Getting a local SIM card in Bali is not only easy, but also a much cheaper option compared to using your roaming data and international phone calls. Here’s a quick rundown on how to get an Indonesian SIM card for your phone.
1. Make sure your phone is unlocked
It’s important you check this before leaving home – if your phone is locked to your existing provider back at home, then it won’t work with any other sim card. Check with the carrier you are with so that your phone is no longer restricted to its original network and free to operate on any carrier you choose, like an Indonesian prepaid SIM card.
2. Buy a SIM card or eSIM in Bali
You can buy a Tourist SIM card or eSIM online at Bikago Mobile. You can buy one of their Tourist SIM cards, which you can collect at the airport immediately when you land, or have it delivered to your villa.
Alternatively, if your phone supports eSIM (check here) you can buy their Tourist eSIM card online.
After making the purchase, you will receive the eSIM installation QR code within minutes after you have made the payment. You can then install the eSIM while you are still in your home country and activate it the moment you land in Bali.
The great thing about Bikago Mobile is that your SIM card or eSIM can be topped up online, so there is no need to go to any shop and pay with cash for this.
If you are already in Bali, you can also buy a SIM pre-loaded with credit from any convenience store like Circle K, Alfamart and Indomart or kiosk – look for the word ‘pulsa’ (credit) on shop signs. The set-up is simple, but note that you may need to register IMEI, so do bring your passport with you.
3. Choose a service provider
The most popular cellular providers here are Telkomsel (Simpati), Indosat and XL. I’ve always used Telkomsel (Simpati) so I can’t really comment on the others.
Telkomsel has the best network in Bali and Indonesia, and this is also the network used by Bikago Mobile.
A regular Tourist SIM card will normally cost between Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000. 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.
If you buy them at the airport, there are often long queues as the seller need to register the customer passport and the phone IMEI number. If you use Bikago Mobile you can skip these queues.
4. Add credit with Telkomsel, XL, etc
After you bought the SIM card you need to ask the shop to add credit (called pulsa here). This can be Rp 50,000 (approx USD 4.00) or Rp 100,000 or you can add as little as Rp 10,000 (approx USD 0.75).
If you only use your phone for texting and local calls, you should be able to make 50,000 Rp last about a week or two. Of course, if you use the Internet on your smartphone or make international calls, your pulsa will deplete quickly. To top up your credit, look for that pulsa sign again, pay the vendor and give them your mobile number. They’ll send the credit to your phone and you’ll get a text message straight away for confirmation. The vendor will often add a small fee of Rp 1,000 or 2,000 (approx USD 0.15) to the cost of the pulsa. This is standard across Bali and Indonesia for that matter. Generally, you cannot buy pulsa online or over the phone, so try to get it before all the shops close.
5. Subscribe to internet services
Many providers offer special packages for Internet usage on smartphones. Once you’ve topped up your credit, dial *363# (if you have a Telkomsel SIM card) to subscribe to an internet package. You will then get an SMS where you need to respond with a number from a menu. Choose answer 2. Paket Flash. Then you can either choose:
- Harian/Daily
- Migguan/Weekly
- Bulanan/Monthly
After you choose option 1, 2 or 3 you will get to the next screen which shows the package prices. The prices at the moment of writing this post are:
- Daily packages start at Rp 2,750 (approx USD 0.20) for 15MB.
- Weekly packages start at Rp 8,000 (approx USD 0.60)for 50MB.
- Monthly packages start at Rp 40,000 (approx USD 3.00) for 600MB / Rp 77,500 (approx USD 6.00) for 5GB / Rp 255,000 (approx USD 20.00) for 8GB / Rp 460,000 (approx USD 35.00) for 14GB
Related: Your guide to medical care in Bali: Hospitals & clinics for tourists in Bali
6. Check your account balance
With Bikago Mobile, you receive a Whatsapp message when you first activate the SIM card or eSIM. This message has a link which you can click, from here you can see your remaining balance and you can also topup and pay online.
The following information is applicable if you buy the SIM card from Telkomsel.
Dial the following codes from your phone to get information:
- *888# shows you how much credit you’ve got left. Run this after topping up credit if you don’t get a text message before leaving the shop to ensure everything’s OK
- *889# tells you how much data you’ve got remaining
- 01017 followed by your international number. This is the cheapest way to phone home from your mobile – ensure you put this code in first or your credit will go fast!
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