Istanbulkart is a credit card sized travel card that provides great convenience for tourists visiting Istanbul. Istanbulkart users can access the most important public transportation vehicles in the city such as metro, tram, ferry and funicular with a single card.
Istanbulkart may also be referred to as “Akbil” in some old travel guides. This old pass, which looks like a small clock battery, has been replaced by Istanbulkart over time. With Istanbulkart, it is possible to access not only transportation vehicles, but also public toilets in parks and touristic places.
In this article, you can find everything you need to know about the Istanbul travel card, simply named Istanbulkart. I will also try to answer the questions of the current Istanbulkart price, where to buy it and how to top up.
How to Buy Istanbul Travel Card?
The easiest way to buy Istanbul travel card is the newsstands in touristic places. You can see many newsstands where you can buy Istanbulkart in popular districts such as Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Karakoy and Taksim Square.
Apart from newspapers and Istanbulkart, these kiosks also sell simple snacks and beverages. When buying an Istanbulkart, you first pay a small price for the card itself. Then you can also ask the officer to load Turkish lira on the card.
Where to Buy Istanbulkart in Sultanahmet
The tram is an ideal means of public transportation to travel between the touristic spots of Istanbul. For example, you can find a few of the newsstands I mentioned above in Sultanahmet.
In order to buy Istanbulkart from Sultanahmet, you can go to the kiosk you see in the picture above. To find this place, you can follow the tramway in the direction of the Grand Bazaar, taking Hagia Sophia behind you.
It will be enough to walk for five minutes from the road called Divanyolu Street where the tram tracks are located. After passing the Sultanahmet Tram Station, you will see the kiosk I mentioned on your left.
Where to Buy Istanbulkart in Taksim
You can also use the newsstands to buy Istanbulkart from Taksim. Also, if you go down to the metro station in Taksim Square, there are also official Istanbulkart machines.
In these Istanbulkart machines installed by the Istanbul Municipality, the card is usually a little cheaper than the kiosks outside. You can both buy Istanbulkart from the machine and load Turkish Lira into it.
Price of Istanbul Travel Card for 2023
Istanbulkart price is 60 Turkish Lira as of January 2023. When you pay this money to the Newsstands, they only give you a blank card. You can fill Istanbul travel card yourself from the yellow top-up machines, or you can directly ask the staff at the newsstand to load money into it.
What makes Istanbulkart so useful is that it can be topped up easily and it is simple to use. Moreover, you can use it to pay for others (friends, family etc…). Therefore, if there are others who accompany you, you don’t have to buy two separate cards. As long as you have enough credits in your card, there is no limit to how many people can use it.
Another feature of Istanbulkart is that it offers discounts for transfers after the first use. The card, which charges the full price in the first time, allows you to get on the other 3 vehicles used within the 2-hour time window, cheaper each time.
Transfer Discounts for Istanbulkart 2023
Istanbulkart transfer discounts allow you to travel for a little less each time you use the card for the second, third and fourth time. For example, while you charge 9,90 TL the first time you use the card, you pay 7,09 TL for the second time, 5,38 TL for the third time and 3,40 TL for the fourth time. Prices were last updated in January 2023.
These prices are valid for the metro, tram and ferry, which are the most used public transportation vehicles by tourists. However, it should not be forgotten that some transportation vehicles have different tariffs.
For example, vehicles that provide transportation between the European side and the Asian side, such as Metrobus and Marmaray, will charge more. Buses crossing from one side to the other in Istanbul also charge extra.
How to Get Refund on Istanbulkart?
In order to get refunds on Istanbulkart, you need to be using vehicles such as Marmaray or Metrobus, which have a long route. These vehicles travel a very long distance from the suburbs on the European side of the city to other suburbs on the Asian side.
When you use Marmaray or Metrobus, a price much higher than the normal fare is charged to your travel card the first time. The system assumes that you will go to the last stop and charges the full fare. However, when you get off at the previous stops, the fee is refunded.
To get a refund, you need to find the refund machines at the station exits. There are many of these machines at the central stations to avoid queues. You can get a refund by touching your card to these devices, which you can see from the picture above.
