What is Istanbul Card? What services does it offer?

Using public transportation is one of the solutions that can help reduce travel costs. Since the city of Istanbul is considered one of the busiest and most popular tourist destinations for Iranians, by getting more information about how to travel within the city, you can easily go to different neighborhoods of this city at a lower cost. Buy Istanbul card It is one of the first things you should do after entering this city. So join us Fly Today Stay tuned to know more about Istanbul card, how to buy and charge it.

What is Istanbul Card?

Every city you travel to may have a different way of paying for public transportation such as subways and buses. In some cities you can pay this amount in cash and in some cases you will need a card. Istanbul is one of the destinations where intra-city transportation with any public transport requires payment by card. You will rarely find a bus that accepts cash from you. In any case, you must use a card to enter the bus, tram and subway stations.

Although you can always buy a one-time (one-way) ticket for the metro and continue on your way, buying an Istanbul card can significantly affect the cost of your trip.

If you want to know more about Istanbul Metro, its routes and stations, an article titled Istanbul Metro Guide Search and read in Fly Today magazine.

Where to buy Istanbul card?

Undoubtedly, now that you know that having an Istanbul card is necessary for your trip to Istanbul, the question has arisen, how to get an Istanbul card?

One thing you should keep in mind is that any amount you pay for buying this card will be a part of the cost of the card and the other part will be charged to the card. Continue with how to buy Istanbul card from Istanbul Airports Get to know more.

Buy Istanbul Card at Istanbul Airport

You can buy the Istanbul card from one of the ticket machines called Biletmatik. In Istanbul airport, these devices are located on the second floor of the airport, which is the entrance floor of public vehicles.

Another way to buy this card at Istanbul airport is to visit the Havaist Airport Shuttle offices. These offices are also located on the same negative floor as the 2nd floor of Istanbul Airport. Therefore, if you cannot work with these devices, ask one of the employees of these offices to help you buy this card.

Keep in mind that you can also pay for Hawaii Airport buses in cash. So if you can’t buy Istanbul card at the airport, don’t worry, you can get this card from the machine or get it from the store in the city.

Buy Istanbul Card at Sabiha Gokcen Airport

Buying an Istanbul Card at Istanbul New Airport is also a simple task. If the ticket to Istanbul Sabiha Gokchen Airport When you leave the airport, you will find small kiosks on the other side of the street where you can buy this card. In addition, if you enter the first metro station, there is a Biletmatik inside the metro, and you can buy this essential card from the ticket sales staff in the metro.

Buy Istanbul Card in the city center

If you have arrived at your hotel with a tour transfer, buy an Istanbul Card as soon as possible in the city. Biletmatik machines are available in all metro stations, trams and docks. Some shops and stalls may also have this card for sale.

So if you see Akbil or Istanbul Card sign somewhere, you can probably buy this card. But it is better to learn how to work with Biletmatik devices because you will have to use these devices to charge your card many times during your trip.

Which Istanbul card should we buy?

When getting an Istanbul card, it is good to know that there are 4 different types of this card. You must as a tourist Anonymous Istanbul Kart or Anonymous Istanbul Kart Or buy Istanbul red card.

Other cards are not suitable for tourists and are generally not sold to them. These cards include the following:

• Istanbul Mavi Kart: This card is suitable for people who live in Turkey and can recharge it monthly. Registration is required to obtain a blue card.
• Discount card (Indirim Kart): This card is suitable for Turkish university students. Students can use public transportation services at a cheaper rate by registering and presenting their student documents. This card is also called Istanbul student card.
• Free card (Ucretsiz Kart): In Istanbul, people over the age of 65 can travel around the city for free by obtaining this card.

How to charge Istanbul card?

In this section, we will learn how to charge Istanbul card. As mentioned earlier, you must first pay a fee to buy an Istanbul card. The initial amount of this card is 20 liras, which usually has a charge of 7 liras. To top up the Istanbul card, you should go to the yellow and blue machines in metro stations and airports, which are called Biletmatik.

