immimi

In both the Cadogan Guide for Turkey and the R.Steves Istanbul Guidebook, it
mentions using ATM cards with Visa or Mastercard affiliation.

Our ATM cards are Cirrus and Interac affiliates (plus some other more obscure logos)
and we have used them successfully all over Europe and NA.

Anyone have trouble with these non-Visa/Mastercard ATM cards?

Thanks!

immimi

Mr. Google answered my question: Visa is Plus (which is on one
of the cards) and Cirrus is Mastercard. Who knew? Not me.

teach905

We were in Turkey and we were unable to get cash. We would have been messed up if the people we were traveling with didn't have any. Our banks said all was well, but we couldn't get cash.

Are you saying we needed to use our Mastercard? Did we need to get the pin from them? Are there extra charges?

thanks for the info.

adrienne

I used a Visa debit card associated with Cirrus, NYCE, and Star and didn't have a problem any where in Turkey.

immimi

No, teach - these are regular debit ATM cards issued by our
chosen banks. They have connections to Visa and Mastercard
systems - i.e. Cirrus - Mastercard; Plus - Visa. Just make
sure the ATM you are wanted to use has a logo that matches
the one on the back of your ATM card and you will be able
to get money from it. Hopefully.

Thanks, Adrienne - that's what I wanted to hear. I'll
make sure I have the 'real' contact number for my home
bank plus making sure they know I'm on the move and
withdrawing money from my account.

teach905

That answers it. My ATM card is not a visa/mastercard. It's strictly an ATM card. It works all over Europe. It didn't work anywhere in Turkey.

immimi

But, but, but - if it displays either a Cirrus or Plus logo
on the back it SHOULD work; anything obscure or local wouldn't
- right?

tcreath

We used our debit cards in Turkey without any problems at all. We have a Visa and a Mastercard. Some ATM cards are strictly ATM cards only, issued by a bank, and can only be used to draw money out. These don't need to be attached to Cirrus or Plus, I believe.

Tracy

teach905

No, It didn't work and neither did my husband's and his was from a different bank than mine.

It displayed the correct logos, we had used them all over Europe, we were able to use them in Paris on the way home, but we were not able to use them anywhere in Istanbul. We tried every ATM we passed. We spoke with our banks in the USA and they both said all was well.

We ended up letting our friends pay for anything that was cash and we paid for whatever we could on our credit cards. It was a pai, but we did manage to work things out.

As I said, they were both strictly ATM cards with the logos...no Mastercards or Visas....just for your FYI

immimi

Ever since I watched a friend's ATM card disappear in a rural
bankomat in France, I've lived in fear of finding myself
cashless in Gaza! So your story resonates with me and I'll
be taking myself to the banks I deal with and talking to them
- of course, Fodorites are most likely more informed than
the average suburban bank clerk (nothing against bank clerks,
lol).

Thanks all!

bjm

I found out today that my state employees credit union atm card, which has the plus symbol and is also a visa debit card, will NOT work in Turkey. The credit union has a complete fraud blackout on Turkey. They will lift the block for Turkey if I agree to accept full liability for any debits made with the card. Scared me. I turned to AAA, best option I have. But in general is it problemmatic to use credit cards in Turkey? Has anyone used AAA travel card in Turkey? AAA assures me that it will work in any atm machine, should I believe them?

brenda66

ATM's ... MasterCard, PLUS and Cirrus are the most popular..
all cities and major tourist destinations in Turkey have bank machines on the Cirrus and PLUS networks. Among the most reliable of the local banks are Akbank, Türk Is Bankasi, Garanti Bankasi, Yapi Kredi Bankasi, and Ziraat Bankasi. Ask whether you need a new personal identification number (PIN), as most ATMs in Turkey accept numbered passwords only, and some limit their input to four digits. Also, be aware that the ATMs are often fickle or empty, so always carry around alternatives in the form of cash or credit cards.

One thing I would just like to point out is if you use a ATM please use one that is located outside of a national bank and also during regular business hours. Mon-Fri 9-5.

This way if you experience any problems with your card you can directly report it at the bank. Also do make sure that you advise your bank of your planned travel to Turkey. If not the bank after a transaction or two may freeze your card after one or two transactions.