Buying guide and how to use Istanbul card

If you are into traveling and sightseeing, you have probably realized by now that by doing some things, your travel expenses will be lower. Reducing the cost of foreign trips is especially important due to the fluctuations and growth of currency prices. Since Istanbul is one of the main foreign travel destinations for Iranians, in this text we have provided you with one of the ways to reduce the cost of traveling to Istanbul. This solution is to use Istanbul card for commuting within the city. But what exactly is Istanbul card? What functions does it have? How to get it?

Stay with us in Alibaba Tourism Magazine to answer all these questions.

Expensive transportation costs in Istanbul

Due to the high price of fuel and some other things, the cost of getting around by taxi in Istanbul is staggering. On the other hand, when you are in Istanbul, you have to constantly move around the city for sightseeing and shopping. Therefore, it is reasonable to think of an economical and cost-effective solution.

It is natural to go to the subway, bus, tram, etc. Of course, the fare of these vehicles is lower than a taxi, but even for using these public transportations, you can still reduce your expenses. But how?

The best solution suggested for this issue is to use Istanbul Card. When can you use Istanbul Card to pay for bus, metro, etc., which will significantly reduce commuting costs.

What is Istanbul Card?

In general, you cannot pay cash to use public transport in Istanbul. Istanbul Card is a special card for citizens and tourists that can use public transportation. You can charge this card just like the metro card in Iran. With Istanbul Card, your transportation costs with public transportation in the city will be reduced by 30 to 50%.

It is interesting to know that during the outbreak of Corona, these cards were connected to the HESS Code to determine how many doses of vaccination each citizen or tourist had or if they had a history of Corona or not.

How can you get the Istanbul card?

The method of purchasing Istanbul card is very easy and does not require registration or special administrative follow-up. You can buy the Istanbul card from the stalls inside the metro station. Metro card charging machines also sell Istanbul cards. Another way is to get your card from newsstands in the city.

Istanbul card at Istanbul airports

Probably, like many others, when you arrive in Istanbul, you want to buy the Istanbul card right away. Therefore, you should look for this card in Istanbul airports. You can buy the card at Ataturk Airport, Istanbul from the airport metro station. From there, you can use the Istanbul Card to exit the airport by metro.

If your plane lands at Sabiha Gokcen Airport, you can buy the Istanbul Card from the kiosks located at the exit of the foreign flights terminal.

It is good to know that special airport buses (express buses) accept cash for fares in addition to Istanbul Card; But since you entered the city, you cannot pay your fare in bus, subway, tram, etc. with cash.

How much is the charge for these cards?

The citizens of Istanbul generally charge these cards for a month in the amount of 300 TL, which is a suitable amount for daily traffic; But naturally, tourists who don’t want to stay in Istanbul for a month, have no reason to charge this much.

As a tourist, you can charge your card at a lower rate and use it during your stay in this city. The good news is that you can keep your card and use it on your next trips to this city.

In general, there are different numbers for charging this card, and everyone can charge their card according to their consumption. In addition, different distances have different costs for you, and according to each distance, a certain amount of charge will be deducted from you.

If you travel a short distance, it is recommended to put the time of exiting the card on the device again so that part of the cost will be returned to you; Just like the metro card in Iran.

How to charge Istanbul card

You can charge Istanbul card at metro stations.

The way of working is to go to one of the charging devices available in the stations. Place the card on the card glass surface. By placing the card on the screen, its balance will be shown in the device manager. After reading the balance, remove the card. Insert the bill into the machine. Be careful to insert the banknote completely straight into the machine.

Put the card back on the glass surface. After a few seconds, your card will be charged as much as the bill you put in the device. After that, the device will give you a receipt for payment.

The amount of fares using Istanbul Card

As I said, with the Istanbul card, your transportation costs will be significantly reduced, but in what order exactly?

When you use Istanbul Card for the first time, your charge will be reduced by one amount, but if you use this card several times within 2 hours, your fare will gradually decrease.

Istanbul Card in Istanbul Metro

In Istanbul, you can explore the city easily without the need of a leader. Of course, on the condition that you fully know how to use the map, subway, etc. It is enough to identify the places you want to visit in the city and mark them on the map or Google map. Then determine the best subway routes to reach them. For this purpose, it is good to have an Istanbul metro map on your phone. Now go to your desired destinations with the metro and of course at a low cost.

Click here to view the Istanbul metro map in high quality.

Which vehicles in Istanbul accept the card?

All public transport in Istanbul accepts this card. Metro, tram, metrobus, bus, boat, TCDD, Havatash (or Havabus, which is an airport bus) and various cruise boats (including Toril and Dentor) are among these vehicles.

What should we do with our card after traveling to Istanbul?

If you are one of those people who are interested in Istanbul, don’t worry. Your Istanbul card is valid for up to 2 years and you can use it on your next trips. In addition, you can give it to friends or people who are planning to travel to Istanbul.

Of course, since the spread of Corona, these cards became more exclusive than before, it doesn’t seem right to use someone else’s card; However, many people still lend these cards to each other. Keep in mind that you cannot use the same card for two people at the same time.

What is Akbil?

Before 2009, Akbil card was used instead of Istanbul Card. Still sometimes some people use the same title for Istanbul card.

What is Blue Card?

Another credit card you can use in Istanbul is the Blue Card. This card is valid for 30 to 180 days. Of course, since this card is personalized, only one person can use it. If you decide to stay in Istanbul for a long time, you can use Blukart. The price of blue card is a little more than 200 liras.

Tips about public transportation in Istanbul

Istanbul Metro works between 6 am and 12 pm, but Metrobus is 24 hours. Marmari transports passengers between 6 am and 12 pm. It is good to know that Marmari or Marmaray is a kind of underground cable train that is responsible for a part of transfers in Istanbul.

Another means of transportation in Istanbul is Metrobus. If you are traveling by Metrobus in the city, punch your card at the station when you exit. If you do not do this, the discount will not be applied to you.

Ferry lines

Ferry transport lines are intended for traffic on waterways. In fact, the ferry is the same sea bus that many people take to explore the sea.

Travel is getting cheaper…

It is natural that the reduction of travel costs is not limited to the use of Istanbul Card. You can save money for each stage of your trip. For example, traveling during low-travel days of the year makes the price of plane tickets and the cost of staying in your hotel lower than during high-travel days.

Visiting cheap shopping centers in Istanbul and finding auctions, cheap but high-quality restaurants, etc. are also other ways. Do you have a special solution to reduce travel costs to Istanbul or other destinations? Have you ever been asked a question about cost reduction? If you have any questions in this field, you can ask us in the comments section to answer in the same section or other articles.