Originally Posted by apirchik
If you want to charge the fee (25 USD) on a credit card (as I did) - be aware of:
1. Although the fee is in USD, the card is charged on local Rupiah on a bad rate. It turned up as a charge of about 26.50 USD.
2. The terminal they use is of a local bank and not of a business, making the transaction a bank transaction (like an ATM transaction). My credit card company charged a $5 "cash advance fee" for this kind of transaction.
Bottom line, better have 25 USD cash when arriving into Bali.
I think travelers should just be grateful that it is possible to (1) use a credit card to pay for a visa and (2) obtain a visa on arrival.
Are there ANY countries in the world that would absorb the credit card transaction merchant fee in accepting a credit card for the payment of a visa?