Is it ok to tip with US dollars in Turkey

I wouldn't? Ask yourself if you'd like to be tipped in Turkish lirasi in the US. Why send the poor server to the bank and lose on the conversion just to enjoy his/her tip?

We tipped our taxi driver with US dollars and he was elated to get dollars instead of the ever-shrinking Turkish lira.

With inflation running rampant in Turkey, many Turks convert their lira to euros, dollars or buy gold as a hedge against inflation.

During my first trip to Istanbul in 2019, the Turkish Lira traded at 6.5 to 1 US$.

During my second trip In 2022, it was trading at about 16 Lira to 1 US$.

Today it’s trading at 42 Lira to 1 US$.

No one wants to hold on to Turkish liras anymore.
It’s like a hot potato and Turks I know are afraid the bottom could completely fall out at any time. They don’t want to get burned with their savings in a currency that has no credibility and little value any more.

How do you think Americans (say, a server in an American restaurant) would feel about a customer leaving a tip for them in Turkish Lira?

We had to tip or shuttle driver with dollars simply because we didn't have any Lira and he seemed fine with it. but we tipped with Lira after that.

On a pre-agreed $20 taxi fare. we did tip $20 more.
Hey, they need the money more than we do.

In general, I would pay/tip in the country's currency. That said, for Turkey, some may prefer receiving dollars or Euros.

We’re going to Istanbul in 2 weeks. I read that they gladly accept dollars and euros because of inflation. In fact the cooking class we are taking gave their fee in dollars or a credit card. Cadh
was $10 cheaper.
In fact we purposely are taking 5, 10, and 20 $ bills for tipping and cabs. So yes, you can tip in dollars.

I asked our guide on our tour last fall which currency he preferred to be tipped in. His answer was a fast “US dollars”. In many countries the US dollar as a tip may be seen as offensive. In Türkiye, many people see having some of their resources in US dollars as a hedge against inflation.

When in doubt, ask. Be prepared to tip in the guide’s preferred currency.

Actually -- maybe not relevant here -- most of the places in Europe (EU - Euro countries), our guides have been happy to take
US $$ too. Yes, getting tip in Euros was their first choice, but US $ was not a problem either.

Having said this, during my visit to Istanbul in Feb/Mar 2023 - Euros were preferred everywhere.

There is WAY more US $ currency in circulation outside the US than in the US.
1) the US is still the reserve currency
2) the US has never cancelled its currency

Total U.S. currency in circulation worldwide: $2.07 trillion
U.S. currency held outside the U.S.: $1.7 trillion
U.S. currency held inside the U.S.: $370 billion

The appropriate answer may vary by the country, profession and person, so use your smarts.
But DON'T assume that YOU are the bad American :-)

We have two shore excursions booked for December 2025. I just emailed the tour company operator to re-confirm the details for the tours. I also asked if I needed Turkish lira to tip the guides or if tipping in USD would be acceptable. He replied that I could absolutely tip in USD. Just sharing my experience.

I wonder how we millions/billions of non US tourists travel anywhere that tips are customary and not use US currency…..

I wonder if tour guides everywhere are being polite by ‘accepting’ US currency for fear they may otherwise not get a tip….

Given that many countries are moving away from physical banks being easy to find and access, if these tour guides are not travelling to the US, what steps do they have to take to exchange their US currency? Imagine if we all gave tips in our home currency, how would tour guides manage exchanging 3 or 4 currencies?

This question comes up regarding travel to many countries, not just Turkey. Generally speaking, using the currency of the country one is a visitor to is the most respectful approach. We Canadians, Europeans, Japanese, Australians etc etc all somehow manage to tip in the local currency when tipping is appropriate.

I’ve made it a practice to tip each individual (including tour guides) in the local currency. Early in my traveling I tipped with US dollars whenever they were accepted. No one ever frowned or refused.

In general, I do not feel it appropriate to tip or try to purchase something with anything but the local currency. However, Turkey is an exception. Some of the ticket prices in Istanbul are even stated in Euros. The Turkish lira has been has been losing significant value for some time, now. Turkish residents are able to use euros and USD easily, and they don't have to worry that the currency will be worth less in a week.

We just returned from Istanbul. They preferred dollars or euros. A friend told us their money devaluation is a problem so foreign currency is welcomed. We used euro.

As a side note, when taking money out of the ATM, dollars was a choice.