Please sign in to post.

ATM to get Turkish lira at Istanbul airport

I know there are ATMs to get Turkish lira at the Istanbul airport. Can someone tell me where the ATM are in the new airport and if they are affiliated with US/International banking system. We’ll be using Wells Fargo debit card and want to make sure there are reliable ATM at the airport and that they we are going to get decent rate and not get scammed. Thanks.

Posted by
7049 posts

The best place to look is the airport website:
https://www.istairport.com/en/passenger/terminal-services/branches-atms

Whether you get scammed or not depends largely on your own bank. Does Wells Fargo refund you for using foreign ATMs? What fees do they charge for getting local currency? You have to read the small print of your debit card to know what to expect. I bank with a credit union and they charge me 1% of the amount of each withdrawal.

Posted by
11056 posts

Wells Fargo refunds any fees we are charged in ATMs.
Make sure the ATM is affiliated with a bank system not a currency exchange. We didn't have any problems with ATMs in Turkey

Posted by
23178 posts

First, off you need to understand how the system works. If it is bank owned ATM branded with either Visa or Mastercard they are hooked together via Plus or Cirrus networks. The ATM should indicated that with the proper logos on the terminal. So long as you are using a Plus or Cirrus network you will get close to the interbank exchange rate regardless of whether you are using a terminal in the Turkish airport or the London airport. There are some ATMs that are privately owned by currency exchange companies, etc., who may charge additional fees to use their terminals. Watch and read carefully the prompts that you are given.

Posted by
1473 posts

My understanding is that there are plenty of ATMs in the arrivals hall at IST.

Posted by
230 posts

Thanks for the responses. Will look for the appropriate logos on the ATMs at the airport.

Posted by
3514 posts

Wells Fargo refunds some ATM fees to some of their customers. It depends on what type of account you have with them. The basic checking does not refund anything. The high dollar investment accounts refund almost everything.

Using a bank ATM means you get the best rate possible on the cash you withdraw. The network sets the exchange rate and your bank and the ATM owner have no control over what it is. Wells may or may not charge you fees, either a flat fee or a percentage of the transaction or both, you will have to ask them.

One thing to help insure you do not get charged a bad exchange rate is refuse to accept the transaction if the ATM offers to charge you in dollars or tells you how much the transaction will be in dollars or shows the exchange rate. If it does any of these things, it is trying to do Dynamic Currency Conversion which ends up with you being charged an inflated rate that profits the ATM owner.

Posted by
489 posts

We were there in May and after coming out of the arrival secure area you will find ATMs. However, we had problems with the one we tried. Would not work with our card. Later in Istanbul we did find an ATM that worked. There are MANY different ATM companies/banks and some have lesser fees, we also later in our trip found that one of our cards wasn't working in any ATM, I then used mine and it worked fine. BUT! Many people will take Euros and Dollars. They almost prefer these as the turkish Lira had been unstable.

Posted by
387 posts

I was just there at the new airport this summer and I found it a little confusing to find the ATMs. You have to leave the area where the baggage claim carousels are and go out to the final area where family, friends, chauffeurs, etc are waiting to meet people. Then you go all the way down to the right to find the ATMs. They're not close to where you exit, and I thought I had gone too far several times, but keep walking, and you'll see them next to the outer wall. I believe they're right after the elevators and ramps down to the buses.

Posted by
90 posts

For Canadians; You can withdraw money in any TEB ATM in Turkey without paying any withdraw fees. Scotiabank and TEB are members of Global ATM Alliance. In addition that since Tangerine is a subsidiary of Scotiabank, you can use your Tangerine Card too. I have been doing this for years with no problems. You get the same amount that you would get at exchange office or even more.

https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/ways-to-bank/manage-accounts/global-atm-alliance.html

Posted by
62 posts

We visited Istanbul in April, our friend lived in Ankara at the time. She recommended these ATM's: Garanti, AKBank, IsBankasi, TEB, Yapi Kredi. We used Garanti twice and Yapi Kredi once without issues during a 10 day trip. All of the ATM's are outside security in Arrivals.

Posted by
90 posts

Well, I hope you do know that ATMs at airports charge more commission rates than ATMs on streetsz

Posted by
8377 posts

ATM providers have to pay rent for floor space in the airports, so its not surprising that fees and rates are higher.

Posted by
5697 posts

You could consider getting "walking-around money" ($50-$100 or so) at the airport and saving your larger withdrawals until you get to your destination where charges may be less.