What Indonesian bank do you recommend?

[Banana72]

Who? Me? Nope... nothing priority about me.

haha sorry i was speaking of 'yous' in general.

 

[jstar]

OCBC is Singaporean, while Danamon is Indonesian. The online banking seems to be quite good for both (I have only used the Singaporean version of online banking from OCBC, it is the best I've ever seen. B-i-L likes the Danamon system.) I think the BCA system is rather quirky, it shares the rather common approach here that you first need to create a contact, and have it confirmed, before you can send funds. That is somewhat tedious. (But hey, it can be worse; try to wire funds from a US Citibank or BOA account.)

There are smaller banks that do not support international transfers and use other banks as intermediates. This of course is more costly and takes longer. But there are many transfer solutions available for remittance.

 

[Vicissidude]

I reccomend OCBC in your case.

I have a Tanda 360 account. Min 10mil rp at all times inside. No monthly admin fees. 30 free withdrawals a month on ANY atm bersama (pretty much all atms), free internet transfer fees*, free withdrawal in ocbcs overseas.

I think you might be right.

I've realized by looking at some banks' websites that I shouldn't assume I can withdraw for free using ATM Bersama. Although a bank may be a member, that likely just means a lower fee at those ATMs, reserving the truly free service to privileged accounts, such as Tanda 360 that you mention. This is okay with me because I'd rather have a higher minimum balance (within reason) and avoid tiny fees for every damn thing.

A comparable option seems to be Bank Panin as mentioned by dafluff in post #2, and their minimum balance is 5 juta as opposed to 10. However they're not a PRIMA member, and I wonder about using ATMs with Bersama partners in other countries.

One thing that seems stupid about OCBC Tanda 360 (though this likely holds true at other banks) is that their website says there is a Rp. 100,000 fee for closing the account. I guess in the long run, that's still much lower than the accumulation of all the smaller daily usage fees you'd be avoiding.

 

[jstar]

I have never seen any bank charging for debit card payments, electronic payments to other clients of that same bank, and cash withdrawals at their own ATMs. If you want to avoid all these and have no special deposito requests, take the one with most ATMs close to your location. If you're talking Bandung; BRI & BNI offer 12 or so, the local BJB offers 20, a Panin approx. 30, the BCA has something like 80, and Mandiri doubles that with 160. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[merahputih]

Monthly (administration) fee for Tahapan BCA is currently Rp14.000,00. No fee for debit card.

 

[Vicissidude]

Mandiri has a monthly administration fee even for savings (though I think lower than BCA), plus an additional monthly fee for debit cards. And long lines. And they won't replace a lost or stolen card unless I bribe the police for a surat keterangan.

 

[jstar]

Monthly (administration) fee for Tahapan BCA is currently Rp14.000,00. No fee for debit card.

Thanks, yes I remembered 10K or so.

Mandiri has a monthly administration fee even for savings (though I think lower than BCA), plus an additional monthly fee for debit cards. And long lines. And they won't replace a lost or stolen card unless I bribe the police for a surat keterangan.

How often do you pan to lose your card though? I pay much more monthly for just a stupid account with debit card in Europe. The long lines have improved considerably.

 

[Zavia]

I think you might be right.

I've realized by looking at some banks' websites that I shouldn't assume I can withdraw for free using ATM Bersama. Although a bank may be a member, that likely just means a lower fee at those ATMs, reserving the truly free service to privileged accounts, such as Tanda 360 that you mention.

One thing that seems stupid about OCBC Tanda 360 (though this likely holds true at other banks) is that their website says there is a Rp. 100,000 fee for closing the account. I guess in the long run, that's still much lower than the accumulation of all the smaller daily usage fees you'd be avoiding.

For banks with ATM Bersama doesnt mean you get a lower fee, it means you can withdraw. As opposed to not withdrawing. At least thats my understanding. OCBC T360 pays it on my behalf.

I was sure the 100k was refundable... hmm. Where did u read this?

 

[Vicissidude]

How often do you pan to lose your card though? I pay much more monthly for just a stupid account with debit card in Europe. The long lines have improved considerably.

Of course I don't plan to lose my card, but life happens, and I've lost mine a few times in the past. Shouldn't be a big deal to just cancel the card and give me a new one.

I realize that Mandiri would be a convenient option for lots of people for the reasons you've described. But there are negatives, and I guess it's just up to personal preference and needs. For me, I absolutely hate being nickel-and-dimed by for profit banks. I find it insulting that they just expect me not to notice or care if they take a small fee here and there all the time. It does add up.

Back in the US, I noticed that my big bank had started taking a monthly service fee out of my "free checking account." When I went in to talk to customer service, they offered no explanation but said they wouldn't take out $5/mo anymore, but they refused to reimburse me the money they already took. I closed that account and have been with a credit union ever since, where I've never been charged anything (except very low foreign transaction fees) and it's high interest checking so they actually just give me money.

I doubt I'll find as sweet a deal here in Indonesia, but I'd like to limit the corporate paws digging through my pockets if I can. Sorry if that was long-winded, but hopefully that explanation makes sense.

 

[Vicissidude]

For banks with ATM Bersama doesnt mean you get a lower fee, it means you can withdraw. As opposed to not withdrawing. At least thats my understanding. OCBC T360 pays it on my behalf.

I was sure the 100k was refundable... hmm. Where did u read this?

Hmm.... I can withdraw with my US debit card and that's definitely not an ATM Bersama member. Any ATM that accepts Mastercard will give me money. But still, it's good that they cover the costs making it free for you.

