How do foreign travelers pay for shopping in Istanbul (cards, delivery times, boutique rules)?
Based on 1 discussion with 3 participants · Last activity: 19 days ago
TL;DR
Russian SBP instant-payment system doesn't work in Turkish stores — bring a foreign Visa/Mastercard or cash lira; luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton often require a passport for card payments and limit how many items of one model you can buy; local online orders in Istanbul typically arrive within 1-3 business days.
What the community said
Orders from Turkish online stores (e.g. deriden.com.tr) typically take 1-3 business days for courier delivery within Istanbul despite claims of 'fast shipping' — better to check tracking by phone since email support is often slow to respond.
21 days ago deriden.com.tr — 1-3 business days
At the Louis Vuitton boutique in Istanbul (e.g. Zorlu Center or Istinye Park) staff often ask for a passport when paying with a foreign card and may limit how many pieces of the same model one customer can buy.
22 days ago Louis Vuitton, Zorlu Center
Russia's SBP instant-payment system does not work at MediaMarkt stores in Istanbul — it's a domestic Russian system unavailable for payments in Turkey. Bring a foreign Visa/Mastercard or cash Turkish lira instead.
25 days ago MediaMarkt — SBP not supported