Istanbulkart could be returned to kiosks after being used in the past. The money you paid for the card itself was a kind of deposit and was refunded. So the reclaimed card was sold to someone else. However, in recent years it is not possible to return the card itself. Since there are millions of Istanbulkarts in the market, it has no monetary value anymore.
How to Top Up Istanbulkart?
In order to top up Istanbulkart, you can use the yellow machines at metro, tram and ferry stations. For example, at the tram station you see in the picture above, the yellow-black machine with “Biletmatik” written on it is an Istanbulkart top up machine. These machines enable passengers to top up only in 30 seconds.
To the left of this Istanbulkart machine, you see a second machine with “Jetonmatik” written on it. Those who need a one-time ticket can buy a one-way tram ticket from this token machine. However, one-time tickets are more expensive than the Istanbulkart tariff.
No Need to Match HES Code with Istanbulkart
During the Covid period, Istanbulkart had to be paired with the HES code. In this period, Istanbul Card became personalized. Normally, multiple people can use an Istanbulkart, but during the Covid process, everyone had to get a private one for themselves.
However, as of March 2022, the HES code matching requirement for Istanbulkart has been removed. You no longer have to register your Istanbul Travel Card on the online site.
You can use the Istanbul Travel Card practically as before while getting on the vehicles such as the Metro, Marmaray, Tram and Ferry. Istanbul Public Transport Card can now be loaded and used immediately after purchase.
Conclusion
In summary, Istanbulkart is a very useful public transport card for both Istanbulites and tourists visiting the city. Since it is very difficult to use public transportation in the city without an Istanbulkart, I recommend you to get this card while you are at the airport.
On this site, there is more detailed information about the means of transportation you can use Istanbulkart. For example, you can take a look at the article called Istanbul Metro Map about the metro system in Istanbul.
In addition, if you want to learn about the tram, which is by far the most used means of transportation in Istanbul, I recommend the article called Istanbul Tram T1. In this article, you can see how to use public transportation between the most popular tourist destinations such as Sultanahmet and Taksim.
Written by Serhat Engul
Do kids under 12 pay require a travel card as well?
Public transportation is free for the kids under the age of 6. So the answer is yes! On the other hand, Istanbul Museums are free for the kids under the age of 12. That means they do not need Istanbul Museum Pass.
Hi, I thought that an Istanbulkart can only be used for five passengers maximum at one go. There is no limit now? Because i plan to use mine for my group of eight, and I thought I needed an additional Istanbulkart for the remaining three people. Thanks for your response!
Hello Barbara, I have never heard about your argument. There is no limitation as far as I know. I checked from the official site of IstanbulKart and there is nothing mentioned about maximum number of usage for multiple people. I also googled “8 people Istanbulkart limitation” in every logical keyword combination (in Turkish) and there has never been a limitation like that. It must be a misunderstanding.
Hi Serhat, you say that the deposit on the card is refundable (7L). However, what about any unused balance on the card itself? Is this refunded, too?
Also, any idea if there are public transport options from the new Istanbul Airport yet? I will be travelling there with my family in early June 2019… less than two months from now.
Thanks, in advance!
Hi Nitish, you can refund the price of the card but not the unused balance. You need to empty it, before you return it. The New Istanbul Airport’s metro line is still under construction. You can use “Havaist” shuttle buses in order to get to the airport. You can pay the fare via Istanbulkart.
Can you buy Istanbul card in Yenikapi ferry terminal?
Sorry, I am not sure about it!
multumesc pentru sfaturi !
Cu plăcere. I think it means: you are welcome. 🙂
cat costa HAVAIST dela aeroport pana in piata Taxim ?
The cost of airport shuttle should be 18 Turkish Lira from Istanbul Airport to Taksim. You can also check How to get from Istanbul Airport to Taksim blog post.
Hello
Please let me know the fare of bus 16s or E-10 for Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
Regards
Hello. It should be 2,60 Turkish Lira. It operates between the Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Metrobus Station (Uzuncayir).
Hello serhat. I am planning to come to istanbul soon and guide is just Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing really informative and helpful stuff…
Kindly guide me that how can i get cheap wifi or internet while traveling? As in i will be needed to see tracks and nearby things.
Hi Mehak, thank you for the feedback. However I don’t know the answer of this question. I do not have up to date information about this issue.
