Last updated: 20 October 2026
For most trips to Bali, a travel eSIM is the simplest way to get data: you install it at home, it connects when you land at Denpasar (Ngurah Rai, DPS), and your Australian number stays on for calls, texts and bank codes. Our Indonesia plans start at US$2.99 (about A$4.28) for a day, and a week with 40 GB costs US$11.99 (about A$17.16). A SIM card bought at the airport also works, but means a queue after a long flight and a passport check.
Australian dollar amounts use 1 US$ = A$1.4314 (European Central Bank rate, 19 October 2026). Your card may convert at a slightly different rate.
Which plan fits your Bali trip
From our catalogue, checked on 20 October 2026. Prices in US dollars, with Australian dollars in brackets:
| Trip | Plan | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A stopover or a day trip | 0.6 GB, 1 day | US$2.99 (A$4.28) |
| A long weekend | 20 GB, 3 days | US$6.99 (A$10.01) |
| 5 days | 30 GB, 5 days | US$8.99 (A$12.87) |
| A week in Bali | 40 GB, 7 days | US$11.99 (A$17.16) |
| A week, steady daily use | 1.5 GB a day, 7 days | US$10.99 (A$15.73) |
| Two weeks | 60 GB, 15 days | US$21.99 (A$31.48) |
| Two weeks, steady daily use | 1.5 GB a day, 15 days | US$20.99 (A$30.05) |
| A month (remote work, a long stay) | 1.5 GB a day, 30 days | US$31.99 (A$45.79) |
| Heavy use, hotspot for a laptop | Unlimited, 7 days | US$21.99 (A$31.48) |
For a typical holiday, the fixed-data plans (20 GB for 3 days, 40 GB for 7 days, 60 GB for 15 days) are the better buy: the data is yours to use when you want, so a quiet pool day and a busy day of Grab rides and maps balance out. Daily plans suit steady use every day. More on the difference: fixed, daily or unlimited data.
Why you want data in Bali
Getting around Bali runs on your phone:
- Ride-hailing. Grab and Gojek are how most visitors get from Seminyak to Canggu or Ubud, and both need data to book and to track your driver.
- Maps. Roads are slow and small, and a map with live traffic saves a lot of time.
- WhatsApp. Villas, drivers, tour operators and restaurants mostly confirm bookings on WhatsApp.
- Payments and tickets. Many places take QR payments, and activity and ferry tickets arrive on your phone.
Hotel and café Wi-Fi is common in the main areas, but it does not help in a car or at a temple.
eSIM or a SIM card at the airport?
| Travel eSIM | SIM card at Denpasar airport | |
|---|---|---|
| When you set it up | At home, on Wi-Fi, before you fly | After immigration, at a counter |
| Your Australian number | Stays on in the same phone | Stays on only if your phone is dual-SIM; otherwise you take your SIM out |
| Registration | None at the airport | Done at the counter with your passport |
| Data from the moment you land | Yes | After the queue and setup |
| Price | Fixed, shown before you buy | Set at the counter |
A local SIM can work out cheaper for a long stay, but for a holiday the difference is small and the eSIM saves the queue. Staying for months rather than weeks? Indonesia requires foreign phones used long-term on Indonesian SIM cards to be registered with customs (Bea Cukai). The rules have changed over the years, so check beacukai.go.id before a long stay.
To use a travel eSIM, your phone must take an eSIM and be unlocked: check yours in 30 seconds and is my phone unlocked?
Coverage around Bali
Mobile coverage is good in the busy south and centre of the island, where most visitors stay: Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Uluwatu and Ubud. Like anywhere, it gets patchier away from towns:
- Mountains and the north, on the road to Kintamani or Munduk, and in steep valleys.
- Some beaches and coves below cliffs, especially around the Bukit peninsula.
- The Nusa islands (Nusa Penida, Lembongan, Ceningan): fine in the main villages, weaker on remote roads and at the viewpoints.
- On the fast boats between Bali, the Nusa islands and the Gili islands, the signal can drop mid-crossing.
Download an offline map of Bali before you go, and save your villa's address and phone number offline.
Using your Australian carrier in Bali instead
All the big Australian carriers roam in Indonesia, but you pay by the day or by the pack. From each carrier's own roaming page, checked on 20 October 2026:
| Carrier | In Indonesia | A week in Bali |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | International Day Pass, Zone 2: $10 a day with 2 GB, unlimited standard calls and SMS | $70 |
| Optus | Daily Roaming: $5 a day for 5 GB on Choice Plus, Plus Family and Plus Promo plans; other postpaid plans $10 for each 1 GB pass | $35, or from $70 |
| Vodafone | $5 Roaming: your plan's data, calls and texts for $5 a day, on postpaid plans | $35 |
More detail in our guides to Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. On smaller networks: amaysim sells roaming packs valid for 365 days with Indonesia included, and see ALDI Mobile, Belong and Boost Mobile.
Roaming is the right call for a two-day trip or if you mostly need calls home. For a week or more of data, the eSIM usually costs less: a week costs $35 to $70 on the big three, against US$11.99 (A$17.16) for 40 GB.
Before you fly to Bali
- Install the eSIM at home on Wi-Fi: iPhone or Android. The plan starts when it first connects in Indonesia, not when you install it.
- Pay the Bali tourist levy. Bali charges international visitors a levy of IDR 150,000 per person. Pay it on the provincial government's official portal, lovebali.baliprov.go.id, and keep the voucher it emails you. Copycat sites exist, so check the address.
- When you land, set the eSIM as your data line, turn on data roaming for the eSIM, and turn data roaming off on your Australian line so it never starts a roaming day.
- Download Grab and Gojek before you leave home, and sign in.
If the eSIM shows No Service when you land, see eSIM not working abroad.
FAQ
Do I need a SIM card in Bali?
Not a physical one. You need mobile data for Grab, Gojek, maps and WhatsApp, and a travel eSIM gives you that without a SIM card, from US$2.99 (A$4.28) for a day or US$11.99 (A$17.16) for 40 GB over a week.
Which is better in Bali, an eSIM or a SIM card?
For a holiday, an eSIM: you set it up at home, it works when you land, and your Australian number stays on. A SIM card from the airport counter means a queue and a passport check after your flight, and on a single-SIM phone your Australian SIM comes out.
Which eSIM plan is best for Bali?
For a week, 40 GB for 7 days at US$11.99 (A$17.16) covers maps, rides, WhatsApp and social media with room to spare. For two weeks, 60 GB for 15 days at US$21.99 (A$31.48). For laptop hotspot use, the unlimited 7-day plan at US$21.99 (A$31.48).
Does Telstra work in Bali?
Yes. Indonesia is in Zone 2 of Telstra's International Day Pass: $10 a day with 2 GB of data and unlimited standard calls and SMS, so a week costs $70. A travel eSIM for data usually costs less for a week or more. More in our Telstra international roaming guide.
Can I keep my Australian phone number with an eSIM in Bali?
Yes. The travel eSIM carries your data, and your Australian SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts. Turn data roaming off on the Australian line so it does not start roaming charges.
Is mobile coverage good in Bali?
In the main areas, yes: Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur, Nusa Dua, Uluwatu and Ubud. Expect weaker signal in the mountains and the north, below some cliffs, on remote roads on the Nusa islands, and on the fast boats.
Facts checked on 20 October 2026 against our catalogue, Telstra's, Optus's and Vodafone Australia's roaming pages, the Bali provincial government's Love Bali portal for the tourist levy, and Bea Cukai (Indonesian customs) for long-stay phone registration. Exchange rate: European Central Bank, 19 October 2026.