istanbulkart
istanbulkarts are sold by istanbulkart vending machines and supposedly by biletmatik machines, but the latter sometimes will not sell you an istanbulkart .
can someone please let me know what the current fare prices are for the istanbulkart .
the istanbulkart, which has superceded the older akbil transit pass, benefits from discounted fares. more ...
istanbulkart rfid fare card, istanbul. this is an anonim kart, the best one for short - term visitors .
the istanbulkart project envisions that eventually the istanbulkart will be used to pay for parking fees, taxi fares, admission to museums, cinemas, theaters and other cultural venues, and even for personal identification. you may find other ways to use it for small payments .
by the way you get a substantial discount by using an istanbulkart. normal fare is 3 tl / ride by using the tokens, but with the istanbulkart it drops down to 1. 95 tl for the first ride (a 35% discount over regular fare) and you get further and deper discounts for transfer rides within 2 hours of initial usage. so istanbulkart is the way to go .
just a short question. what is the price for istanbulkart - 6 or 10 tl. since there are both information here on the forum .
the public transportation in istanbul is an integrated system administrated by the local government. most vehicles may be accessed by tokens or istanbulkart; but some such as busses can only be accessed by the istanbulkart. having this card will give you access to all public transport means in istanbul except private ones .
well, following the forums very closely, i have never seen those reports. istanbulkart has always been sold at the metro station at the ataturk airport .
2. place your card flat on the sensor pad labeled istanbulkart (it' s to the right of the display screen and buttons in the photo below) .
xl p, i wonder how such figures float in the internet. the deposit (refundable) on the istanbulkart is 6 tl. so basically, it is free .
do kiosks and vendors sell the istanbulkart at the airport, or is the istanbulkart only available at the airport metro station? i guess i could head out to the metro station to buy the card before heading back to hunt for a cab, but that' s more work than i want to ask of myself after arriving at an unfamiliar airport after a long flight .
i also could buy the istanbulkart the first time i use transit the next day. is it sold at all metro stations, or (better still) both metro and tram stations ?
if you were to buy tokens for each ride, you would be looking at a cost of approximately 5try ($ 1. 50 usd) per ride per person. instead of that, you can purchase the istanbulkart from the yellow machines located in all stations of the public transportation system except the bus station. with the istanbulkart your per person cost will be as follows :
there are no daily or weekly istanbulcards. just one kind, and that is the istanbulkart. you just load the card with credits (fares) anytime and as much as you want .
i' ve seen conflicting reports about whether you can get a refund on the 10 lira deposit when you return your istanbulkart. has anyone actually gotten one? was it for 10 lira or another amount? is there any particular place i should buy and / or return my istanbulkart to get a refund? do i need to hold onto a receipt or anything else to get it ?
you can buy an istanbulkart at some newsstands for tl 7 or 8, with no fare credit on it. some hotels may sell istanbulkarts to their guests at various prices, as a convenience .
istanbulkart is an rfid
electronic wallet
card to be used in istanbul, turkey. (similar rfid cards are used in many other cities: oyster card in london, navigo in paris, charlie card in boston, etc. )
you may also be able to buy an istanbulkart at commercial kiosks (little stands that sell newspapers, snacks, cigarettes, chewing gum, etc .) near major transit stops such as eminönü, sultanahmet, beyazıt / kapalı çarşı (grand bazaar), taksim square, etc. (the easiest place to find one is probably eminönü .) look for the word istanbulkart or akbil or phrase dolum noktası (refill point) on kiosks—they' ll probably have istanbulkarts to sell and load .
chris, istanbulkart is not sold at the arrivals hall at the airport but at the metro station at the underground level which can only be accessed by the escalators going down to the station after you exit from the terminal building. plus there is a bit of a walk at the station to the vending machines. so my advice is skip this process, take a taxi to your hotel directly, and the next day get your istanbulkart from the tram or metro station you want to use first .