Hello
First of all, i would like to thank you so much for this extra website.
I have one question : I heard that you can get some credits back on your card if you use the metro (you can get it by checking the card when leaving the station in a yellow machine). Is it true ?
Hi Alan! Yes, but it’s only for Marmaray. Marmaray runs between Gebze and Halkali. Gebze is out of Istanbul on the Asian Side, Halkali is also far end in the European Side. Marmaray charges much more than other vehicles. On the other hand, you can get some refund if you use it for a shorter ride. For example if you get on the Marmaray from Sirkeci (nearest stop to Sultanahmet Old City), it charges 5.20 Turkish Lira. Next stop is Uskudar on the Asian Side, if you leave the Marmaray there, you get 2.60 TL back through those refund machines. It’s not the same yellow machine where you top up your Istanbulkart. It’s a smaller device which can be found in Marmaray Stations.
Hello, I try to get the refund in the machines in Marmaray, but it always get a red screen, not green like others passanger around me, so I never get the refund. I am only taking it for 2 stations, what am I doing wrong?
Hi Ivana, frankly, it is not possible for me to give you a clear answer. But my guess is maybe you are getting on and off at the last stations of Marmaray on the same line, so there is no longer any distance to refund.
So let’s say there are 30 stops on Marmaray. If you get on the train from the first stop, you get a refund if you get off at the middle stops. But those who get on from the last stops pay less fare, so there is no refund.
Hello SERHAT ENGÜL.
Please may I confirm with you the maximum amount of passengers allowed to use 1 IstanbulKart ?
Many thanks
Tanya
Hi Tanya, I don’t think there is any limitation. You can use it as many times as needed, provided that there is enough money in it.
Thank you for this! Very thorough. One question… Can you top up with credit card?
Thank you!
Hi Lisa, you can not top up with credit card. Only banknotes (5, 10, 20, 50 TL) are accepted.
Hi, Is any other Currency accepted?
No, you can only use Turkish Lira to purchase or refill an Istanbul card.
Thanks dear! How and where can we check the balance of the Card?
At Metro, Tram, Marmaray and Ferry stations, there are machines called “Biletmatik” in yellow to fill Istanbulkart. You can place the card in the rectangular magnetic slot in these machines and see the balance on the screen.
Normally, when you place the card in the relevant compartment and feed money, you load credit on Istanbulkart. However, even if you do not feed money, the current balance of the card appears on the screen.
Hi Serhat
I am coming from Sahiba Gocken Airport and going to Sirkeci.
My plan is to take MR60 to Pendik and then Marmaray to Sirkeci.
Is this correct and how much will this cost?
Thank you
Hi Devanshu, Yes you can take the MR60 bus in order to get to Pendik area. Then you can get the Marmaray all the way to Sirkeci. However, sometimes Marmaray trains do not go directly to Sirkeci. They empty the whole train in Sogutlucesme transportation center (to send the empty train back to busy stations) and you may have to wait for the next one.
MR60 will cost you only one ticket price which means 2.60 Turkish Lira. Marmaray will charge probably 5.20 TL. Once you get off the train at Sirkeci, make sure you get your refund from the small machines in the courtyard of the station. Have a good journey!
Thanks Serhat, very useful.
Just to confirm, i will get a 2.6TL refund in Sirkeci?
My other questions is – suppose i have 5 TL in my Istanbulkart, will it allow me to board marmaray and let the balance go negative?
You are welcome. I do not know how much does it charge from Pendik to Sirkeci. It refunds different amounts depending on the length of your journey. It does not work unless you have enough money in it. There is no negative balance.
It doesn’t seem possible to get the card or the money on it refunded anywhere. Apart from that it’s a great card.
Hi Joshua, newsstands selling Istanbul cards must also receive a refund. Some follow the rules, some do not.
Hi Serhat
I am coming from Sahiba Gocken Airport and going to elite world hotel
My plan is to take a taxi to there
how much will this cost?
Thank you
Hi Mona, I am not quite sure about it. The taxi fares have changed recently. I assume it would cost around 60-70 Turkish Lira.
Thanks Serhat🙏🏻
Hello SERHAT,
Thank you for a very detailed article. I have a question though. I’m planning to stay in Istanbul for around a month. Is there a month pass or something similar to that where you can pay for the entire month and have unlimited transportation?
