The Turkish lira is volatile, ATMs are everywhere, contactless cards work in 95% of places, and tipping is more like Europe than the US. Here's the practical playbook.
Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). Coins from 1 to 100 kuruş plus 1 lira; banknotes ₺5, ₺10, ₺20, ₺50, ₺100, ₺200. The ₺200 note is the largest commonly circulated and many small shops can't break it — keep a stack of ₺20s and ₺50s.
Inflation has run high in recent years; lira-USD rates move noticeably week-to-week. Use our trip cost calculator for current-month estimates.
ATMs at major Turkish banks (Garanti, Yapı Kredi, İş Bankası, Akbank). Withdraw in lira, decline the "convert to my currency" prompt (called dynamic currency conversion — it adds 4–7%). Most ATMs allow ₺2,000–6,000 per withdrawal. Daily ATM limit on your home card matters more than the local cap.
Avoid airport exchange counters. They quote 4–8% worse than city ATMs. Take just enough lira from one ATM at the airport for your taxi/metro and find a city ATM for the rest.
Wise / Revolut / Charles Schwab Investor Checking are the cards travelers swear by — no foreign transaction fees, mid-market exchange rate, ATM fee rebates (Schwab) or low fees (Wise/Revolut). If you don't have one of these, even a regular debit card works fine; expect 1–3% in foreign transaction fees from your home bank.
Contactless cards (tap-to-pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) work in 95% of Istanbul and major cities. Restaurants, hotels, big bazaar shops, taxis (BiTaksi), public transit (Istanbulkart top-up), supermarkets — all card-friendly.
Cash territory: street food carts, fish-sandwich boats, smaller bazaar stalls, hammam tips, mosque donations, taxi tips, smaller hotels in non-tourist towns. Keep ₺500–1,000 in pocket.
| Service | Tip |
|---|---|
| Restaurants (mid-range) | 10% (sometimes already on bill — check for "servis dahil") |
| Restaurants (high-end) | 10–15% |
| Lokanta / casual | Round up, ₺10–20 |
| Taxi | Round up; 10% in tourist areas |
| Hotel housekeeping (mid-range) | ₺40–80 per day, left on bedside |
| Hotel porter | ₺40–60 per bag |
| Hammam attendant | 15% of paid price (tip the kese person directly) |
| Tour guide (full day) | ₺200–400 per person |
| Bartender | 10% of bill |
Taxi double-charge: driver "swipes again because the first failed" — both charges process. Always check your receipt and bank app before leaving. Use BiTaksi or Uber instead.
Bazaar credit card double-swipe: identical pattern at rug or leather shops. Our rug scam guide walks through the full script.
Restaurant bill rounding: some tourist-zone restaurants round generously upward and quietly add a "service" line. Check the line items.
Counterfeit notes: rare but happens. Old red ₺50 notes (pre-2009) are no longer valid. Real ₺50s are blue-purple.
No. Home-country currency exchange is always worse than a Turkish ATM by 3–8%. Exception: bring $50–100 USD or €50–100 emergency cash hidden separately from your wallet. Hotels and bigger shops accept either USD or EUR in a pinch.
Don't bring leftover lira home — banks abroad don't change it back at usable rates. Spend it down at the airport on the duty-free or your last meal. Or leave it as a tip for housekeeping at your last hotel.
For more practical pre-trip prep, see our visa guide, eSIM guide, and the full trip-cost breakdown.
Activate these from home — cheaper and simpler than sorting them at the airport.