Grab in Bali - How to use, safety, tips and more

Grab¹ is a super popular app used throughout Southeast Asia for ride hailing, food delivery and even grocery shopping. If you’re about to visit Bali you might be wondering: does Grab work in Bali?

This guide to the Grab app in Bali has you covered. We’ll look at how to sign up for Grab, how to book and pay for rides, and even touch on how you can use your Wise card to cut out foreign transaction fees when you pay for travel in IDR.

What is Grab?

Grab describes itself as an “All-in-one app”. It’s one of the earliest ride hailing services launched in Southeast Asia, dating back to 2012 when it landed in Malaysia. Since then Grab has expanded enormously and now offers ride hailing alongside other services including:

• GrabFood for food delivery
• GrabMart for grocery delivery
• GrabPay mobile wallet to pay for Grab services and at local merchants using a QR code
• GrabExpress for package delivery

If you’re on a trip in Bali and asking - how does Grab work in Bali- the chances are that the main service you’ll need is GrabBike or GrabCar, the flagship ride hailing option. You can find this in the Grab app, and choose from booking a motorbike, taxi or private vehicle including smaller cars, large SUVs and even coaches for large group bookings. Generally you’ll hire a ride for a specific journey - but Grab also offers the option to book a car and driver for a fixed number of hours for day trips.

Is Grab safe in Bali?

Generally Grab is considered safe to use in Bali with normal precautions. For example, you can’t overfill a vehicle - so a motorbike can only take 1 passenger, and cars will have passenger limits depending on the vehicle type. You’ll need to use a helmet on a scooter, and seatbelts in a car. And of course you’ll need to double check you’re getting in the right vehicle when it arrives. The roads in Bali can be very congested and the quality varies, so road traffic accidents do happen - make sure you’re comfortable with the type of vehicle you select and use all the safety features as you would when in your own car or bike.

How to use Grab in Bali: Step by step guide

Here’s how to use Grab in Bali from downloading the app to booking your first ride⁴:

1. Download the Grab app from the Apple Store² or Google Play³
2. Select Google, Facebook, or your phone number to use for registration
3. Enter the details following the prompts on screen
4. You’ll be sent a OTP by text message, which you use to register your account
5. Enter the OTP to be directed to the app homepage
6. Verify your account before making your first booking

Before you can use your account to book a ride you need to verify your account, which you can do by following the prompts on screen. You’ll get the choice of verifying with a Selfie, adding a card or verifying with Facebook. Adding a card is the most convenient way to pay so this is a popular choice - we’ll look at how to add your preferred card in just a moment.

Once your account is all set up you can book a Grab ride by taking the following steps⁵:

1. Open the Grab app and tap the Car tile
2. Check the pickup address is correct - it’s automatically added using your phone’s location
3. Select your ride type and payment method
4. Tap Book and wait for a driver to be allocated

Selecting the ride type is important - you’ll be shown all of those available and can then choose between vehicle type and size. Make sure you select a vehicle which is big enough to fit yourself, any passengers and all your bags. You can select multiple car types if you want to, and you’ll be assigned the one which comes available first.

Paying for Grab in Bali

You can pay for your Grabs using cash, but this is a hassle and as drivers won’t necessarily have change, it can also mean you pay more than you need to. Instead, adding a debit or credit card lets you pay the fixed fare amount only. Here’s how to link your card to your Grab account to choose this as your preferred payment method⁶:

1. Open the Grab app and tap the Finance icon
2. Tap the Settings gear icon and then All payment methods
3. Tap Add Payment Methods and choose Cards
4. Enter your card details
5. Click Continue and enter the OTP from your bank if prompted

You’ll pay for your Grab rides in IDR. If your bank card adds a foreign transaction fee this will apply on all payments - and can push up your costs by about 3%. Check your card’s terms and conditions to understand if any extra fee applies to your card payments. If it does, using your Wise card can be a good way to lower the overall cost. Wise doesn’t use a foreign transaction fee. Instead it’s free to spend a currency you hold in your account - and if you don’t have an IDR balance, Wise converts all payments to the required currency using the mid-market rate and low conversion costs.

