Twice now, once in Gili Air, and now, again, in Amed, I’ve fallen off a boat – several times, in fact – and each time, I’ve found something in the water.
The first time was this…
Learning to dive in Gili Air was great fun. I saw so many turtles, along with reef sharks, sea snakes, and about a million fish!
So, when I got back to Bali, I thought I’d try again…
But this time, I took a camera, so I could share some of what I saw with you…
As some of you may know, the start of my trip was delayed while I recovered from the flu. In a serendipitous turn of events, this ended up allowing time for my brand spanking new TransferWise debit card to arrive, just the day before I (eventually) set off for Indonesia.
I’ve used my TransferWise Borderless Account to move money between the UK and Spain for a while now, and have found it to be quick, easy and, most importantly, the cheapest way I’ve found to make international exchanges and manage my money across multiple currencies. I’ve also suggested to any visitors we’ve had in Spain that they use the service to send their holiday money over in advance of their trip, as they will get the best exchange rate that way. Up to now, that has all required a bank account in both currencies (one to send cash from and one to receive the money), which is great for our family and friends, as they can send from their UK accounts to our Spanish account, and we will present them with the cash on their arrival.
But no more… with the TransferWise debit card I can add cash to my account in one of their accepted currencies (there are currently 16 currencies that TransferWise accepts, and 29 currencies they can convert to, and they are adding new ones all the time), and use the card for purchases, and to withdraw cash in ATMs all over the world, all with TransferWise’s excellent exchange rates and low, low fees. As an example, when I was in Indonesia, most places were offering a cash exchange rate of 17,500Rp to £1. A quick check on XE.com told me the mid market rate was 18,990Rp to £1 (not that you’d even get that in most banks, and then they’ll add their fees)… TransferWise gave me 20,000Rp to £1, and with their teeny, tiny fees (I paid 49p on a £75 withdrawal – the average fee is around 0.5%), I was getting more for my money than pretty much anyone else.
“How does that help me?”, I hear you say. Well, here’s how you can join me, living the TransferWise dream! Use the link below to register for a TransferWise Borderless Account and you can start getting the same, great exchange rates today:
Sign me up for a TransferWise Borderless Account!
Currently, the debit cards are on trial and I’m one of 1,000 lucky people who has one, but TransferWise say they’ll be rolling them out to all members very soon, so get clicking and get your account!
Not sure yet, and want to know a bit more about how TransferWise works? Check out this handy infographic…
(Full disclosure: for each person who signs up and makes a transfer using the links on this page, TransferWise will give me some beer money. I might not spend it on beer… I’ll probably end up using it to keep the site running!)