once the card is loaded, you will be able to ride with discounts. at stations or within the busses where the istanbulkart is accepted, there will be card readers; just bring your card close once for each passenger you want to pay for .
you can use one istanbulkart to pay for several passengers. place the card on the sensor, allow a passenger to go through the turnstile, place the card on the sensor again, second passenger goes through, etc. if you transfer to another vehicle in the transport system, thefare for the first passenger using the card is discounted, but fares for any additional passengers using the card are full - fare; so if you plan to do a lot of traveling on public transport, you may want an istanbulkart for each passenger .
the first and obvious use of the istanbulkart is as a transit pass: you place the card on the turnstile sensor (say, at a metro or ferryboat turnstile, or when boarding a city bus) and the amount of your fare is deducted from the card .
you first need to credit money to the card in order to be able to use it for your rides. crediting the card is simple. nearly at all public transport stations, there are atm - like machines where you simply scan your card and deposit cash to load your istanbulkart .
istanbulkart is available at the saw airport. use the vending machine (which works with lira bills and credit card) to obtain one. you can also use the vending machines to top up your card with as much credit as you' d like. the machines in the city works only with lira bills .
i' ll be arriving at ataturk airport late in the evening, and plan to take a cab to my hotel. i hope to do most of my traveling by transit on following days, and so would like to buy an istanbulkart as soon as i arrive at ist, before heading out to the taxis .
travel from europe to asia for 2. 15tl? yes you can—with an istanbulkart aboard a bosporus ferry. if you’re planning to use public transportation in istanbul, then it pays to buy an istanbulkart. the swipe card provides discounted fares for istanbul’s metro (train), marmaray, trams, funiculars, ferries and buses. instead of paying 4tl (us $ 2. 00) per person per trip for a jeton (token / ticket), pay only 2. 15tl—sometimes less—with an istanbulkart. that’s a significant saving if you’re staying for a few days, and it' s the cheapest ticket for travel from europe to asia! to buy the card, look for magazine and confectionary kiosks near tram and metro stations displaying the words' istanbulkart' or' akbil dolum noktası' (refill point). ask the shopkeeper for an istanbulkart, pay 10tl for the card, and add credit for your journeys. one card can be used for up to five people. to board a tram, metro, marmaray, funicular or ferry simply swipe the card for each person at a turnstile near the platform / port. a screen on the turnstile will display your ticket price and the credit remaining. buses do not accept cash fares, so swipe the card at the machine at the front of the bus as you enter. when credit wanes, top - up at selected ticket machines near tram and train platforms or at the kiosks. note: the price above is for an adult fare (people aged over 7 years) for most journeys. special journeys, such as those to the princes' islands, will charge more. children under 7 are free .
i have a question regarding the istanbulkart; i understand that you can you use it to pop in credit and just pay as you go. i am going with my wife soon and i wanted to know whether they have an option for you to get like a daily or weekly pass for discounted rate (just like in london or paris) or you just have to pay for each trip separately ?
i could, and i might well, do that. but i would feel better about doing so if i knew for a fact that it was a choice made sincerely out of generosity and not just as a byproduct of a flawed system. so i still want to know, is there any particular place i should buy and / or return my istanbulkart to get a refund? do i need to hold onto a receipt or anything else to get it ?
you can purchase the i̇stanbulkart from the yellow machines located in every station of the subway, trams, metrobus, funiculars and some kiosks located near most stops of the public buses. as of 2018, the cost of the card is only 6 turkish liras (from the machines) or 7 turkish liras (from most kiosks) and you need to credit it only with as low as you need for your ride. 1 card can be used by multiple people .
i just came back from istanbul and i confirm that the deposit for the istanbulkart is 6 tl. you load it with as many credits as you wish, depending on your journeys around the city and how long you' ll stay. i' d load it with a 20 tl credit for a start. each time you use it, you see in the machine the rest of your credit. so, when it' s little left, you can reload it .