How to charge Istanbul Card:

• Place the card on the machine and wait for the machine to scan your card.
• In the next step, select the amount you want to top up on the machine and then insert cash into the machine.
• If you use the yellow machines, you can only hand over 5-10-20-50-100 lira bills to the machine to charge the card.
• For amounts greater than 100 lira, blue devices are a better option with the same method.
• If you want to charge a small amount, but you have bills with a higher amount, don’t worry, the blue machines will only charge the amount you choose and return the rest to you in 20 lira bills.

How much is it necessary to charge Istanbul card?

Keep in mind that the cost of traveling by public transport is about 7 to 8 liras. However, this amount may be higher for vehicles such as Hawai’ist (buses that go from Istanbul Airport to the city center), ships and ferries. But if you consider the average and want to use only metro, bus and tram, the amount is the same. To charge the Istanbul Card, consider how often you think you will use public transportation during your stay. For example, if you think you are going to use the Istanbul card 20 times, charge it 155 lira.

An important advice about charging Istanbul card is not to charge it with too much amount. Although the amount left on the card is refundable, the process takes a long time and usually no one seeks to get this amount back. So always charge an amount that you are sure you will use during your trip. In any case, whenever the charge of the card is finished, you can easily charge the Istanbul card with another amount.

What is Istanbul digital card?

In addition to the physical version of the Istanbul card that exists and is issued in different colors, the digital version of this card is also available. You can install Istanbul card application and have its digital version on your mobile phone. Now you can top up your card, view your current balance and pass the metro entrance through the QR code of your digital account. In the following, you can see the link to download the Istanbul card application.

-Installing the Android version of Istanbul Card

-Installing the ios version of Istanbul Card

What is the validity of Istanbul Card?

Istanbul card can be used for up to 3 years. So if you bring it with you, you can use the same card on your next trip. Or if someone is traveling to Istanbul, give this card to them so that they can use it during their trip without having to buy a new Istanbul card.

Where can I use Istanbul Card?

You can use the Istanbul card for any type of public transportation within the city. These devices include metro, bus, tram, ferry (passenger ships), metrobus, cable car and the nostalgic train of Esteghlal Street. In this way, you can easily access the sights of Istanbul.

Istanbul card is not personal at all and can be used by different people. For example, if you travel in a group and your routes are always the same, you can use an Istanbul card. However, this number cannot be used for more than 5 people. Also, children under 6 years old do not need to have this card.

How does Istanbul Card reduce costs?

So far, we talked about how to buy an Istanbul card and charge it, but you may have a question, what is the difference between an Istanbul card and buying metro cards and one or two-way tickets? We’ll take a look at what you have to pay for each one so you can understand the difference between the two.

Before trying to fully explain this issue, we should note that the figures given in this article are for 2022. During your trip, these amounts may be less or more. But what is clear is that the calculation is done in the same way.

If you get a one-day metro card, you have to pay 11 liras and after one trip, this card can no longer be used. But with the Istanbul card, this figure is reduced to 6 liras, and if you use this card two or three times during the day and with a short distance, the discount is also included in your status. That is, if you pay a ticket for boarding the semester once and you want to return the same route once, you have paid 12 liras instead of 22 liras on average. Calculate the same cost for a one-day tour to see how having an Istanbul card can cut your trip to Istanbul in half.

More options you have to reduce travel costs in Istanbul:

Istanbul card is one of the first things you need when traveling to Istanbul. But to reduce the costs of visiting Sights of Istanbul , city tours and cruises in the Bosphorus Strait, various packages are offered by different companies, by purchasing them you can visit several tourist attractions without the need to buy tickets and stand in line. Usually, these packages are suitable for people who are looking for sightseeing and visiting the attractions and sights of Istanbul, because they can benefit from more facilities and services by paying a lower amount.

For more information about these packages, you can visit the site Istanbul welcome card Visit and check its options.

Istanbul card A card with multiple uses

Istanbul is one of the cities where it is possible to travel anywhere by public transportation. Therefore, you don’t need to pay a huge amount of money to taxis during the day, but you can use the subway, bus, tram and ferry to go anywhere in the city. Therefore, having an Istanbul card in your hand will help you save money on your trip and get to your destination much faster and more easily.

Do you know other tips to reduce travel costs in Istanbul? Be sure to share your experiences with us.

Frequently asked questions about Istanbul Card