Hi Ghaith, yes there is something called Mavi Kart which means Blue Card. However it’s only for locals. It needs an application and you need to be a Turkish Citizen to get it. I tried to find its advertisment page in English but there was none. Here is the link to the product page (though it’s in Turkish).
Hi,
I asked a metro staff where to refund the Istanbulkart and he said it’s not refundable. FYI.
Hi Bilal, thanks for your contribution. I will check and update.
Salaam Serhat,
insha’Allah, we intend to visit Istanbul in April. We are staying in Atasehir Area. If you can give me some information to explore around Atasehir and rest of main attraction in Istanbul. How much will be your price for the half day tour and are the attraction tickets inclusive with your tour. Please advise me. We are family of 2 Adult 2 kids.
Thank you
Hi Aksham, Atasehir is the modern area of the Asian Side of Istanbul. You can visit the Shopping Malls around (Palladium, Brandium etc). You can pay a visit to Bagdat Street. It’s a 10 kilometres long avenue with nice restaurants and shopping areas. If you are looking for a tour organization, you can contact to BarefootPlus Travel.
I just checked instanbulkart website and google translated something about the Mavi Biletmatik being capable to be used to purchase a instanbulkart with a credit or debit card? Do you know if its posible to do this? I always just try to use my debit or credit card, I try not to use cash, thanks in advance
Hi Roy, the name of what you are talking about is Mavi Kart, meaning “Blue Card”. However, this product is a monthly transportation card that can only be purchased by Turkish citizens. It is true that it is paid by credit card, but the price is 275 Turkish liras. This card would not be useful for someone who comes to Istanbul for touristic purposes anyway. You have to pay cash to top up your regular Istanbulkart.
Hi Serhat,
Thanks for the tons of useful information in your website. I’ve red almost everything and it was very helpful for my family to visit Istanbul 2 weeks ago.
However this article – for Istanbul card is outdated. Here are the changes that your reader should know:
1 – The card is NOT available for sale in the machines, but only from newspaper and other kiosks.
2 – They charge 15-20 TRY for a blank card, THAT SHOULD BE REGISTERED WITH HES CODE. Without HES code, the card is not activated and you cannot put money on it.
The HES code is needed for tourist to enter Galata tower and some big stores and shopping malls, so it is good for you to update this information on this site.
BR
Ivailo
Hi Ivailo,
During the pandemic, I attempted to update the entire site. Since there are about 200 articles, I could only complete 2 out of 3 in a long time. The Istanbul Card article was one of the articles I kept for last. Because due to the pandemic, I do not use public transportation as much as I used to. Yes, Hes code has made it difficult to use Istanbulkart, but it is a temporary measure after all.
By the way, Istanbulkart is not bought from ordinary top-up machines, but there are special machines that sell Istanbulkart in big metro stations like Taksim. What I meant in the article were those official machines.
Many thanks for all this information. I will update as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Serhat
Hi Im a british disabled lady 67yrs travelling alone in a small disability scooter (scooter suitable for buses/transportation), is their any concession on the trams need a pass for 3/4 days in total.
Most of the public transportation vehicles in Istanbul are free for people over the age of 65. However, only Turkish citizens can obtain a kind of concession card by presenting their identity cards. As far as I know, there is no such application for foreigners.
Hello Serhat,
Thank you for the post, it’s very informative!
Are there any biletmatik in Sabiha Gökçen airport that you can purchase Istanbulkart from?
Is payment by card, such as Visa possible or is it cash only?
I need to go to Kadiköy from SAW, is it better to take the metro or Havabüs?
Hi Lena, frankly, I don’t know if Sabiha Gokcen has Biletmatik. However, I think there must be a shop that sells Istanbulkart.
As far as I know, the Kadikoy metro line has not been extended to SAW yet. Construction work still continues. For this reason, you have to go to Tavsantepe, which is the nearest metro stop from SAW. In my opinion, for a first timer in Istanbul, it is not worth the hassle.
I think you can get rid of the need to buy an Istanbulkart in the first place by taking Havabus and paying the fee in cash. Otherwise you will have to go to the nearest metro station by another bus anyway. It is most logical to go to Kadikoy with a single bus.
