If you’re moving or traveling to Istanbul for a medium to long length of time, getting a Turkey SIM Card and phone number is an essential thing. And if you are into buying a Turkey SIM Card on your visit to Istanbul, than you can read our guide and recommendations.
Do I need a Turkey SIM Card for short term?
We recommend this if you strongly will need to make and receive calls and have internet access during your trip to Istanbul, and will stay at least 1 week, 10 days or more. If you think you will not make so much calls, only need Internet/WiFi, than you can read our How to get WiFi in Istanbul? guide.
The good thing is that SIM cards are generally not too expensive depending on how much data you will use and how long you will stay. And they offer good coverage.
The bad thing is that you’ll need to spend time and big effort to choose the best deal, high charges if you exceed data, and possible troubles with the GSM companies.
We also recommend you to make sure if your phone is unlocked and will work with Sim cards from any carriers, before your trip. You can check this with your GSM provider. Also note that all foreign phones will stop working after 120 days that they are first used in Turkey. You can continue using only after you pay a registration fee.
Finally we can say that there are two good options for travelers when buying a Turkey SIM card in Istanbul: Pay-as-you-go or Prepaid Turkish SIM cards. We’ll guide you on these two options below, but first lets talk about the Turkish GSM operators.
Turkey’s GSM Operators
There are only three GSM providers in Turkey that can set you up with a SIM card and data plan. And these include Vodafone, Turkcell and Turk Telekom. All the operators mostly have a good coverage and speed for Istanbul.
No Regrets Booking Advice
They all offer a variety of plans, but kind of a little bit more expensive than the similar to those found elsewhere in Europe. Vodafone and Turkcell competes, while Turk Telekom is a smaller company by means of number of customers and infrastructure.
And, according to Turkish law, all SIM cards have to be registered, and can only be purchased with a valid passport. They all offer plans with different amounts of data use.
Which is better value: Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) or Prepaid?
Pay-as-you-go Plans
Pay-as-you-go plans refer to prepaid plans with consumable minutes instead of a non-contract service plan. You purchase minutes and top up as necessary. You need to top up your plan in certain amount of time, which is 180 days for Turkey.
PAYG Good For
- When traveling to other countries where you only need it for a short period of time.
- Looking for the cheapest option
- If you only want to use your phone just for emergencies.
PAYG Disadvantages
- The pay-as-you-go model is not designed for heavy phone users.
- It is likely to be more expensive if you use your phone every day.
- You will get very very less calling and no data/internet usage.
- You’ll need to keep track of your minutes.
Prepaid Plans
Prepaid plans charge you a set amount of money monthly for a specific amount of talk, SMS and data/internet. They do not require a contract (you will need to make a contact in Turkey, just by your valid passport) and you only pay for what you get in advance. If you finish your quota, the phone becomes disconnected from service.
Prepaid Good For
- When traveling to other countries where you only need it for a short or medium period of time.
- If you are a heavy phone user including internet/data
- Looking for an option including internet/data usage
Prepaid Disadvantages
- The prepaid model is not designed for very less phone users.
- You may get higher per-minute costs when used excessively.
- You’ll need to keep track of your minutes and data.
1. Pay-as-you-go SIM Cards in Istanbul
This is the most practical option. You’ll just asked for a valid passport for contracts. Pay-as-you-go cards can be purchased from any GSM operators’ shop in the city. It would take about 2-3 days to get activated.
With this pay-as-you-go option, you can make and receive calls for 180 days, starting from the day you top up your number. If you don’t add money to your account within this period, than a 90-day period (Semi-Active Period) will start. And you can receive calls, but you can’t make calls, even if you have credits. So you need to top up your line every 180 days.
1.1. What you will get?
Please check turkcell.com.tr and vodafone.com.tr for Packages and Tariffs FAQ
If you need to use data/internet, you will need to buy internet packages. And if so, we recommend you go further with Prepaid SIM Cards. (see below)
1.2. How long can I use my minutes in my package?
You can use your minutes until the end of your period.