tygerwillow, the deposit on the istanbulkart is a mere 6 tl. (3. 40 usd) get it from hundreds of kiosks (where they sell nespapers, magazines, etc) all around the city. and when you leave just give it as atip to someone who deserves it or to another fellow traveller. or keep it as a sovenir that can be used at your return to istanbul. the balance of credits on the card comes on the screen every time you use it .
istanbul kart (istanbul card) is in essence an all - round public transportation boarding pass. to immediately answer the question raised in the title: yes it is worth getting one if you plan to use public transportation multiple times during your stay in istanbul. so, unless you prefer to do everything on foot or take a taxi to get around, please do continue reading to find out where to get it, how to use it, and the advantages it has .
the card was introduced in 2009. it’s a contact less or rfid (radio - frequency identification) card for public transportation fare payment. it has the exact same size as a regular credit card, so it fits perfectly in your wallet. the card is pre - paid and easily rechargeable .
there are quite a few advantages to getting an istanbul kart as opposed to buying a token or a ticket every time you’re going to use public transportation .
multi - purpose — this single card enables you to pay for multiple types of transportation: buses, metros, ferries, funiculars, and tramways (yes, even the nostalgic one running on istiklal caddesi). moreover, most of these transportation types no longer accept cash payments, so you’ll have to buy some kind of token or ticket before boarding anyway .
pre - paid — istanbul kart is a prepaid and rechargeable card. this means that you don’t have to stand in line (and maybe miss the bus or tram) to get a valid boarding pass every time you plan to make use of public transportation. and uploading more credits can be done at designated machines, most of the times without a queue in front of you .
ease of use — it is not necessary to bring the istanbul kart in contact with the reader. you can pay for your fare by ‘waving’ the smart card within 8 cm (3. 1 in) of the reader. in most cases you don’t even have to take it out of your wallet, purse or light hand bag. upon making a successful payment, the reader will make a sound and the screen will light up showing the amount left on the card. in case of insufficient funds, the screen will read kontör yetersiz .
multiple travelers — there is no need to buy multiple cards since one istanbul kart can be used for up to 5 passengers. after paying the fare for the first passenger, let him or her hop on or pass through the turnpike, wait a few seconds, and again wave the card in front of the reader. personally, i recommend not to use the card for more than 3 people .
discounts — by using the card, you already benefit from a 40% discount over the normal fare. instead of paying 5 tl per ride, you pay 3 tl. and there is more. you can make until five transfers / connections within a two hour period, and you’ll pay less for every transfer, already only 1. 9 tl for the first transfer .
the easiest way to get the istanbul kart is at major transit stops such as the airport, sultanahmet, and eminönü. to buy an istanbul kart, you need to pay a non - refundable 10 tl fee (for the actual card and the service), and of course an amount of your choice to load onto the card .
to reload the card, you can either go to newsstands and small shops (look for the phrase akbil dolum noktası) which offer this service, or use self - service special purpose machines at major transit stations. the machines accept notes of 5, 10, and 20 tl and have instructions in multiple languages. it writes on the machines that it accepts 50 tl too, but it has been cancelled .
there are several types of cards. the anonim kart is the best for short - term visitors: you just put money on it and use it. other cards are those for turkish students, monthly commuters, retired and handicapped, etc. , but the anonim kart is the one for you .
you put a tl 10 note into the machine to buy the card, which costs tl 6 and comes with tl 4 in fare credit on it. if you want more fare credit, you can insert more bills to load more credit. i' d suggest at least tl 10 in credit (three + fares) for a single traveler, or tl 20 for a couple. here are the fares .
istanbulkarts are also on sale at the atatürk airport (ist) metro station. more ...
it' s quite simple to put more money on your card when you understand the process. there' s a display screen and recorded voice prompts with english - language option, but you can ignore them. (imagine: a learning curve you don' t have to climb! )
3. wait 5 to 10 seconds for the sensor to identify it. (the display screen will change and the recorded voice will say something. )
4. slide a tl5, 10 or 20 note into the kağıt para girişi / banknotes money slot .
