Heading to Bali real soon? Before you go on your island getaway and grab your bucket of Bintangs, make sure you have everything on your Bali tourist checklist, including getting a SIM card for your trip! Show
Do I need a SIM card in Bali?For sure! While on vacay in Bali, staying connected is a must for booking scooters or taxis, staying in touch with mates, and searching for the location of your next stop. Not to mention all the pics you have to post while you’re on your trip. Make your Bali holiday hassle-free by getting a local prepaid Bali SIM card. SIM cards are very affordable and reliableand 4G networks are available in most areas in Bali! Getting a Bali SIM card is the most reliable and affordable way to access the internet anytime and anywhere on the island. All you have to do is register for it with your passport and avail an internet package depending on the duration of your trip. Where can you buy prepaid SIM cards in Bali?For tourists in Bali, prepaid cards are available at airports or in mobile phone shops along the main tourist streets. Some airlines may even offer you a prepaid SIM card before you land! If you’re on a budget and don’t need internet right away, small phone shops in non-touristy areas have the best prices. A regular SIM card can cost up to AUD $3, and internet packages can go up to AUD $44 for 14 GB for 30 days. Klook tip: book your Bali SIM card before your trip, so you won’t have to worry about it when you land! With Klook, you can easily pick up your SIM card at the International Arrival Hall of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Plus, you get your prepaid cards at the best price possible: an 18 GB Telkomsel SIM card only costs AUD $9.65! How do I use an internet package with my Bali prepaid SIM card?Be ready to post your Insta pics while on vacay! Credits: @iputuandrepratamaa Using an internet package for your Bali SIM Card is easy with Klook. All you need to do is choose your mobile operator, and the data packages are already predetermined for you. Here are the internet packages you can book with Klook:
If you’re buying your Bali SIM card from an airport booth or a mobile phone store, the local vendor will assist you in activating your card online. They could offer you a package similar to the ones above or ask how much money you want to top up as phone credit, or what they call PULSA in Bali, if you don’t want to avail an internet plan or package. Klook tip: We recommend you opt for internet packages rather than PULSA! You might find yourself using Whatsapp, Facetime, or any other social media network to communicate, and these would use more internet data than emails or text messages. What is the best SIM card in Bali?We know there are a lot of mobile operators in Bali. So how would you know which Bali SIM card to avail of? Here’s the 411 on Bali’s primary SIM card providers:
Are there other ways to stay connected in Bali?Yes, there are other ways to stay connected besides getting a Bali SIM card. You can always connect via your hotel’s WiFi. Restaurants and cafes also offer free WiFi—don’t expect super-fast internet, though, since you’ll be sharing access with other customers. On a work-cation? There are also coworking spaces all over Bali, just like Zin Cafe in Canggu. This cafe on Nelayan Street is just a few steps away from the beach, so you can quickly chill after meetings and deadlines. Indonesia is a nation of over 13,000 islands, but it’s one in particular that gets all the attention from tourists. Whatever draws visitors to Bali — the yoga and healthy living in Ubud, the surf at Echo Beach, the unmitigated partying in Kuta — they come in their millions each year. While Wi-Fi of some sort has long been relatively common in bars, restaurants, and hotels on the island, the speed and reliablity was poor until recently. Lately, though, the rollout of fiber connections has improved the situation greatly. If your plans don’t extend much further than wandering between the bar and the hotel pool, you’ll probably be able to make do without a local SIM. If you want to stay connected everywhere, though, a local SIM card is the way to go. This used to be a very straightforward process. Unfortunately the government changed the rules a few years ago, making it more expensive and/or difficult for foreigners to get set up. Data speeds, at least, are generally good. Here’s everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in Bali. Got travel insurance for your Indonesia trip yet? A good policy can cover you for all kinds of sticky situations, from medical emergencies to canceled flights, theft, lost luggage, and more. We've been using World Nomads for over a decade. Companies
There are four cell service providers in Indonesia, plus a small number of resellers. Telkomsel has the widest coverage, reaching 98% of the country. It’s also the most expensive, although cell service is pretty cheap regardless of which company you go with. XL Axiata, IM3, and Tri have reasonable coverage in populated areas like Jakarta and Bali at somewhat lower prices, and less (in some cases, no service at all) elsewhere. LTE data is available in Bali and other major population centers with Telkomsel, XL Axiata and IM3, and is being rolled out increasingly widely. I decided to pick up a Telkomsel SIM in Bali, just to make sure I’d have coverage everywhere I went. While that didn’t prove to always be the case, I’m still happy to recommend it for most travelers. How to Buy a Prepaid SIM Card in Bali Buying a SIM card from any of the providers in Bali isn’t difficult. Getting it working, and paying the going rate, however, can be more challenging. As of April 2018, all SIMs in Indonesia need to be registered. While it’s not illegal to buy them from convenience stores and roadside kiosks, and they may even work for a period of time if you do, most of those outlets can’t register the SIM to you. As a