipping norms and card-merchant surcharges, are marked as “guides.” Just before you travel, please check the latest terms with your own card issuer and on the official pages of each service.