Turkey / Money rules

Turkey money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Do not trust a price you read months agoInflation has run hard enough that a number printed in a guidebook, posted on a blog or left on a forum a while back can be wildly stale. Check a live rate and a current menu, and refuse to anchor on anything you read last year.The lira, and what things cost
2. 2Pay in lira, on every screenThe offer to charge you at home costs 3 to 8 percent. Some tourist shops also price in euros or dollars, so ask what the lira figure is and compare the two before you agree to anything.Declining the dollar conversion
3. 3The bazaar runs on cash, and cash bargainsMarkets, street food, small cafes and plenty of taxis want notes, and paying with them gives you leverage while haggling. The largest note is not very large, so a real stack is thicker than you expect.Cash, cards and haggling
4. 4You do not need an e-visa any moreTurkey dropped the requirement for US passports, so a short tourist stay is visa-free and anybody selling you one online is selling nothing at all. Another case where the older advice is the expensive advice.Entry rules for US passports
5. 5The meter runs from the start, or you get outA taksimetre going from the beginning is the rule, and a driver who will not start it is telling you something useful. The apps summon a licensed yellow cab, which means the meter is still what you pay, though you also get an estimate up front, a tracked route and a receipt.BiTaksi, Uber and the meter
6. 6Learn the note swap before it happens to youThe classic is a driver insisting the large note you handed over was a small one. Around Sultanahmet, Taksim and the Grand Bazaar there is also the dropped brush that you kindly hand back and then pay for. Say the value out loud as you pass it across.The recurring tricks
7. 7Look for servis on the bill before adding to itSome places, mostly the ones facing tourists, have already put a service charge on. Where it is there a little extra is plenty, and where it is not, 5 to 10 percent is the usual shape of a bahsis.Reading the bill
8. 8Keep small notes for the people cash reachesA tip on a card seldom arrives with the staff. Notes are what work for housekeeping, a porter, a guide, a hamam attendant, or whoever is minding the shoes at a mosque door.Tipping in Turkey

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the Turkey guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

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