result, there’s a good chance the SIM will be cut off without warning at some point. I was in Bali right as the new laws came into effect, and sure enough, my SIM stopped working a few days later. I only had a couple of days left in my stay, so wasn’t particularly bothered. If I had been, the only way to get it working again would have been to visit an official store, passport in hand, and wait in line with everybody else. It is possible to register your SIM at the airport, so if you don’t mind getting overcharged, this is likely the easiest place to do it. Vendors there sell SIMs from all major providers, including Telkomsel, at noticeably inflated prices. Typically you’ll also only be able to buy packs with large amounts of data, meaning you’ll spend even more. If you’re happy to wait until you get into town, you’ll have more options, sometimes at lower prices (more on that below). Since you’re probably going to have to register the SIM at an official Telkomsel GraPARI store anyway, you may as well buy your SIM there as well. Make sure that what looks like an official store actually is. If in doubt, the staff at your accommodation should know where you need to go. APN settings came pre-configured, and didn’t need changing. If you need to add them manually, they were as follows:
Since the new registration laws have made purchasing and registering a SIM in Indonesia relatively difficult, buying one and getting it shipped out ahead of time instead has started looking more appealing. There are several options, including 6GB of data in Indonesia and 20+ other countries for up to ten days, or several packages with longer validity. The SIM card can be shipped worldwide, so you can just drop it into your phone when you land and start using it right away. If you have an iPhone or other supported device, it’s worth considering an Indonesian eSIM instead. Prices are roughly similar to what you’d pay at the airport, but without the hassle. Prepaid SIM CostsUnless you’re sure they can register the SIM properly to you, I can’t recommend buying from streetside vendors due to the issues mentioned above. If you do, prices will vary widely. One convenience store quoted literally me three times as much for the same SIM and data package I bought 100m down the road. Officially, you should pay around 60,000 IDR (~$4) for a prepaid Telkomsel SIM with 18GB of data, valid for a month. A limited amount is available for any purpose, with chunks of the rest allocated to social media and local apps and sites. The exact package details change regularly. You’ll pay significantly (up to 3x more) if you buy at the airport. If you do, though, you can at least you can register the card there. Prices should be similar to the above rates at official stores. You’ll need to also factor in the cost of a taxi if there isn’t a store near where you’re staying. Topping UpIn a populated area, it’s difficult to walk any distance at all without seeing somewhere to buy credit, both on Bali and elsewhere in Indonesia. You’ll always pay a little more than the amount of credit you’re buying, which is the storekeeper’s profit margin. Locals pay a surcharge too, but if it’s more than 5% of the total, complain. Get Us in Your InboxGet our regular email updates with the latest travel tech news, tips, and articles. We'll also send over our free 25-page guide, packed with useful hints and advice to get you started! No spam ever, and you can leave any time. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your personal information. Coverage and Data SpeedsI spent most of my time in and around the Canggu area of Bali. While it was very rare to see less than full signal showing on my phone, data service wasn’t as reliable as it should have been. I’d sometimes go to use my phone, only for web pages or apps not to load. Turning flight mode on and off always fixed the problem, but especially near the beach, speeds would be slow and service would often drop out again soon after. A mile back from the beach, service was far more reliable and speeds were very good. I was able to make Skype calls and browse web pages without issue. Since everything worked fine away from the beach and elsewhere on Bali, I’m putting this down to a localised problem rather than anything inherent to Telkomsel service on the island. Check out our guides to buying SIM cards in many other countries here. Dave DeanFacebook Twitter Founder and editor of Too Many Adapters, Dave has been a traveler for 25 years, and a geek for even longer. When he's not playing with the latest tech toy or working out how to keep his phone charged for just a few more minutes, he can probably be found sitting in a broken-down bus in some obscure corner of the planet. What is the best SIM card to buy in Bali?What is the best SIM card in Bali?. Telkomsel has the best coverage among the rest but is considered to be the most expensive SIM card. ... . Getting a Smartfren SIM card is an excellent idea if you visit Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Badung during your trip.. XL Axiata is perfect if you're frequenting the Denpasar and Badung areas.. How do I get a SIM in Bali?Most of the 24h convenience stores that line the streets of Bali (Indomaret, Alphamart. Circle-K, M-Mart etc) offer that service. Some fo them don't even charge for it. You can buy pulsa also at the same shops, and kiosks, where you get the SIM Cards.
How much does a SIM cost in Bali?Choose a service provider
A regular SIM card will normally cost between Rp 20,000 to Rp 30,000. Some shops will charge silly prices though. It is up to you to either negotiate, find a different shop or just agree with the higher price for convenience sake.
Can I buy a SIM card at Denpasar airport?Yes you can buy a local SIM card at the airport.
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Where to buy sim card in bali
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