5. wait 10 seconds for the money to be loaded. (the display will change and the voice will say something different. )
another version: put your card flat on the pad to the left, stick a banknote in the slot at top right. (kağıt para girişi =
paper money entrance
)
unfortunately in istanbul, unlike in many cities in europe, there are no daily or weekly unlimited public transportation options and the service is charged per ride. for that reason, we provide 24 - hour access to the hop - on & hop - off bus tour and 1 - loop / 1 - day free access to the hop - on & hop - off boat tour .
the card is not personal and can be used my multiple individuals. you do not have to scan (pay) for kids that are under the age of 6 .
buy istanbul tourist pass to get free public transportation discount card and & more. .
this card does not have a validity in terms of days or hours. the card will come without any balance, so you need to put money in it at any public transport station. as long as it has enough balance, it can be used at any time .
the card is valid almost at all public transport vehicles such as busses, tram, metro, funiculaire, cable car, ferries, ships etc. instead of buying a token, just scan the card once for each passanger .
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i bought one last june and it cost tl. 6 and then you load it with the amount of credits you want. it might have gone up since then but i would not have thought to that amount .
this information was written by people who returned from istanbul a week ago. maybe they were victims of a fraud ?
hello! where to buy istanbul carthage and was loading it them? we land at sabiha gocken. . are they there or at taksim? / mathias
i know that i need to put money for rides but fort the cost of the card itself there are two information .
ero, look at the dates of info. it is 6 tl. 10 tl is the old info .
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tygerwillow, you can get a refund for the deposit at any of the manned newsstands that sells these cards. they are at main hubs like taksim, kadikoy pier, eminonu, etc .
if we are 2 people, can we use the same card? or do we need 2 separate cards. i am not worried about the deposit, i like your idea of passing it along or saving it for a return trip .
ssbelltx, you can use the same card for 2 or more people. sure. but of course you will be travelling together all the time. in this case though, only the first user gets the transfer discounts, the second user pays 1. 95 tl / ride for all his / her rides .
thank you enigma. so, it definitely makes sense to each get one. i appreciate the advice .
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back in march this year when i visited, it was 3tl for the first journey and then 2. 15tl after that if you got the tram / ferry within a certain time i think. is this still the case or are there new rates ?
the reason i ask is that there will be 6 of us visiting so i' m trying to work out on how many i should get between the 6 of us to use .
it depends what form of transport you' re using. but you only get the discount once, not if you use the same card for multiple people .
thanks and yes i know you only get the discount once. i will mainly be using the card for tram and ferry. i just wanted confirmation as to whether there is a standard charge of 3tl or 2. 5tl or is it 3tl for first trip and then 2. 15 for the second trip .
i am thinking of getting 3 cards for 6 people so that the first person pays 3tl and the second pays 2. 15tl if that makes sense .
boat, proper answer to your question is
none of your choices
. the first ride ride is 2. 15 tl and the subsequent rides are progressively cheaper. here are the regular fares and the transfer discounts within 2 hours of initial use of the card :
urltoken
. these discounts apply to the first user only. subsequent users always pay 2. 15 tl .
oh! thanks enigma - i must have got it all wrong but never mind .
you can buy one from the arrivals hall at the airport before you leave to find a taxi. i don' t know how late you' ll arrive but public transport runs until midnight .
oh that' s new then as others have reported buying from the kiosk in arrivals near some of the telephone company stands. perhaps it' s been moved now .
thanks, sarikanarya and enigma2007, for your responses. i' ll keep an eye out for a likely kiosk when i arrive. if i don' t find one, i' ll plan to pick up the card when i take my first transit ride the next day .
