Travel Guide » Travel Costs

ATMs/Cash Machines in Turkey

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:07 +0000

Automated teller (cash) machines (cashpoints, bancomats) are everywhere in Turkish cities, airports, and even in most small towns.

Choose your language: Turkish or English for sure, and sometimes French and German. Just push a button to get screen prompts in your language.

North Americans! Note that Turkish ATM keypads usually do not have alphabetical keys (ABC for 2, DEF for 3, etc: see the keypad at lower right on this page). If your PIN/password is actually a word, and you’re used to pressing the letter keys, you’ll have to translate your password into numbers. Make a note now of the numbers from this USA keypad:

Your home-bank account will be debited for the amount you withdraw from a Turkish ATM (plus a service charge, of course).

Because bank card fraud is a big problem in Turkey, there is a chance that your home bank may limit or deny use of your ATM/cash/debit card in Turkey. Some travelers report that after one use in Turkey, their cards were ineffective. Talk to officials at your bank—in particular the Card Fraud Division—to make sure this does not happen to you. (Also, see the Cautionary Tale below.)

Even if they tell you all is well, you may still find your charges denied, so take your bank’s contact information with you so you can contact them and yell at them for not helping you.

Some elaborate cash machines issue Turkish liras, euros or US dollars, as you wish, but I wonder about the service fees…

Sometimes there are glitches: the machine doesn’t recognize your card, your bank or your account, or the data lines or computers are insufficient to handle the data traffic. Try later, or try some other bank’s cash machine. More…

Note that some machines may not process your transaction on Sunday because your bank may be closed. You may want to get money before Sunday.

A tip: figure out how many liras you want to withdraw before you step up to the cash machine. Do a quick conversion in your head (exchange rates) because you probably “think” in your own currency, but the machine will ask you how many liras you want to withdraw.

Cautionary Tale
A TTP user from Canada had a serious problem withdrawing money from ATMs in Turkey. Here’s his story.

Turkish Lira (TL, TR), 2009 Series

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:56:13 +0000

On January 1, 2009, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey will introduce a new series of Turkish Lira banknotes which differ from, and will replace, the 2005 series called New Turkish Liras (Yeni Türk Lirasi).

There will be no change in the value of the Turkish lira. All values and conversions will remain the same. (Here are current Turkish lira exchange rates.)

The new “E9″ series of banknotes will be called simply Turkish Lira (Türk Lirasi) instead of New Turkish Lira (Yeni Türk Lirasi) as on the older 2005-series notes.

Here’s how the 2009-series Turkish Lira notes look:

(Of course the real notes will not have Örnektir Geçmez ["Specimen"] printed across them.)

The old 2005 New Turkish Lira notes will be withdrawn during 2009 as the new “E9″ series of TL bank notes is introduced. The goal is to withdraw most of the 2005-series notes during 2009.

The old YTL notes will be legal for payments during 2009.

Beginning on January 1, 2010 and until December 31, 2019, they will not be accepted for payment, but may be exchanged for 2009-series notes at any branch of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, or Türkiye Ziraat Bankasi.

As of January 1, 2020, the YTL notes will be worthless except as collector’s items.

Note that there are also even older pre-2005 Turkish Lira notes. These have been withdrawn from circulation and are no longer valid for payment. Be careful not to accept them!

Travel Costs & Prices in Turkey

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:40:18 +0000

In general, travel costs in Turkey are highest in Istanbul and at Turkish beach resorts in July and August; lowest in the small towns of eastern Turkey, and off-season (November through March; see my Turkish Almanac.)

Here are current Turkish Lira exchange rates. Note that new Turkish Lira bills/notes were introduced starting January 1, 2009.

The daily travel cost estimates below are per-person, per day, for two people traveling together (that is, sharing a hotel room) and include lodging, three meals, and some transportation. (If you’re traveling alone, expect to spend 35% more.)

First, check the rate of exchange for your currency and the Turkish Lira.

Rock Bottom: TL40 to TL60 staying in pensions with breakfast included, eating one picnic and one restaurant meal daily, and riding buses and trains.

Budget: TL60 to TL85 staying in one- and two-star hotels with private baths and breakfast included, eating most meals in average restaurants, and traveling more comfortably by bus and train.

Moderate: TL85 to TL140 staying in three- and four-star hotels, dining in restaurants all the time, riding buses, trains, and low-fare airline flights; in a party of four, an occasional car rental.

Comfort Class: TL120 to TL200 staying in four-star hotels, dining at quite good restaurants, traveling by air, the best trains, and rental car.

Deluxe: TL200 to TL600 and up, staying at the top luxury hotels, dining regally at the best restaurants, getting around by plane, chauffeur-driven rental car and the occasional hot-air balloon flight or private yacht cruise.

The Turkish Lira is divided into 100 kurus (koo-ROOSH). More…

Note that the New Turkish Lira (YTL: Yeni Türk Lirasi), current from 2005 through 2008, are being withdrawn from circulation, and you should not accept them. Accept only the “E9″ series Turkish Lira bills/notes introduced on January 1, 2009.