How to buy and top up an Istanbulkart with cash at vending machines in Istanbul?

From messages by 3 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 27 days ago

TL;DR

Travelers report that a new Istanbulkart can be bought from a machine using one TRY 200 note, with the card costing about TRY 165. Top-up machines accept notes from TRY 20, but charge a fee per inserted note, so larger denominations are more economical.

What the community said

Cash top-ups may incur a charge for every individual banknote inserted. Using two TRY 100 notes can therefore cost more than adding the same value with one larger note; one traveler reports a fee of around TRY 3 per note.

27 days ago Around TRY 3 fee per banknote

Istanbulkart vending machines accept cash notes from TRY 20 for top-ups. Reports mention a charge of about TRY 2 per note, making a single high-denomination note more practical than several smaller ones.

31 days ago Notes from TRY 20; around TRY 2 fee

To buy a new Istanbulkart from a machine, bring one TRY 200 note. Travelers report that the card costs roughly TRY 165 and that the machine accepts only one banknote for this purchase.

43 days ago Istanbulkart about TRY 165; TRY 200 note