Losing my bank card in Seminyak Bali

Losing your bank card, while on holiday in Bali really sucks. I’ve seen people in the internet cafe, frantically making calls home to Australia (‘Mum, I’ve lost me bleedin’ card, have no ideeea what happened to it’). Same thing happened to me a month ago.

My bank is Washington Mutual, and like all those Aussie mates of yesteryear, I had no idea where my card ended up. The likelihood is I left it in the ATM machine I last used. Here’s what I did after that.

1. Go home. Search all likely places.
2. Once I had confirmed it was ‘lost’, I cancelled it online.
3. After cancelling it online, I immediately ordered a new one.
4. Wait for it to arrive.

My bank said it would take 5-7 working days to issue a new one. Then they had to mail it to my office, which then sent to me in Bali. Not a short process at all. During the time I had no card, I was unable to pay my pembantu, wife (plane ticket, spending money), motorbike, phone, internet connection and other things. Fortunately I had 2 things on my side. Firstly, Indonesians can be money grabbers, but if you can convince them you actually have no money, they leave you alone. I just told everyone who I owed money to, that I had none. Secondly, there are a few people in Bali, who like me enough to lend me money. I hit a couple of them up, and that got me through the drought.

My card arrived by mail from the US, a month later, a week after it was sent! I would never recommend sending anything important, to Indonesia by mail, but miraculously, it got through.

Everyone knows over here, that if you lose your cell phone, someone will grab it and change the SIM card. They also know that at ATM machines, if you lose your card, and it has a VISA or MC sign as mine did, the likelihood is someone will try to use it. Cancel the thing ASAP and call yo momma.