How much is Grab in Bali?

Grab uses a dynamic pricing model which means that the costs of any given journey will change throughout the day, based on customer demand, and on driver supply. This means that costs can rise when the service is busy at peak hours, or overnight when there are fewer drivers online for example. There are also very different prices for different vehicle types and sizes.

When you enter your ride details into the app you’ll see the cost for all the available vehicle types and can select the one which best meets your needs. Pick more than one ride type if you’d like to, and you’ll be assigned the first one available from the selection you’ve picked.

Using Grab from Bali Airport

Using Grab from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to get to your hotel is a pretty popular option - and to make it easier, there’s even a Grab lounge in Bali airport where you can wait for your car to arrive, and get help from staff if you need it.

You book your ride following the steps set out above - but if you’re carrying lots of cases you might choose the GrabCar Airport option as this allows you to travel with up to 4 people and 60 kg of luggage⁷.

Once your ride is booked you follow the in app directions to the Grab lounge, which is past the domestic arrivals terminal. You’ll need to exit the international terminal and follow the directions in the app, and then a dispatcher will help you find your car once you’re in the lounge.

And if you’re wondering how much is Grab in Bali for an airport transfer, you’ll be glad to know Grab is often far cheaper than using a hotel arranged transfer service. Pricing is dynamic so it does change throughout the day, but generally you’ll get a decent enough deal with no hidden costs to worry about.

Tips for using Grab in Bali

We’ll finish up with a few more pointers about using Grab in Bali:

• Download grab before you travel, get verified and link your card, so your service is ready to on when you arrive
• Compare the costs of your Grab ride against the costs for a similar service like Gojek to decide which is best for your trip
• Traffic can be brutal in Bali - give plenty of time to make your journey
• Make sure you use available safety features like a helmet for a motorbike trip and a seatbelt in a car - road traffic accidents are common on Bali roads
• Link your Wise card to Grab to keep the costs of currency conversion low when you pay in IDR

Bali Grab coverage

While most of the island commonly visited by tourists has good Grab coverage, it’s important to know that there are some so-called no Grab zones, or no ride sharing zones, where taxi companies prevent ride hailing apps from being used. If you see signs stating you’re in a no Grab zone you’ll need to move to find a driver - usually these areas are very small so simply walking a few extra streets should be enough to solve the problem.

The other issues you may face are when travelling in more remote or rural areas such as the northern coast. Here Grab services are limited so having a car for the day may be a safer choice to avoid being stranded. The number of drivers available may also vary throughout the day, making it tougher to connect with a driver at peak times - always plan ahead and give plenty of time if you have an important journey to make.

Generally, if you’re in one of the beach, resort, or party areas - such as Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, or Nusa Dua - or centrally in Ubud, cars are plentiful and you’ll face little to no wait. Don’t rely on Grabs to get around in less commonly visited locations, in places like Amed in the far east of the island, or Medewi, which at 2.5 hours further up the coast from Semiyak sees far fewer tourists.

Here’s a quick summary:

Getting around in Bali - ride-hailing apps and alternatives

Grab is a great way to get around safely and efficiently in Bali but there are also services like Gojek and traditional taxis as alternatives.

There’s not a clear winner between Grab or Gojek in Bali - costs vary depending on demand on each platform, so getting a price and availability quote from each for your ride makes sense. Then just book the one which is cheapest, or which looks likely to be fastest, depending on what matters most to you.

You can also pick up standard taxis in Bali, but these can be more expensive and sometimes prone to scams. If a driver won’t use their meter or demands extra fees, you’ll need to choose a different method to travel, like Grab or Gojek.

Heading to Bali? Bring the Wise card to maximise your AUD to IDR conversions

Once you’ve figured out how to use Grab in Bali, it's time to think about managing your IDR spending to avoid poor exchange rates and foreign transaction fees. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 7x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up AUD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in AUD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

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