1.3. Where you can top?
You can top up your SIM card from the official GSM stores, Post Offices, or online by your credit card. Foreign bank credit cards can only be used if your credit card supports 3D secure application.
Top Up Online
* For Vodafone (called “Cep Lira Yükleme” meaning “load Liras”) visit; vodafone.com.tr
* For Turkcell (called “TL/Paket Yükle” meaning “load TL/Package”) visit; turkcell.com.tr
1.4. How can I find out how much credit left and when I need to make a top up?
* You can see your remaining credit by dialing *123# from your mobile phone.
* You can see your usage periods by dialing *166*5# from your mobile phone.
2. Prepaid SIM Card Deals for Tourists
What you will get and how much will it cost?
Turkcell
Turkcell currently offers Tourist Welcome Pack for travelers, , but since the rates and packages are changing very frequently, we decided not to mention what they offer.
You can reach Turkcell Customer Services by dialing +90 532 532 00 00
Please cross check the prices and details from turkcell.com.tr/en/ as they change frequently due to competition.
Vodafone
Vodafone currently offers Tourist Holidays Pack for travelers, but since the rates and packages are changing very frequently, we decided not to mention what they offer.
You can reach Vodafone Customer Services by dialing +90 542 542 00 00
Please check the prices and details from vodafone.com.tr as they change frequently due to competition.
Where can I buy both Turkey SIM Cards?
You can purchase both Pay-as-you-go and Prepaid Turkey SIM cards from the Turkish GSM Operators’ official stores located at the Istanbul Airports on arrival floors, the major transport stations, major streets and neighborhoods of Istanbul.
As the stores at the Istanbul Airports are dedicated to tourists, you may find lots of information about the deals in big letters/posters, or negotiate with the store sellers that will definitely speak good English. So that you won’t need to spend a lot of time with finding the right shop (city shops are mostly dedicated for locals) that have enough offers shown for tourists and store sellers that speak good English.
On the other hand, the tourist packages at the airports may cost more than the standard local rates in the downtown. If you have a local friend, or have enough skills and power to make negotiations with the store sellers, you can try purchasing your Prepaid Turkey SIM card with the best package that suits your needs in the downtown.
Our Recommendation
* If you want to buy any of the SIM card of the Turkish GSM Operators, please check the tariffs from their websites (see below) or from our given details about the recommended tariffs below, before you leave for Istanbul, and if you see a big difference with the prices offered at the airport, than don’t buy from the airport.
- https://www.turkcell.com.tr/en/aboutus/traveling-turkey
- https://www.vodafone.com.tr/en/roam-with-vodafone.php
Another Great Option: e-SIM
You can experience convenient and easily accessible eSim Mobile Data Roaming Plans during your trip in Turkey. With a variety of options to choose from, you can activate your eSIM anytime and anywhere during your stay in Istanbul or whole Turkey.
Features & How to Buy?
You can stay connected on your trip with high-speed coverage not only in Turkey but also in the other 39 most visited regions in Europe. Simply purchase and install your eSIM and select from a range of data packages, validity options, and coverage in additional countries. All you need to do is scan the eSIM QR code to access all your essential apps during your trip.
With one eSIM per device, you can easily top-up your plan by buying and activating additional eSIM plans as you go. Once activated, your coverage will begin according to your selected duration.
Know before you go
Available Countries for eSIM plan
Austria, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, La Reunion, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Martinique, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland.
Buy Your eSIM Online
Check & Buy Your eSIM for Turkey
Summary of All
* If you will stay in Istanbul for at least 1 week, 10 days or more, and need to make and receive local calls, than you can buy Turkey SIM cards.
* If you want to use your phone only for emergency calls, than we recommend Pay-as-you-go (the cheapest option but only for calls, no data/internet).
* If you are a heavy phone user (calls, SMS, internet/data), we recommend the Prepaid SIM Card (price is per month) plan.
* There is also pocket Wifi/mobile hotspot rental services or eSIM plans that you can try. So that you won’t need to buy GSM line if you only need Internet and make phone calls via WhatsApp, etc.