i do not know where you stay, but straight down from the gülhane tram stop there is a shop, red something that sells. also above left of the sultanahmet tram stop there is a kiosk selling.
istanbulkart is a contactless smart card for fare payment on public transport in istanbul , turkey . it was introduced on march 23 , 2009 in addition to , and to eventually replace , the akbil , an integrated electronic ticket system ( akbil ibuttons are now being phased out as of 2015 ) . the card was developed and put into practice by the information technology company belbim of the metropolitan municipality . the istanbulkart is valid for boarding buses , funiculars , lrt , subway , commuter trains , ferryboats and trams operated by the metropolitan municipality and private companies . cash payment on these transport systems is not possible . reduced fees are applicable for up to five transfers within two hours to other vehicles on the transportation network . there are four different types of the istanbulkart , one ordinary and three special . the special cards are issued upon the holder 's legal eligibility , and are therefore personalized : ordinary card : for full fare payment , mavi kart ( blue card ) ( season ticket ) : seasonal ticket discounted on monthly use basis , discounted card : for students , teachers , senior citizens ( over 60 years of age ) free card : for handicapped or disabled persons , senior citizens ( over 65 years of age ) and government employees underway on duty . the ordinary cards may be acquired from offices at major transport interchanges for a nonrefundable deposit of 10 tl . it can be purchased for 6tl from vending machines located at metro entrances . the remaining sum will be deposited on the card . afterwards , the cards can be loaded with credits up to 300 tl at these offices , special purpose machines , vending machines on the metro or at news-stands and small shops which offer this service . cards for a limited number of passes ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 or 10 ) are also available . unlike the ordinary cards , the special cards are issued on a named basis , so they require an application to be made at one of the 13 application centers , or on the internet . to pay the fare , the smart card is brought into close proximity , up to 8 cm ( 3.1 in ) , with a contactless reader during boarding of the transportation vehicle or at the toll gates of the station . it is not necessary for the card to touch the reader , cards inside a wallet or a handbag can be also read for rapid payment . the reader device signals confirmation of the fare payment with an audible sound , and the screen turns green showing the payment and the remaining deposit after a split second . in case of insufficient deposit on the smart card , the card reader shows the warning message " yetersiz bakiye " ( insufficient deposit ) on its display along with an audible warning . counterfeit cards will be confiscated by the bus driver or security personnel at the turnpikes . the istanbulkart is compatible with international standards such as iso/iec 7816 and iso/iec 14443 and is built using nxp 's desfire technology . its use is planned to be extended to payments at municipality operated parking lots and theatres , as well as for privately owned taxis , dolmuş ( share taxis ) and movie theatres . the personalized type of the smart card can also be used in a more general form for admission to an event or establishment or for municipality provided social welfare purposes . 
istanbulkart is a contactless smart card for fare payment on public transport in istanbul, turkey. it was introduced on march 23, 2009 in addition to, and to eventually replace, the akbil, an integrated electronic ticket system (akbil ibuttons are now being phased out as of 2015). the card was developed and put into practice by the information technology company belbim of the metropolitan municipality. the istanbulkart is valid for boarding buses, funiculars, lrt, subway, commuter trains, ferryboats and trams operated by the metropolitan municipality and private companies. cash payment on these transport systems is not possible. reduced fees are applicable for up to five transfers within two hours to other vehicles on the transportation network. there are four different types of the istanbulkart, one ordinary and three special. the special cards are issued upon the holder's legal eligibility, and are therefore personalized: ordinary card: for full fare payment, mavi kart (blue card) (season ticket): seasonal ticket discounted on monthly use basis, discounted card: for students, teachers, senior citizens (over 60 years of age) free card: for handicapped or disabled persons, senior citizens (over 65 years of age) and government employees underway on duty. the ordinary cards may be acquired from offices at major transport interchanges for a nonrefundable deposit of 10 tl. it can be purchased for 6tl from vending machines located at metro