Bali eSIM guide: staying connected in Indonesia

Bali is one of the most popular overseas trips for Australians, and staying connected there matters more than you might think. You'll be booking ride-share and scooter taxis through apps, sharing locations with your group, checking villa directions, and translating menus. Here's how to sort your data before you go.

Why sort data before you land

Arrivals at Bali's international airport can be busy, and after the flight the last thing most people want is a SIM kiosk queue. Buying a local SIM also usually means registering it with your passport. With a travel eSIM installed at home, you turn it on as the plane taxis in and order your ride before you've cleared the terminal.

Your options in Bali

• Travel eSIM: install before you fly, keep your Australian number active for texts and bank codes, and get online on arrival. Our pick for most holidays.
• Australian carrier roaming: easy, but daily roaming charges add up quickly over a typical week or more in Bali.
• Local SIM: can be good value for long stays, but involves finding a shop, passport registration and swapping out your Australian SIM.

For a fuller comparison, see eSIM vs roaming vs a local SIM.

Coverage around the island

Mobile coverage is generally strong across the busy south and central areas visitors spend most time in, such as Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta, Sanur, Jimbaran, Uluwatu and Ubud. It can get patchier in the mountains, on remote stretches of the north and east coasts, on some beaches tucked under cliffs, and on parts of the smaller islands. If you're heading to the Nusa islands, the Gili islands or Lombok, download offline maps before you go just in case.

Each destination page in our store shows the networks a plan connects to, where we have that information, so you can see what you're buying.

How much data do you need for Bali?

It depends on how you travel, but here's a rough way to think about it:

• Light use (maps, ride-share, messaging, a few photos shared): a small daily allowance goes a long way, especially if your villa or hotel has Wi-Fi.
• Moderate use (plus social media, music streaming and video calls home): pick a plan with a more generous allowance.
• Heavy use (working remotely, uploading videos, hotspotting a laptop): consider an unlimited plan where one's available, or a larger pack.

Not sure? Choose a mid-sized plan. If you run low, you can top up online from Top up eSIM without a new QR code.

Setting up your eSIM for Bali

1. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked on our compatibility page.
2. Choose an Indonesia or South-East Asia plan from Travel eSIMs.
3. Install it at home on Wi-Fi and leave it switched off. Our installation guide has the steps for iPhone and Android.
4. When you land, switch the eSIM on, set it for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it.
5. Turn off data roaming on your Australian SIM.

Travelling beyond Bali?

If Bali is one stop on a bigger trip, such as Singapore on the way or Thailand afterwards, a regional plan that covers several countries can save you buying separate eSIMs. If you visit Bali regularly, a No Expiry eSIM lets unused data carry over to your next trip.

Handy apps to have ready

• A ride-hailing app popular in Indonesia, for cars, scooter rides and food delivery.
• WhatsApp: widely used in Bali by villas, drivers and tour operators.
• An offline maps download of Bali, for the patchier spots.
• A translation app with Indonesian downloaded for offline use.