* We recommend you to check Turkey’s GSM Operators’ web sites for the latest short term offers for tourists, wrote them down before you arrive Turkey, and compare the prices and offers at their stands at the New Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW). If you feel like rates at the airport are expensive, than we recommend you to get to the city center, find their local stores and buy Turkey SIM card there.
* About GSM Companies for Istanbul, you can get about the same quality of service from all 3 GSM operators. We recommend you to catch the best deal. But, if you will stay longer and also travel around Turkey, than you we can recommend Vodafone or Turkcell.
Is there a Turkcell shop in Istanbul where English is spoken. I have a tricky phone matter to resolve that is beyond my Turkish (Besiktas, Istiklal, Levent, Sisli, anywhere central)
Today, I have been asked to pay 750 TL for a Tourist SIM card which is unbelievable price. The price was 169 TL on the website but is completely different at stores! I will keep using my UK number, I would rather pay this money as roaming fees.
This is the most sensible comment. Check out the options and do whatever works best ( cheapest) for you. As you realised, you have a roaming option from your own country that works, that’s better than the one in the host country and you’re going to use that.
Was charged 500 fuc**ng TL (almost 25 GBP) for a SIM card at the official Vodafone store. Are they nuts? I pay almost as much in the UK…
Hate Turkey, they rip you off everywhere. Won’t go there ever again.
If that’s equal to what you pay in the UK, why is it a rip off if it’s in Turkey?
Pre-Paid sim card is free in UK, you just have to top up.
Just out of curiosity, does that mean there is no way to escape for paying such unbelievable price which is different from the official website stated?
So where can I get the portable WiFi gadget thank you
I love the fact that various people post here to complain to the blog owner abut the sim situation on arrival – is if it was their fault :D:D:D:D
I still do not understand form Vodafone’s website how much I am supposed to top up to get 5gb of data on PAYG…
they keep it vague intentionally
Hello, I am planning a trip to Istanbul for 1 week. It is important for me to have a mobile intenet. Which one do you recommend and tell me the current rates. Thank you very much.
For everyone’s information, as of today (20 May 2022), Turkcell’s official statement on their website is you should expect a price of 289.90 (base price) + 112.05 (service fee).
That makes a total of almost €24 for the tourist welcome pack.
Personal side note: I live in one of the most expensive countries in the world, and for a prepaid sim card with a low-cost operator (including 10GB data, unlimited calls and SMS both in the country and to almost all European Union) I pay the equivalent of €29/month. The offer is accessible to anybody, residents and tourists, without any commitment.
Turkish packs for tourists, in my opinion, have no logical or reasonable justification: they are just a shameful way to rip off foreigners.
I was sold a sim at instanbul airport for 50euro with supposed 50gb data turns out it was 29 and the sim had no number registered to it.
Am going to get my money back
How about an update?
In Antalya Turk Telekom is now at least 215 TL and the rest (Vodafone, TurkCell etc) charge at least 300 TL.
If you know better deals, please let us know.
normal sim price of turkcell for tourist package is 169 TL but even turkcell own registered shops (i buy from trump tower shop) are selling between 250-300 TL.
it mean they do not have any price control even on there own registered shops as well.
when u ask from them that why you guys are keep increasing price each month, they they will respond you same answer which is very famous in turkey……because $ price is increasing sir…….in turkey ask any price and use these words, thats all, its enough, no more excuse required…….
Hi Mike, thank you. You are right but I wonder did you ask this to the Turkcell customer service? If so I’d be glad to hear what they say. On the other hand you should consider this that, 2 months ago USD was around 8-9TRY, last Friday was 17-18, and today 10-11. Noone knows what it will be next week! Up or down!
What you should expect from any shops including markets, restaurants, service providers etc? Do you think they can give any exact price especially when they are importing goods and paying as USD
You should update your article to mention. that even the downtown stores will try to charge you more than the official rate if you are a tourist. I went to 3 Turkcell stores that were asking from 200 to 250TL for the Welcome Tourist package before I found one that would see it for the real price of 169 TL.
