Cash or Card in Turkey? Paying for Your Transfer and Trip

Turkey is increasingly card-friendly, but cash still rules in many everyday situations. Knowing when to tap and when to reach for lira will save you fees, awkward moments and the odd unwanted exchange rate. Here is how payment really works for visitors.

Contactless cards and phone wallets work in most hotels, supermarkets, chain shops, larger restaurants, petrol stations and tourist attractions in cities and resorts. Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere that takes cards; American Express less so. You'll rarely need to carry large sums in cities.

Cash — Turkish lira — remains king for:

• Small cafés, street food, markets and bazaars (where you'll also want to haggle)
• Taxis, dolmuş (shared minibuses) and small-town transport
• Tips for drivers, porters, housekeeping and guides
• Village shops, roadside stalls and many family-run lokantas
• Public toilets, local ferries and entrance to some small sites

A modest stash of small lira notes makes daily life far smoother.

Prices are legally in Turkish lira, and paying in lira almost always gives the best value. Many tourist businesses will accept euros or dollars, but usually at a poor "courtesy" rate — you effectively pay a hidden premium. Use lira for day-to-day spending and keep foreign cash only as a backstop.

• ATMs are everywhere and usually offer the best rate. Choose a bank-branded machine, decline the machine's own currency-conversion offer (always choose to be charged in lira, not your home currency), and be aware of your own bank's foreign-withdrawal fees.
• Exchange offices (*döviz*) in towns often beat airport counters and hotels. Airport exchange desks give the worst rates — change only a small amount there if you must.
• Avoid changing large sums of cash at hotels.

• Tell your bank you're travelling so cards aren't blocked.
• Carry two cards from different networks, stored separately, plus a little emergency cash.
• Always choose to be billed in lira when a card machine or ATM asks — "dynamic currency conversion" in your home currency costs you more.
• Keep small notes for tips and taxis; breaking a large note in a small shop can be hard.

Your WeCare transfer is a fixed price agreed when you book, and you pay your driver on arrival — cash (euro, lira or other major currencies) or card, whatever suits you. There's no meter, no surge and no surprise at the end of the ride, so however you prefer to pay, the amount never changes.