We are on our way to Turkey from the U.S. in a couple of weeks and just learned that credit card use there requires a pin number. Can anyone provide their experience on whether or not merchants actually use the card as a credit card, or just take cash. In the states, CC do not require a pin and therefore there is no issue. Obviously if they take cash rather than process the credit card, they avoid a processing fee and the card holder pays a higher interest rate, and it starts immediately. I would appreciate any advice on credit card use in Turkey.

I frankly have no recollection of using a credit card in Turkey, but I suspect that a pin number is required with the cards with a chip which US cards do not have. The problem may be to convince the merchant that there is a way of using a non-chip card.

My only experience was when I was there in 2007 and did not use or get asked for pin. I used CC to buy gas for car, once for a $$ hotel, otherwise cash. Based on CC charging retailers, I would say cash is always prefered by them.

Not sure what you mean by "card holder pays higher interest rate"..compared to lower interest rate on...?

We used a debit or credit card often when we made purchases in Turkey and were never asked for a pin. We just signed the credit card receipt and were on our way. With that being said, we tried to take out enough cash to cover most expenses each day (food, activities, etc) but when we made larger purchases we used a cc and had no problems.

Tracy

If you have a debit card that also has a visa or MC logo it can be used as either. If you have them debit your checking account there is no interet involved - just the 1 or 2% feee for currency conversion. If they use it as a charge card you will start paying interest on the amount charged from the minute it goes onyour statement - plus the regular currency conversion fee.

I don;t know how to use it as a debit card (no interest) unless you insert your secret code (as in getting cash from an ATM).

The card with a chip is for your protection and not to make life difficult for you. All hotels and most other places will have machines where they can slide your card also, coming up with a slip that you sign, just as in the US.

A card with a chip can also be used by sliding and that is how stolen cards are used, but it makes it more difficult to use a stolen card, because the post machine owner must be in on the scam in order to use a card with chip, without the code.

Non of this has anything to do with interest rates. If you have a credit card it is a credit card. I do not understand how any merchant can use your credit card to take cash???? From where??? You, yourself can take a cash advance from an ATM machine, for which you would pay a fee and maybe interest also, but that's between you and your bank.

One important advice is: Call your bank and tell them to clear whatever card(s) you are going to use on your travels for international use.

Many touristic service and product vendors will prefer cash because cc leaves a bank record and the income becomes subject to taxes whereas cash may not be declared if the recipient can get away with it.

Thanks NYT. My credit card..is only a credit card, no linking to any bank account, no cash advances (my own rule). I have a separate ATM cards, that I used often in Turkey.

Like idea of not having one card to do it all..in case of pilfering.

I visited Turkey last month and used my credit cards extensively. Not surprisingly, American Express is not as widely accepted as Visa and MasterCard. I signed up for a new Capital One Cash Back card, and indeed, there are NO foreign conversion fees for international usage. It was great to save the 2-3% that the other cards charge--I'm not sure how long that will last, but it's a great deal right now. I used my cards for all amounts of purchases--from $10 in bottled sodas at the local market, to $1000 hotel bills. I WAS asked for a PIN number several times, but I just said that I didn't have one and they ran the card without it. One charge on my AmEx was refused because of the PIN number issue, but I think that they were looking for the AmEx 4-digit security code and not an actual PIN.

If you're withdrawing cash, remember to look for ATMs with the PLUS (and/or STAR or NYCE) logos; we found a few Turkish bank machines that would not accept our ATM cards because they didn't coordinate with those systems, but it was not a problem, there was always another machine right nearby. We got a 10% cash discount at one of the hotels where we stayed (Sacred House in Urgup) as well as on a hot-air balloon ride with Kapadokya Balloons. Every little bit helps!

Thanks everyone for helpful responses, and so quickly. My concern related to interest was that it might be possible for a merchant to treat a credit card with cash advance enabled to run the card as a cash advance vs as a CC when a pin is used. If that can happen, then the amount advanced is subject to immediate and very high interest rates. I never use a CC for cash advance and settled this issue, if it is one, by taking my cash advance limit to zero.

I completely agree with those who try to use mostly cash. It is the way to go as long as ATM's are available. And I do let my CC bank and ATM bank know of travel plans. A real good suggestion.

For everyones information, AMEX does not need, nor use a pin. I was told it is imbedded in the strip.

I suspect my concern is less than imagined since so many of you easily used CC's in Turkey and returned with no cash advances on their accounts.

Thanks again.

I'm confused again. You give the merchant your CC..how does he run a cash advance instead of a charge to your credit card?

The chip and pin is used to replace the signature part of the transaction (at least that's what it did for my in London and back home in Canada). It is not your account PIN, as far as I know).