Working out a foreign currency is often one of the more confusing parts of travelling overseas, especially when the exchange rate turns everyday purchases into figures that run into the millions.
For one Australian tourist, however, a simple Bali currency mistake became an exceptionally costly lesson after a glamorous New Year’s Eve night out ended with a bill in the five figures.
Perth traveller Hayley Davis was enjoying a holiday in Bali with her best friend and family when a group of male friends arrived on the island to celebrate New Year’s Eve with them.
With the countdown fast approaching, plans still up in the air and many venues already fully booked, Hayley stepped in and arranged a luxury daybed at Atlas Super Club in Kuta, where US rapper Swae Lee was set to perform.
The premium spot sat beside the stage, included a private pool and, at what Hayley thought was $1650, appeared to be the ideal place to welcome the New Year in style.
So, they made the most of it, ordering vodka, drinks, shishas, burgers, chips and oysters as they settled into the VIP experience.
‘We are literally living like the rich,’ Hayley said in a now viral video that has amassed nearly 300,000 views.
It wasn’t until three days later, when her card was declined while she was trying to order $20 worth of McDonald’s, that she realised just how much they’d actually spent.
Perth woman Hayley Davis (pictured) thought she’d splashed out on a lavish New Year’s Eve celebration in Bali. But one costly currency mix-up left her with a staggering five-figure bill
Convinced she’d been hacked, Hayley opened her bank account and was horrified to discover a $10,650 charge from the Super Club.
The daybed she thought she’d booked for $1650 had actually set her back ten times more – and that wasn’t even the most painful part.
In her video detailing the extraordinary blunder, Hayley revealed she’d been so oblivious to the true cost of the night that she’d even offered to leave $7,000 of the unused tab behind as a tip.
‘Before I air this, I know it was stupid. I know it could have been easily avoided. I don’t need to hear it.’
Hayley explained that she’s usually the organiser in her friendship group and, with most events already sold out on the night, Atlas was one of the few options remaining.
Despite admitting none of them knew much about the headline act, the daybed itself was hard to resist.
There were, however, early signs something wasn’t quite right.
Hayley initially tried to pay through a link on the Atlas website using her credit card, but the transaction wouldn’t go through.
With no firm plans and most events already booked out, Hayley took charge and secured a luxury daybed at Atlas Super Club in Kuta, where American rapper Swae Lee was performing
She then transferred the money to her friend, whose attempt returned an ‘insufficient funds’ message.
Still not suspecting the enormous price tag, Hayley believed there was an issue with her bank and eventually called Atlas to complete the payment over the phone.
She even shared a screenshot of the receipt in their group chat, but nobody spotted the mistake.
By New Year’s Eve, any concerns about the booking had been forgotten. Surrounded by guests Hayley said looked ‘filthy rich’, the friends embraced the VIP treatment as food and drinks were handed to them on a silver platter.
Ironically, Hayley even tried to rein in the spending when one of the men asked for another shisha, worried they were about to exceed their tab.
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‘I should have let them get five more… shishas,’ she joked.
The next clue came when the group decided to leave and their waitress attempted to explain there was still a significant amount of money left on their tab.
Because of a language barrier, Hayley didn’t understand exactly what she was trying to say and casually told her to keep the remainder as a tip.
The prime spot was right next to the stage, came with its own private pool and, at what Hayley believed was $1650, seemed like the perfect place to ring in the New Year
Instead, the waitress began giving them bottles to take away to try and compensate, and even then, no one twigged.
As they walked home, the group began giving some of the bottles away to people on the street because they couldn’t drink them all.
One woman then spotted a bottle of tequila and told Hayley it was worth $600.
‘I was like, “What? What do you mean?”‘ she recalled. ‘No, it’s not. It can’t be. There’s no f***ing way.’
Still, it took another three days for the penny to finally drop.
When Hayley’s card was declined and she discovered the gigantic withdrawal, she went into shock.
Fortunately, she praised her friends for eventually paying their shares of the enormous bill, although she said another $700 in interest had accumulated by the time the money came through several weeks later.
‘Thank God I have some of the best friends,’ she said.
It wasn’t until three days later, when her card was declined while trying to order $20 worth of McDonald’s, that she finally realised her currency mistake had resulted in a staggering $10,650 charge. ‘I’m literally traumatised,’ she joked
Her spectacularly expensive mistake has since stunned viewers, with many admitting they would struggle to recover from the shock.
‘This makes me feel so much better about my $800 lunch on Rodeo Drive,’ one person joked.
‘I don’t think I’d EVER get over this. Good on your friends to pay though,’ another wrote.
‘Genuine question, did you not convert the currency? Or did you and just read the decimal incorrectly?’ a third said.
‘I just got back from Bali and the amount of times I asked AI to confirm how much I was spending was a lot.’
But one viewer suggested Hayley may eventually be grateful for the memories, if not the bill.
‘As hard as this lesson is to learn, in a few years the money won’t hurt and you’ll keep the story and the memories,’ they wrote.
For Hayley, however, the sting is still very real.
‘I’m literally traumatised.’