I read it here, toward the bottom under "Charges and Fees": https://www.ocbcnisp.com/personal-banking/simpanan/Tabungan/Tanda-360.aspx

 

[Banana72]

Tried registering my Maybank account through klikbca unsuccessfully for many months as the destination account (transferring money from bca to maybank) talked to maybe 2-3 different bank managers (at the cabang pembantu) and always get different bullshit answers and finally last week halo BCA took my complaint and said they'd reply back to me in 10 days. Phone rang yesterday...told me that the reason why the sistem won't approve online addition (and transfer) to my maybank is because it's not a WNI account. I was too flabbergasted by the stupidity of the excuse i didn't even tell the guy that the BCA account is also a non-WNI account. Oh...the things in Indonesia that make me drink.

 

[Vicissidude]

Today I finally opened a Tanda 360 VISA debit account at OCBC. As discussed earlier, they offer free use of any ATM Bersama, no monthly administration fees, and free transfers to any outside bank in the ATM Bersama network if you have a balance of at least 10 million, plus free use of ATMs in Singapore and Malaysia.

I immediately went home to link it to my Indo Paypal account, but I couldn't. Called Paypal and they said it was declined by the bank. Called OCBC and they told me that they do not support online transactions with their debit cards, only credit cards! Isn't this a VISA debit card? Why can't I use it as such?!

I also tried using some ATMs, and it was declined at BRI and Mandiri (both are in the ATM Bersama network). I was able to withdraw at an OCBC ATM though. When I called customer service, they said it was due to an error with the other bank's ATM (both of them?!).

I registered for mobile and internet banking through the OCBC ATM, but when I open the app, mobile site, or full site, I can't even check my balance. It says "This service is not available for you." CS offered no explanation for this.

I'm at a loss for words. "Worthless" comes close. Tomorrow morning I'm going back where I opened the account to try and resolve this madness, but if I really can't use my card for simple things which they said I could, especially if CS was right and I really can't use it for online purchases, I'm closing this stupid account immediately. Hopefully they'll wave the 100ribu closing fee given the circumstances, but likely not.

Can you guys use your debit card for shopping online? Have you used it for Paypal?

 

[fastpitch17]

I have not heard of a single debit card in Indonesia you can use for PP or ITunes Store. That Visa logo is just to look good I think because it seems Visa really has nothing to do with any of them.

 

[Vicissidude]

Amazing. Dumbfounding even. How is it legal for them to put the VISA logo on their cards.... I thought my needs were pretty simple, but apparently this is going to be much more complicated. Just asked my Indonesian friend who said the same thing, that debit cards can't be used online.

I found this old thread from that other forum (featuring some familiar faces): http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.o...uments/39208-debit-cards-for-online-purchases

Can anyone confirm if CIMB Niaga debit cards can be used for Paypal? Or any other Indonesian debit card?

I'm truly lost without all of you on this forum, so thank you.

 

[fastpitch17]

On both Paypal Indonesia and ITune Store, after failing to find an Indonesian issued debit card that would work I tried using my US debit card. Since I used an Indonesian address that wouldn't work either. Changed cards to US address and they worked. Had to set up ITune Store like I was physically in the US.

 

[Vicissidude]

Yes, I've had the same issue with Paypal, which is the main reason I've been so anxious to open an Indonesian account.

I called several banks and the only one who says their debit card can be used for online purchases and for Paypal is CIMB Niaga. This echoes what I read in that link I posted above. I plan to close my account at OCBC and switch to CIMB Niaga. Let's see how it goes....

 

[Vicissidude]

Well, I have a quasi update... Everyone I've spoken with at CIMB Niaga has assured me that their debit card can be used for online transactions and specifically with Paypal, but so far I still can't link it to my Paypal Indonesia account. The bank told me when I opened the account that I must register for "e-Commerce" through their ATM, which I did, and then wait 24 hours for it to activate for online use, which I have. I called them today and they said it should be working. They'll file a report so the problem will be fixed, and that'll take five working days, one whole week!

Needless to say, I now have my doubts that their debit cards can really be used for Paypal like they claim, but all I can do is wait and see. I might end up throwing in the towel and getting my first credit card ever if that's really the only option. Reading some other threads, that sounds like an equally enjoyable adventure.

I can't edit my post #32 above regarding OCBC, but I should say that their card did in fact work to withdraw cash from other banks' ATMs in the ATM Bersama network free of charge. It was a user error on my part, as I was trying to withdraw from the current/checking account since that's how my US cards always worked. Didn't realize everything was in savings. Also to OCBC's credit, their customer service in my limited experience was great. They even waved the closing fee when I closed out the account, so I hold no hard feelings for them.

 

[Vicissidude]

Final update: My CIMB Niaga debit account does work for online transactions! I think the problem was that most of their CS reps don't know how to do online transactions, but luckily I finally spoke with someone who does. Using their online banking system CIMB Clicks you need to create a VCN (virtual card number), which is a virtual credit card that can only be used 5 times, and then you need to make a new one after that. When you make a purchase it takes the funds directly from your debit account, and there's no fee for the service. Worked for Ebay and Paypal, and it was pretty easy. Crisis averted!

Thanks to jstar for the pm that set me on the right track.

 

[William King]

Good to know, thanks.

 

[centurion]

When I couldn`t link my BCA account to Paypal I contacted Paypal support and they made the connection setup for the bank account. I receive now money via Paypal without any problems.