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. The converter above pulls live ECB rates so the numbers you see are current. For trip-budget context, see our trip cost calculator and the dedicated currency converter.
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.
The exact plan we'd give a friend visiting Istanbul. Where to eat, what to skip, how to avoid tourist traps.
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