BCA or BNI Bank?

[itinerantman]

I already have my 'Expat Bank' for my International transfers etc and am now looking for the most efficient Indonesian Bank in terms of Debit/Credit Card acceptability,minimum monthly fees,ATM/Netbanking facilities and generally good Customer Service with reasonable English language skills. I have narrowed it down to BCA or BNI-would be grateful for some informed opinions as to which one to choose.If I have overlooked any other good local Banks would also appreciate any relevant input. I will be based at Surabaya though that should not be of any consequence.

[hendry_ohe]

Bca.....

[jstar]

I already have my 'Expat Bank' for my International transfers etc and am now looking for the most efficient Indonesian Bank in terms of Debit/Credit Card acceptability,minimum monthly fees,ATM/Netbanking facilities and generally good Customer Service with reasonable English language skills. I have narrowed it down to BCA or BNI-would be grateful for some informed opinions as to which one to choose.If I have overlooked any other good local Banks would also appreciate any relevant input. I will be based at Surabaya though that should not be of any consequence.

BCA is bigger in Jakarta of course. And they have many ATM's in supermarkets although BNI is present in all shopping malls too. Also, many supermarkets and pharmacies accept the BCA debit card which is very convenient. And klikBCA is not bad as online banking application. You'll have to check what the ATM availability in Surabaya is though. Unlike most banks in Europe, it is not easy and quite expensive to take money out of other bank's ATM.

Customer Service from both is pretty good and they generally do speak English. You never get a reaction on e-mails but that's often the case.

Do you have a KITAS sponsored by work or wife? In case of the latter, it could be a big issue to get a credit card approved. Then you might need to take a 'dependent' (or child) card on your spouse.

Credit cards in Indonesia are even more account/bank independent than the rest of the world. And for free. So it's not bad to check where you will eat a lot (discount up to 30%) and/or which shopping mall you will visit frequently; shopping malls are sponsored by credit card companies and you get special deals. As far as I remember; Mal Kelapa Gadig is Citibank and Plaza Indonesia is BCA for instance.

[Annette]

lol Inter let me know when u know

[RaraPutri]

of course BCA.. the bigger Bank here in Jakarta

[jstar]

let me know when u know

Well, it's a bit like asking; what is the better car, Mercedes or BMW?

You will get a lot of tainted opinions but the correct answer is: It depends.

Because it depends on what you think is most important in your daily banking; ATM close to home? Being able to pay in the supermarket with debit card? Presence of bank office in neighborhood? Etc. etc. That's different for everybody.

I didn't mention the detrimental exchange rates from BCA since the poster already has a bank for that it seems. Also, if you would ask here what the best bank is (we had many of those before), the chances are Mandiri would come out on top.

So your shortlist (even if you go to Surabaya too) could be very different from the OP.

[Alia]

BCA makes my life easier. Why ? They have mobile banking, e-banking, flash, and especially debit BCA which is widely accepted in most merchants, restaurants and gas stations. I almost never go to atm for some cash, I fill my fuel and ask for Tunai BCA instead, or shopping in Carrefour would do too.

Although, you need to be ready for a long queue in the Bank, as we know its no longer Bank Central Asia, but Bank Capek Antri.

[atlantis]

I get outstanding services from Mandiri and neither BCA nor BNI have come anywhere close to them in Manado. I definitively agree with Alia's comment concerning Bank Capek Antri. If I have to deal with BCA, I make sure that I come at a not so busy time if I don't want to end up queuing up to 1 hour for a simple transaction! Even on the premium lounge, we have to take a ticket! Ludicrous.

[itinerantman]

Thanks guys! Anyone in Surabaya banking with Mandiri can share some feedback with me? I shall be in the area of Jl Darmo Permai

[puakeo.96]

for daily transaction choose BCA. the easiest one.
BUT....if you need visit bank at least 3 days a week for saving. then choose BNI.
but for this actually choose cash deposit machine instead of bank teller.

well....i have both BCA and BNI. Overall, BCA is the best...Bank Capek Antri no more, just go to cash deposit machine...

I already have my 'Expat Bank' for my International transfers etc and am now looking for the most efficient Indonesian Bank in terms of Debit/Credit Card acceptability,minimum monthly fees,ATM/Netbanking facilities and generally good Customer Service with reasonable English language skills. I have narrowed it down to BCA or BNI-would be grateful for some informed opinions as to which one to choose.If I have overlooked any other good local Banks would also appreciate any relevant input. I will be based at Surabaya though that should not be of any consequence.