Mobile data in Bali
Bali has no trains or metro, so most visitors get around with a driver, a scooter or a ride booked through Grab or Gojek, and all three run on the phone. The Indonesia eSIM connects to Telkomsel, XL and Indosat and is data only, so WhatsApp keeps your usual number.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Indonesia?
- Yes. It connects to Telkomsel, XL, Indosat (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 7,49 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Indonesia is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Indonesia. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Ngurah Rai: the levy, the taxi desk and the app zone
Before flying, pay the Bali tourist levy on the official Love Bali website or app; it emails you a voucher with a QR code that is scanned on arrival. Do it at home on wifi and keep the QR saved offline. Use only the official address, lovebali.baliprov.go.id, because copycat sites sell the same registration.
At Ngurah Rai, the only taxis allowed to pick up at the arrivals curb belong to the airport's official taxi cooperative. Grab and Gojek collect from signposted pickup zones away from the curb, so walk to the zone before you request the ride. With the eSIM connected, both apps work from the moment you leave the plane, and your accounts keep the number you signed up with.
eSIM for Indonesia
Data on your phone the moment you land in Indonesia. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
Scooters, drivers and the road to Ubud
Bali's public bus network, Trans Metro Dewata, runs a handful of routes with long gaps between buses, and its timetables are in the MitraDarat app. Most visitors instead hire a driver for the day, ride a scooter or book Grab and Gojek, which offer both cars and motorbike taxis. Traffic between Canggu, Ubud and Uluwatu is heavy at busy times, so check the live estimate in the app before you set off.
On a scooter, use a phone mount and spoken directions, and download the offline map of the island: the roads up to the rice terraces and temples of the interior can lose signal along the way. Day drivers usually confirm times and meeting points by WhatsApp, which works through the eSIM.
Batur at dawn and Ijen across the strait
The sunrise hike up Mount Batur starts in the dark: pickups from Ubud are usually around two or three in the morning, and the climb begins a little later. Save the driver's details and the meeting point the night before, so you are not looking for them half asleep.
Mount Ijen, with its blue fire, is not in Bali but in East Java. Tours drive to Gilimanuk in the west of the island, take the ferry to Ketapang and climb at night. Java is still Indonesia, so the pack keeps working on the other side; just save the route offline for the crossing and the volcano. If you leave Indonesia altogether, for Singapore or Australia, you need that country's eSIM.
Which pack for Bali
A stopover of three or four days in one area, with villa wifi, fits the 3 GB pack, valid for 15 days. A week split between the south and Ubud, with every ride booked by app, a Batur trip and photos from the road, is more comfortable on 5 GB, valid for 30 days. If you work from a café in Canggu through the hotspot, or add Ijen and Lombok, take 10 GB.
Install the eSIM at home on wifi: it starts on its first connection in Indonesia and can be bought up to 180 days before. Top up the same eSIM if you need more. The data calculator gives a figure for your trip, the packs are on the Indonesia page, and the Southeast Asia guide helps if Bali is one stop of several.
Do I need data to pay the Love Bali levy?
Pay it online before you fly, ideally at home; the voucher with the QR code arrives by email. Keep it offline on the phone so you can show it on arrival even before the eSIM connects.
Where do Grab and Gojek pick up at Bali airport?
At signposted pickup zones away from the arrivals curb, which is reserved for the official airport taxis. Walk to the zone first, then book.
Does the pack work in Java for Mount Ijen?
Yes. Java is part of Indonesia, so the same pack works there wherever Telkomsel, XL or Indosat have signal.
We share one scooter: can one eSIM cover both phones?
Yes, the hotspot is included, so one phone can share its data with the other. For two people over a week, 10 GB leaves room.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Indonesia