I just returned back from Istanbul and I had my istanbulkart with balance 185 lira inside it, but we’re planing to visit Istanbul again next year, so does this balance inside the card will be still working or it will be expired?
Hello Noha, no Istanbulkart balance has no expiration date. It will be valid even years later. However, if not stored well, the card’s magnetic stripe may be damaged in the long run.
I hope inflation will slow down and the credits on the card will still mean something next year.
Hi ! Great Blog and Very Informative. As you mentioned for your friends and family you can use one card. So we are a family of 3 , so I can scan the same card for all of us?
Hi Apeksha yes one card can be used for more than one person. I personally used it for up to 5 people. So you, as a family of 3, will not have any problems.
Thanks a lot ! 🙂
You are welcome!
Hi,
Does the Istanbulkart expire? Just came back from my trip to Turkey and I’ve kept my card which still has a bit of money on it. Do you think it can still be used if I visit the country again in a few years?
Thanks in advance.
Hello Zahaa, no, the credits in Istanbulkart do not expire. The money in the card will be permanent for years. So if you come back to Istanbul, you can use it.
Hi,
Thank you for the very useful information i found on your blog!
Do you know in the Aksaray area where can we buy the Istanbulkart?
Hi Alina, actually Aksaray is one of the busiest spots in Istanbul. I have never bought an Istanbulkart from there. You can buy it from places similar to the kiosk you can see in the image in the article.
Or you can find it at Marmaray’s Yenikapi Station, which is within walking distance from Aksaray Tram Stop. Aksaray is a chaotic place and finding something there can be a problem.
Hi, your website is the most useful informative website on Istanbul tourism!! We will be arriving Istanbul via air flight and land at IST airport, where in the airport can I purchase the IstanbulCard? Thanks a lot…
Hi Andrew, thanks for your review of the blog. Unfortunately, I don’t know where you can buy Istanbulkart at the airport. It is probably sold in shops that sell newspapers and magazines.
Hello. Thank you so much for the information on this website. I have a question. Is there a limit to how much I can top up an Istanbulkart in a month? I bought one in December when I arrived. I have been using it and topping it up to get around.
However, in the last few days it would not accept a topup, not even in BİM or Mırgos or or online or at the ticket machine. I had to buy a new one. The card was still working though. Is there some kind of limit?
Hi Marsha, as far as I know there is no such limit. However, these are cards with magnetic stripe that can easily be corrupted. Maybe there was an error in the machine you were trying to top up.
I have not encountered such a problem. However, there are 3 Istanbulkarts in my wallet for such situations. Having more than one card is a must for those who use public transport in Istanbul every day.
It doesn’t make much sense to load a lot of money into a card as it can be lost and corrupted at any time. For this reason, I deposit around 100 TL on each card, which will provide approximately 10 metro passes, and I use the other as I run out of one.
Hi Serhat bey, I have one question about the refund system, I have been using the Istanbul kart for several months now and there’s no issue getting the refund at the machine, but recently when I get off from the Marmaray station and trying to get the refund at the machine but it failed to work, it shows Turkish word and the screen display was red in colour. I was wondering if the refund has already been cancel by the government, or could it be because of a broken metro card I have ?
Hi John, frankly it is very difficult to answer this question without knowing the details. You may have traveled on a non-refundable line or a non-refundable distance.
But let me share with you an incident that has happened to me several times. For example, I once got on Marmaray from Sirkeci (Old City) and got off at the first stop on the Asian side (Uskudar). Although it was certain that I could get a refund in this scenario, several times I did not.
While thinking about the reason for this, it occurred to me that I used the same card while entering the public toilet of the subway. If you enter the toilet inside the station after using the card, the devices in the next station cannot detect when you last used the card.
Maybe they fixed this issue. However, since I have had bad experiences a few times, if I need to use the toilet in the subway, I provide access with my spare card.
2023 February UPDATE: Yes, I got a warning on the same red screen today. It seems that non-personalized Istanbulkarts will no longer be refundable on Marmaray (and other long-distance transportation vehicles).