entrances. the remaining sum will be deposited on the card. afterwards, the cards can be loaded with credits up to 300 tl at these offices, special purpose machines, vending machines on the metro or at news-stands and small shops which offer this service. cards for a limited number of passes (1, 2, 3, 5 or 10) are also available. unlike the ordinary cards, the special cards are issued on a named basis, so they require an application to be made at one of the 13 application centers, or on the internet. to pay the fare, the smart card is brought into close proximity, up to 8 cm (3.1 in), with a contactless reader during boarding of the transportation vehicle or at the toll gates of the station. it is not necessary for the card to touch the reader, cards inside a wallet or a handbag can be also read for rapid payment. the reader device signals confirmation of the fare payment with an audible sound, and the screen turns green showing the payment and the remaining deposit after a split second. in case of insufficient deposit on the smart card, the card reader shows the warning message " yetersiz bakiye " (insufficient deposit) on its display along with an audible warning. counterfeit cards will be confiscated by the bus driver or security personnel at the turnpikes. the istanbulkart is compatible with international standards such as iso/iec 7816 and iso/iec 14443 and is built using nxp's desfire technology. its use is planned to be extended to payments at municipality operated parking lots and theatres, as well as for privately owned taxis, dolmuş (share taxis) and movie theatres. the personalized type of the smart card can also be used in a more general form for admission to an event or establishment or for municipality provided social welfare purposes.
istanbulkart is a contactless smart card for fare payment on public transport in istanbul, turkey. it was introduced on march 23, 2009 in addition to, and to eventually replace, the akbil, an integrated electronic ticket system (akbil ibuttons are now being phased out as of 2015). the card was developed and put into practice by the information technology company belbim of the metropolitan municipality. the istanbulkart is valid for boarding buses, funiculars, lrt, subway, commuter trains, ferryboats and trams operated by the metropolitan municipality and private companies. cash payment on these transport systems is not possible. reduced fees are applicable for up to five transfers within two hours to other vehicles on the transportation network. there are four different types of the istanbulkart, one ordinary and three special. the special cards are issued upon the holder's legal eligibility, and are therefore personalized: ordinary card: for full fare payment, mavi kart (blue card) (season ticket): seasonal ticket discounted on monthly use basis, discounted card: for students, teachers, senior citizens (over 60 years of age) free card: for handicapped or disabled persons, senior citizens (over 65 years of age) and government employees underway on duty. the ordinary cards may be acquired from offices at major transport interchanges for a nonrefundable deposit of 10 tl. it can be purchased for 6tl from vending machines located at metro entrances. the remaining sum will be deposited on the card. afterwards, the cards can be loaded with credits up to 300 tl at these offices, special purpose machines, vending machines on the metro or at news-stands and small shops which offer this service. cards for a limited number of passes (1, 2, 3, 5 or 10) are also available. unlike the ordinary cards, the special cards are issued on a named basis, so they require an application to be made at one of the 13 application centers, or on the internet. to pay the fare, the smart card is brought into close proximity, up to 8 cm (3.1 in), with a contactless reader during boarding of the transportation vehicle or at the toll gates of the station. it is not necessary for the card to touch the reader, cards inside a wallet or a handbag can be also read for rapid payment. the reader device signals confirmation of the fare payment with an audible sound, and the screen turns green showing the payment and the remaining deposit after a split second. in case of insufficient deposit on the smart card, the card reader shows the warning message " yetersiz bakiye " (insufficient deposit) on its display along with an audible warning. counterfeit cards will be confiscated by the bus driver or security personnel at the turnpikes. the istanbulkart is compatible with international standards such as iso/iec 7816 and iso/iec 14443 and is built using nxp's desfire technology. its use is planned to be extended to payments at municipality operated parking lots and theatres, as well as for privately owned taxis, dolmuş (share taxis) and movie theatres. the personalized type of the smart card can also be used in a more general form for admission to an event or establishment or for municipality provided social welfare purposes.