If you have family in Indonesia, you may one day need to send money to them. In most cases, they will want it as soon as possible, which is why knowing your choices ahead of time is handy. Before you send money to Indonesia, consider the top methods available to you.

The money of Indonesia is the rupiah, and $1 USD is equal to 9,433.96 rupiah. There are more than 200 banks in the nation, which means sending funds to the area via bank should not be a problem. In fact, many American financial institutions charge rates that are somewhat inexpensive, as long as you shop aroundfirst. For example, Citibank Global Transfer charges $10 to send money to the Indonesian branch of Citibank. If you want to transfer money to other banks, such as Bank Buana Indonesia, Bank Bumiputera, Bank Negara Indonesia, or Bank Maspion, to name a few, it will cost $30 to $40 USD. Your relatives might also have accounts at other familiar banks that have locations in both countries, like Bank of America and American Express Bank. You can ask those financial institutions about rates for transfering funds, as well.

No matter where you transmit the money, you will need the name and account number of your relatives. In some cases, your relative might have to pay a fee to receive the money. One example is Citibank, which charges a $10 fee to receive a wire transfer. Also, be aware that several financial institutions provide the option of paying online or going to a branch to send money to Indonesia. Most financial institutions charge differently depending on which method you select, so check before you select your method.

If you wish to keep fees to a minimum when you send money to Indonesia, you have other possibilities. You can also mail a prepaid debit card to your recipient. The initial step is choosing a company to go through, and then having the card mailed to your family. You should then call or email them the PIN, allowing them to start using the card. You can add funds online or by phone for a fee of $5 every time, no matter how much you send at one time. Your relatives will be charged a minimal fee of less than 9,433 rupiah when they use the card at shops, and less than 28,000 rupiah when they use it to remove money at ATMs. Some small towns in Indonesia have few, if any, ATMs, so ensure there is at least one near them before you choose this option. If they reside in larger areas like Jakarta or Bandung, they should not have a problem finding ATMs to use, or shops at which they can use their card.

Conducting some research before you decide which way to send money to Indonesia is best. Comparing can save you and your family member money, and it could also allow you to choose the most convenient option. After all, attempting to use a financial institution to transfer money to someone without a bank account, or sending a prepaid debit card to someone with no access to ATMs, could be quite a blunder.