Hello, Mr Engul. Thank you so much for the explanation. However, I am curious if tourists without registered Istanbulcards, can enjoy the refund after using the Marmaray? A friend of mine said the refund machine did not work for him. I would really appreciate it if you could tell us whether any restrictions for Istanbulcards exist as of January 2023.
Best wishes!
Hi Maria, you can get a refund whether Istanbulkart is registered or not. I have 3 Istanbulkarts and I registered only one. Istanbul residents registered their cards as there was a registration requirement during the Covid process. Otherwise it wasn’t very common before.
I regularly use my other two unregistered Istanbulkarts and they are also refunded. There’s no way the refund machine can know if I’m a local or tourist when using these cards. In other words, everyone, domestic and foreign, can get refunds on the determined routes.
The restrictions on Istanbulkart that started during the Covid process have been completely lifted. Currently, those who register their cards are generally the ones who top up online. I didn’t bother registering all my cards as I like to load them manually. It’s not mandatory.
2023 February UPDATE: Sorry guys, I realized today that my last answers about the Istanbulkart refund system were wrong. Since January 1, there are no refunds for non-personalized Istanbulkarts.
Since January 1st, I have been to the European Side very little since it is low season. I guess I used my personalized card on those trips. The rest of the time I traveled by car.
That’s why I didn’t notice this change. Today, when the credit ran out on my main card, I used my spare (unregistered) card and a warning came on the screen that my usage rights were limited. I did not get a refund.
Hi there, I have a blue Istanbul card and I don’t have any difficulties with the refund process in Marmaray and Metrobus, but one of my friends who bought his card 3 month ago has some issues and no refunds make happen with his card (Every time the refund machine gets red), since I don’t understand Turkish I couldn’t find anything on the web about this, do you have any suggestions or thoughts?
Hello, yes, unfortunately Istanbulkart’s refund system has changed. Non-personalized cards are not refundable for travel.
The same warning came to my unregistered card today. It gives a warning that your right to use with an unregistered card is restricted.
Thank you for this information.
We (3 person) are traveling to Istanbul next week and I was planning to take public transport. We are landing around 5PM in SAW airport and I suppose that (next to the fact that it is cheaper) it will take us less time to get to Çemberlitaş (M4 and T1) than with a taxi in rush hour.
I’ve read that there are yellow boxes for the istanbulkart right at the exit of SAW. But if I understand you correctly, those machines don’t distribute the istanbulkart itself and I need to search for a newsstand first?
Hello Zed, I explained in the article that it is not possible to obtain Istanbulkart from standard Istanbulkart filling machines at tram stations. For example, the machines in Sultanahmet do not have such a function.
However, at the metro station in Taksim Square, I saw big Istanbulkart stations different from the standard machines. I think it was possible to buy the card itself as well as filling the card.
Perhaps one of these comprehensive machines could have been placed at Sabiha Gokcen Airport. However, I can’t say for sure as I haven’t experienced it myself.
At the end of the day, there is definitely a way to get an Istanbulkart at the airport. If you ask the tourist information office, I think they will help.
Have a nice trip!
Hello, Serhat. A few months ago I read that the Istanbul transport authority, IBB, will begin to accept contactless credit cards for fare payments at the fare gates.
London, Sofia, and Beograd are among cities in which this has already been implemented. I was in Sofia and Belgrad last year and used my MasterCard effortlessly for fare payment.
Has this gone into effect in Istanbul yet? If not, has a start date been published?
JT
Hello JT, unfortunately I don’t know about this. Yes, as you said, it would be very practical if credit cards could be used for entrances in public transportation. However, I have not seen anything like this in Istanbul yet.
Hello, great article. Thank You. I thought I read somewhere that you could get a 24hr Istanbulkart? Seems like that might not be correct. I also wondered if there are any machines in the Istanbul Cruise Port that disperse the card and enable it to work and be top upped? And are there currency exchange places at the Cruise port in order to top up the card? Thank You in advance
Hello, no, there is no such thing as a 24-hour Istanbulkart. However, there are single-use tram, ferry and metro tickets.
There is definitely a currency exchange office in Galataport. There are also two tram stations close to the cruise port. One of them is “Findikli” and the other is “Tophane” tram stations.
Istanbul card can be filled from the yellow top up machines at one of these stations. I think Tophane tram stop is located closer to Galataport.