Istanbul Card: Step-by-step Guide, price 2023

Istanbulkart (Istanbul Card) is city transport pass card and also a card which you can use to pay for many needs. For example, you can use Istanbulkart to pay in product shops an supermarkets, museum shops and some cafes, public WC’s.

Istanbulcard is Istanbul Transportation Card.

It’s absolutely worth to get an Istanbulkart while you travel in Istanbul: it will save your time, money and will make your movements around the city more comfortable. Also, it’s very easy to purchase and reload Istanbulkart, so you don’t have to waste much time for this.

So let’s find out — where to buy Istanbulkart and how to use it, what advantages it has and what are the public transport fares with Istanbulkart payment.

What is the Istanbul Card?

If you want to speed across Istanbul using the city’s excellent public transport, then you will want to consider buying an Istanbulkart. The Istanbulkart is the most efficient way to move around the great city. It is also the cheapest way to use public transport in Istanbul.

The card is known as a budget-friendly, time-saving piece of plastic to carry in your pocket. Istanbulkart is a contactless card that allows you to swipe in and out of all public transportation methods. Whether you want to travel by bus or metro, the Istanbulkart makes it possible.

The great thing about the Istanbulkart is that it allows you to use the city’s entire public transport system. All you need is one transport card to access the various forms of Istanbul’s public transportation, making it easy to get from one destination to the next.

Where to buy an Istanbulkart?

The Istanbul Card can be found at a number of places around the city of Istanbul. In fact, there are more than 2,000 places in which you can purchase the contactless card.

Istanbulkart is available to purchase from blue and yellow vending machines located inside tram, ferry, metro, funicular, and metrobus stations. You can also find Istanbulkart at kiosks situated near many of the public bus stops around Istanbul.

Travelers will also find the handy cards at vending machines located inside Istanbul Airport. The machines selling Istanbulkart are situated on the –2 floor, which is known as the public transportation arrival floor.

An Istanbulkart costs 50 TRY. Keep in mind this price may change. The card comes with no credit on it, so you will need to load it.

Travelers to Istanbul should purchase the Anonymous Istanbulkart. There are a variety of Istanbulkarts available to purchase, but only the Anonymous Istabulkart is for tourists. There are four Istanbulkart cards in total. One card is for students at local universities, another is for locals over 65-years old, and the fourth is for Turkish residents.

The price of one ride on Istanbul public transportation is 9,90 liras. After buying your Istanbulkart, you will need to load it with funds. This is simple and can be done using the same vending machine (Biletmatik) you purchased it from.

Is Istanbulkart available for mobile?

The great thing about the Istanbulkart is that you can use the official app rather than the old-fashioned physical card. The app makes the Istanbulkart even easier to use. You don’t have to load your card with cash money. Instead, you can simply load it with your credit card. The app makes it possible to travel more efficiently around Istanbul on all forms of public transport.

Unfortunately, it may be simpler to use the old-fashioned card version to travel around Istanbul. Why? The reviews on the Apple App Store and Google Play for the Istanbulkart app are not positive. The functionality of the app doesn’t seem to work well for some of the travelers who used it. Despite others not liking the app, you may find it to work perfectly for your trip.

How to load an Istanbulkart

You need to remember that the Istanbulkart does not come preloaded with credit. The 50 TRY to buy the card simply gives you the physical card and the ability to use it. Once you purchase the card from the vending machine, you will need to load it with cash money.

Just like buying the Istanbulkart, loading it is simple. You will need to place your card in the blue and yellow vending machine. The machine will scan the card. Once the scan is finished, deposit your cash into the machine to put credit onto the physical card.
When you need to reload your card, look for shops with the phrase ‘Akbil Dolum Noktası’. These shops offer reloading service. Also, you can use the vending machines at public transportation stations. The machines accept 5, 10, 20, and 50 TRY notes. The machines also offer multiple language functions.

Istanbul Card Public Transport Fares

• • Full-fare — 9,90 TR
  • 1st Transfer — 7,09 TR
  • 2d Transfer — 5,38 TR
  • Marmaray Full-fare ticket — 21,91 TR
  • Metrobus — from 7,09 to 14,69 TR (depends on amount of stops)

Starting from January 2023 only owners of registered Istanbulkards have an opportunity to use refund machines or pay less for transfer instead of full-fare. To register your Istanbulkart use official website — https://bireysel.istanbulkart.istanbul/

What are the advantages to the IstanbulCard?

There are several advantages to using the Istanbulkart. These include:

• • • Multi-use. The card allows you to pay for a variety of public transport forms.
    • Simplicity. Most types of transport around Istanbul do not accept cash payments. Therefore, you will need to use the Instabulkart to access all types of transport.
    • Pre-paid. By using a pre-paid card, you can simply go through the turnstiles to get to the metro or jump onto the bus without waiting in queues to by a physical ticket.
    • No contact. In a post-COVID-19 world, you can use the contactless card to travel around the metropolis of Istanbul.
    • Group travel. One Istanbulkart works for up to five passengers.

The Istanbulkart makes traveling around the city of Istanbul simple and efficient. It is a great way to travel and will save you money. You cannot beat its budget-friendly, easy-to-use nature.

How much does Istanbul Card cost?

Istanbulkart costs 50 Turkish Lira

Where I can use Istanbulkart?

You can use Istanbulkart in public transport: tram, metro, bus, ferry, metrobus, funicular and etc. Pay in some shops (for ex. Migros), pay in cafes or for public WC.

How do I check my Istanbulkart balance?

You can check the balance of your card in Biletmatik machine — place the card on the plastic inset on the right sight of machine and wait for a while. After a few seconds Biletmatik will show on the screen the balance of your card .