Where to Buy Istanbul Kart ?
When you arrive in Turkey, you see locals using a smart card known as Istanbul Kard, and you wonder with yourself how to buy this tourist travel card for yourself. The fact of the matter is that by buying an Istanbul tourist card and charging it, you can see the reduction of transportation costs, visiting tourist attractions, online services, and internet fees in this tourist city of Turkey. Given the importance of the Istanbul Card for travelers, we have decided to answer all the questions about buying an Istanbulcard or Istanbulkart.
This metro card is a smart card used to pay for public transport. The card was introduced in March of 2009 and eventually replaced Akbil e-tickets. The size of this card is like a credit card, and it fits easily in a wallet. The amount of the charge is paid in advance, and it is easy to top up.
For more tips, check out the Turkey travel tips info page to get more antiquated with what Turkey offers to make your trip more memorable.
Advantages and uses of Istanbul kart
The advantages that this travel card provides for tourists are:
– Free internet in the city
– 24/7 online help service
– Free shuttle service from the airport to the accommodation
– Entertainment Selected for Free
– Free transportation or with good discount rates throughout the city
– Visits to some attractions and museums for Free
Ways to Buy Istanbulcard
There are many ways to get this card. To buy this card, you can go to the stalls inside the metro and bus stations, airports, ATMs, newsstands inside the city, as well as online from the istanbulkart website. Therefore, you have access to many places selling or adding credit to this card all over Turkey. Therefore, there is no need to worry.
How much is the Istanbul kart price ?
As you can see, by purchasing this tourist card, you can have reductions in transportation costs, and the cost of which you have to pay to buy an Istanbul Kart in Istanbul is changing by the year. Also, it is necessary to mention you only pay for the price of the card, and you need to recharge the card as much as you need to afterward. If you wonder how much the Istanbul kart price is, you need to know that it cost 15 TL for the first time in 2021. You need to know that that is only the price of the card, and there is no balance inside. You need to then top it up with the amount you need.
As of February 2022, the price of this Istanbul Kart has increased to ₺25 due to an overall price hike in the transport industry.
How to top-up the Istanbulcard ?
One way to charge your card is to use ATMs. You can easily charge your Istanbul kard inside the bus metro stations through these devices. To do that, first, you have to put your Istanbul card in the designated area of the device (which also has the picture of the card). Then, for recharging and topping up, you can insert the equivalent amount you want in bank notes. After that, you see the counted amount on the screen and allow the process to continue. Finally, you will get your Istanbulcard recharged and ready to go.
Another way to buy this Istanbulkart is to go to newsstands showing the picture of the card as a sign. It is not difficult to buy or charge this Istanbul card; where you can easily do this by paying Turkish lira and showing your card to the newsstand seller.
Where can you use the Istanbul Kart ?
For travelers’ convenience, all public transport in Istanbul is eligible to use the Istanbul card. These include the subway, tram, Metrobus, bus, boat, TCDD, HAVABUS Shuttle, which is an airport bus, and a variety of cruise boats (including Turyol and Dentur Avrasya). You can also access many of the shopping malls in Istanbul using this metro card. In fact, many of these shopping centers are very close to public transport hubs, and this card really comes in handy in order to save you a lot in travel costs.
Is it possible to use your travel card as a group ?
Yes, you don’t have to buy several cards because five people can travel with one Istanbul tourist card. After the first passenger pays the fare with this card, you have to wait a few seconds, and then the next person can use this card again. Of course, we recommend that no more than three people use this card.
Does Istanbul Kard have an expiration date ?
Yes, this card is only valid for 3 years if you do not add credit to your Istanbul card.
