Aussies told to buy Indonesian rupiah for Bali now

There is a bright spot among the bad exchange rates for Australian travellers right now, with one beloved destination hitting the best rate in eight months.

Australians heading to Bali are being told to consider exchanging their money now — with the market rate for Indonesian rupiah hitting the highest it has been since August last year.

While unfavourable currency conversations paint a sad picture for Aussies off to Europe, those heading to the wildly popular Indonesian island are in luck.

“For Australians planning a trip to Indonesia, it’s a great time to exchange your currency as the AUD to IDR exchange rate just hit an eight-month high, with the market rate peaking at 10,672.1 IDR per AUD,” Travel Money Group general manager Scott McCullough told news.com.au on Wednesday morning.

Exchange rate year-to-date for the Australian dollar to Indonesian rupiah. Picture: Google

“To put this into context, if you exchanged $1000 AUD worth of IDR, you’d get an extra 410,740 rupiah more than the 2025 average, which is nearly $40 AUD,” Mr McCullough explained.

“With a casual restaurant meal only costing around $5, that extra money goes a long way and will buy you a few extra cocktails to sip at your favourite Bali beach club.”

Mr McCullough did note that rates can fluctuate every half-hour, so was is important to check the exchange rate at the exact time of buying.

The market rate is also different to the retail rate providers offer to the public.

A look at popular websites offering foreign exchange services just before 11am on Wednesday morning showed 1 AUD would buy you 9864.5 IDR cash on Travel Money Oz and 9379 cash on Travelex. Electronically, 1 AUD would buy you 10,609.8 IDR on Revolut and 10660 IDR on Wise.

For Travel Money Oz, Mr McCullough said if the rates improved after a customer already took their cash out, they had a guarantee system that allowed customers to still benefit.

“If the rates keep getting better in the next 14 days, you can come back in store and get back the difference,” he said of the guarantee system.

A stock trader monitors the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) on April 8, 2025 as uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's global tariff policies roil markets. Picture: Bay Ismoyo / AFP

Angus Kidman, travel expert at Finder, said the broad trend of the Australian dollar being strong relative to the rupiah “has continued even amid the current tariff chaos”.

“We’ve seen that long-term trend restored, meaning you’ll get more bang for your buck with Bali than with Baltimore right now, and I’d expect that to continue,” Mr Kidman told news.com.au.

“So if you’re planning a trip to Indonesia it’s a good time to stock up on cash, but remember that exchange rates vary all the time.

“They shouldn’t be the only reason for choosing your destination.

“And don’t forget your travel insurance – a single scooter accident will wipe out every cent you’ve saved on exchange rates if you’re not covered.”

That tariff chaos Mr Kidman referred to is US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on nations across the globe (including an Australian external territory where no humans live). Indonesia was slapped with 32 per cent tariffs and Australia 10 per cent.

Stock markets crashed and the Australian dollar was obliterated — falling below US60c to a five-year low for the currency on April 7.

Mr Trump later announced a 90-day pause for tariffs over 10 per cent — except for China.

The exchange rate on the pound and euro have Australian travellers worried but Indonesian rupiah is looking good. Picture: istock

While Aussie travellers’ growing obsession with Japan (the yen recorded historic lows against the Australia dollar last year) is creating strong competition for Bali, the beloved island remains a favourite.

A survey by the Australian Tourism & Transport Forum released last week showed Bali was the fifth most popular international destination this autumn.

Of those planning an overseas trip between May 15 and May 15, 8 per cent are heading to Indonesia, 9 per cent to Thailand, 12 per cent to Japan, 13 per cent to Europe and 14 per cent to New Zealand.

On Booking.com, Seminyak in Bali is the second top searched destination for Australians travelling overseas this Easter — only sitting behind the capital of Japan, Tokyo.

Bali is also the runner-up on Expedia and Wotif’s joint April travel outlook, also behind Tokyo.

According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics’ latest release of data, the three leading destination countries Aussie residents returned from in February were New Zealand (111,310 trips), Indonesia (106,880) and Japan (97,290).