How does the tourist Istanbulkart work — monthly limit, transfers, and refunds?
From messages by 1 participant in 2 sources · Last activity: 38 days ago
Şehir Hatları city ferries accept Istanbulkart just like the metro and trams: tap the card at the gate before boarding. No separate ticket needs to be bought in advance.
Şehir Hatları ferries — Istanbulkart payment
An alternative to the regular Istanbulkart is the Istanbul City Card with unlimited daily travel. It is valid for one passenger only and cannot be shared; reports indicate it is expensive and can be unreliable, so it is only worthwhile for a very heavy day of travel.
Istanbul City Card — one-person daily unlimited pass
If taking the bus to the Çatladıkapı/Sultanahmet stop (Istanbulkart isn't accepted there, only cash), exchange money before you leave home so you can board immediately instead of wasting time exchanging currency in Istanbul.
Tip: pre-exchange cash for Çatladıkapı stop
Istanbulkart is accepted at most stops. The exception is the Çatladıkapı stop, where cash payment is available instead.
Çatladıkapı stop — cash accepted
The tourist Istanbulkart offers no refunds whatsoever. If you plan to use public transport heavily, consider buying at least two cards, since each has a monthly spending cap of 2,750 TRY.
Cap: 2,750 TRY/month per card
The tourist Istanbulkart works like a standard transit card: tap once per passenger at the turnstile. Unlike some other cards, the red tourist version has no cooldown period between taps. There is no need to tap out after a ride, and no cashback or refunds apply.
Red tourist Istanbulkart