Just used Monzo in Turkey:
Apple Pay in a cafe
Chip and pin in a restaurant
And an ATM (no fee)
It all worked perfectly.
Just used Monzo in Turkey – absolutely seamless. Just the job!
what is the best way money wise whilst in Turkey ? will I be better just using my Monzo card?
I used my Halifax clarity card which was accepted everywhere and I paid near perfect exchange rate. No issues at all. The withdrawal limit put me off using my Monzo because of the fee after the limit is reached.
Thank you for your help.
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Just got back from a week in Istanbul - no issues, card acceptance overall was very common in shops. A waiter in the Four Seasons hotel commented that he liked the colour of my card haha. Having push notifications straight away to keep me on top of what I was spending was brilliant.
Hi ?! When you drawing money in Turkey , do you do in Turkish lira or in pounds ? Or you don’t have option ? And how about fees ? Thank you
Always use the local currency option when you withdraw which is Turkish lira. You won’t be charged for that as long as you use your limit (£200 p/m)
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Just back from Side in Turkey quite surprised how many places accepted card. No issues at all with Monzo card, used in ATM to take about £100 / 1400 Lira and paying in a few shops, even some market sellers were taking card payments this time which was a first for me in turkey. Overall very happy and thinking it may be what i needed to convince me to go full monzo as only been using it to split nights out with friends and when on holiday, why not use it all the time!
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just tried an ATM just now and it gave me the option to withrdraw TRY or EUR.
Always withdraw in TRY and when prompted at the last step make sure you charge in TRY and don’t use their GBP conversion on the atm the rate is Much worse.
Update on cash withdrawals in Turkey. Don’t use these ATMs:
- Yapi Kredi (or YKB).
- Is Bankası (or Isbank or shortly İŞ)
They charge extra fee for withdrawal when you pick TRY. They don’t charge if you let them to convert to GBP but their exchange rate is so high. Tested these ones and they are free:
- TEB
- Ziraat Bank
- Halkbank
In Turkey, each bank have their own ATM network and they are usually grouped together with other bank ATMs. So, check carefully if the ATM you withdraw money wants to charge extra and use the next ATM if they do. Always pick NO currency conversion option.
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Two different restaurants charged me in GBP. I told them I wanted to pay in Turkish Lira but they showed me the POS and it didn’t have an option to reject DCC. Very annoying because the exchange rate I was charged was significantly worse than Monzo’s.
Just to add to this: Garanti Bank also charges a fee, so refrain from using that one.
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Where bouts in Turkey are you visiting? I’m travelling to Gümbet 3rd Oct and would like to know how Monzo users are getting on. I don’t like carrying cash anywhere.
Card is valid in most of the places like supermarkets, restaurants etc. But for smaller amounts and street sellers, you may need to use cash. I would recommend you to ask if they accept card before your shopping or eating.
Some notes:
- Some card readers are offering currency conversion (DCC). Always reject that.
- ATMs are not shared between banks in general. So, each bank have their own ATM network. They are usually next to each other.
- Some ATMs are also offering currency conversion. Some of them want to charge extra when you reject currency conversion. If that happens, use other banks ATM (as probably there is another nearby ATM from another bank). Don’t assume all banks will charge you, they don’t. I have given a list above but it can change. So, be careful when withdrawing money and be prepared to cancel the operation and use another ATM.
- Monzo card very rarely doesn’t work in some card readers. If that happens in a bad situation (like after eating in a restaurant and you don’t have cash), ask for seller to come with you to nearest ATM for withdrawing money to pay. They are usually helpful in these situations.
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I’m going to Turkey next month and I’m wondering if it can be used all over Turkey? Do all shops etc have card payment available?
It’ll work everywhere that accepts Mastercard 
Always worth carrying some cash as a backup though.
You can find Mastercard compatible ATMs here:
https://www.mastercard.co.uk/en-gb/consumers/get-support/locate-an-atm.html
Thank you!
Extremely Appreciated 
To update the list, I used TEB yesterday without conversion (They offer conversion at 7%!!!) and they charged me the equivalent of 2%. The list of free withdrawals seems to be decreasing by the month. Is there anyone that has managed to get a free withdrawal in the last few days in Turkey? if so which banks.
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