Will we have trouble finding ATM's in Istanbul? Are credit cards acceptable for shopping?

Just got back from 3 weeks in Turkey, and we had no problem with ATMs in Istanbul or anywhere else in Turkey. Credit cards are usually acceptable (certainly for large purchases like carpets, and in most restaurants) but Turkey is the one place I'd take U.S. dollars. Discounts are common when you can pay in dollars.

Got back two days ago from Turkey and had no problems with ATMs in Istanbul or anywhere else. <BR> <BR>A few things to point out though, they seem to run out of money quickly, so it's always a good idea not to wait too late in the day, and there is a limit at some ATMs as to the amount you can take out. <BR> <BR>US$ are a good idea though we did everything with TL.

I as well had no problems with ATM's anywhere in Turkey. <BR> <BR>We did bring some US dollars with us in small bills ($5 & $10), and they helped us get many bargains at the covered Bazaar (not to be missed!). <BR>

We had two problems with credit cards in Turkey: one involved an ATM that had only Turkish instructions which we couldn't read. I thought I knew the sequence so went ahead anyway. After the third failure the ATM kept my card (this was on a Sunday afternoon and we'd just arrived) and I had to reclaim it the next day. The second involved a double impression of my card being made that I was not aware of. This resulted in my being billed for $300 several months after we returned home. Definitely my card number on the slip that the card issuer was able to send me when I contested the item, but certainly not my signature. Fortunately there was no financial penalty, just the inconvenience of having to have one card cancelled and another issued.

We didn't have great luck with ATM's in Turkey. We were only in 3 centres (Fethiye, Kalkan and Kas). Our bank card is on the Plus system and the only machine in Kalkan didn't accept Plus. So we took a day trip to Kalkan where there was a machine that accepted Plus, but not our particular card! Luckily we had some US dollars (we're Canadian but always take some US) and lined up at the post office in Kalkan to exchange it. I was second in line when they ran out of lira! Back the next morning. In Fethiye, it was a little easier because it's a bigger centre. After trying several banks, we found 1 machine that would give us money. <BR> <BR>I guess next time (and we will go again), I'll make sure I have a card that is also on the Cirrus system - I notice that my credit card is on that, but I prefer not to use it to withdraw cash. <BR> <BR>We did use a credit card for our purchases when we could, including a small carpet. We didn't realize that it was being treated as a cash advance and not a credit card charge. I guess it's not a big deal - I doubt that we could have withdrawn enough lira from a cash machine to pay for it otherwise! And we love the carpet.

We were recently in Marmaris, Istanbul, and Urgup, and it is easy to find ATMs there, and we had the less common plus system. I would try to use cash except large purchases. They will try to add 3-9% for using a credit card. We fought hard on principle to not pay the 3% for an 800M lira travel purchase, and used it as part of the barter on a 300M piece of jewelry. Got away carpet free!