How to withdraw cash from ATMs in Istanbul with a foreign bank card?

From messages by 3 participants in 2 sources · Last activity: 74 days ago

TL;DR

ATMs in Istanbul only work with physical chip cards — contactless withdrawal is not supported. For payments in stores, contactless via phone or Huawei Watch sometimes works at POS terminals.

What the community said

Try withdrawing cash at Vakıfbank or Iş Bankası ATMs — watch the screen carefully to avoid extra percentage fees/commission being added to the transaction.

Vakıfbank / Iş Bankası ATMs

Istanbul ATMs only read the physical chip — contactless cash withdrawal is not supported. However, at store POS terminals that accept contactless, payment via phone or Huawei smartwatch sometimes works, including at Migros supermarkets.

Migros supermarkets — Huawei Watch contactless payment

Cards from RSHB bank (including the UP card) work at Istanbul ATMs for withdrawing Turkish lira. Currency exchange offices may be scarce in some areas, making ATMs the primary option.

RSHB UP card — lira withdrawal at ATMs

American Express cards have limited acceptance in Istanbul, but Istanbul Kart top-up machines (transit card) are often located near ATMs and may accept other cards.

Istanbul Kart top-up machine near ATMs