Hi Cesar, thank you. Well everything including prices, tariffs, store behaviors, etc changes very frequently and I don’t know what to say with prices and the behavior of the GSM companies. I gave the GSM companies’ official website information. I recommend travelers check the prices there and compare it with shops at the airport or downtown, and decide. Thank you for the feedback anyways. Best wishes!
But the sites do not give the prices sadly
Thank you so much for detailed information! I’m not sure what package we had in Vodafone(their Ebglish was very bad) but we got monthly bills. Now we moved out of Turkey but bills keep coming. Is there any idea how we can stop this? I tried to reach any kind of support for foreigners but everything is in Turkish. Thanks a lot!
Hi. Do Sim Card and internet packages bought at Istanbul will cover other regions around Turkey (such as Goreme and Cappadocia area)? I mean, is it cover all Turkey territory or only Istanbul? Thanks
Hi Alan, thank you. Well yes all packages cover all the regions in Turkey for sure. Best!
Hi, I purchased a SIM card at Istanbul airport that was then put into my unlocked iphone. I purchased a plan sufficient enough for 20 days. I’m leaving soon. Do I have to return the SIM card at the airport?
Hi Ava, thank you. Well as I don’t know which operator you did buy and which package, I can’t give the correct answer. You should have asked about it while you are buying the SIM card.
This post is not updated and we lost 30min in queue to find out what the comments already said.
I think it’s very bad of Istanbeautiful to not mention the sim card prices. The “Vodafone offer” is not valid. Please don’t just mention the official website.
Hi Duc, thank you. Your comment is really crazy. You say you are unable to find pricing and what to do with the WORLD BRAND !!! Vodafone, and I am the one to blame?!!!
The page’s title is “Plans + Insider Advice”, which means I am telling the possible useful plans and giving my advice. GSM operators even change pricing vert frequently and it is not my business. Please be more respectful and make your complaints to Vodafone or other GSM company’s customer service or whatever. Also bear in mind that this is travel blog and we are not obliged to tell every details of the World Brands’ or any other big companies’ failure in giving information to their visitors on their own website.
Please write Vodafone Turkey or Vodafone Headquarters telling that you are unable to find any updated plus good information information in English on Turkey’s Vodafone website. Also tell that majority of the people in the Vodafone shops in Turkey don’t speak English and we are as tourist are really very disappointed …
Good evening
I came to Istanbul about a month ago. When I reached the airport I bought a telephone package from your office at the arrival point. I bought 2 two Sim cards for my wife and myself, and were given the following numbers:
1. +90 534 436 26 ** – 2. +90 534 435 01 **
Complaint : In summary I would like to file a complaint against the bad and annoying services provided by your company. When we exhausted the data (GBs) we bought, my friend and I went many times to your offices in Turium Mall and Marmara Park Mall, we asked to topup.
Unfortunately, we noticed that your staff provide normal services to the Turkish customers, but once we as Arabs reach our turn, and ask for topup, your staff immediately say the following :
1.”system down” or “system yuk”
2. I cannot help you
3.Go to Carrefour and get service or go snother Turksel office
Furthermore, most of your staff do not speak English or may be pretend not to speak English, in order to avoid serving us!!!!! We don’t believe that they are telling the truth. We believe that they don’t want to serve us for unknown reasons.!!!
We could not believe that this happens to us in such a country which promotes tourist to visit their country and invite foreign investors to make investments. If you need any further information please call me on: 0534 436 26 **
Best regards, Abdulrahman From Bahrain
Hi Abdulrahman, thank you. First of all, please don’t say “your company” or “your GSM”, because this is a travel blog and we are not selling GSM here and not a partner of the GSM companies. We are only a travel blog trying to give advice and show the current situation. GSM companies are world brands and if you are unhappy, than you should call them make your complaints. I can only say sorry for what you had.
how to reload for data plan if im using Prepaid?
I bought a chip from turk telecom about 3 months ago, but im leaving turkey now. Do i need to go personally and cancel my phone number or after 180 days it will automatically go inactive????
I too was quoted 200 TL for the initial sim card purchase, in 4 different official Vodafone shops. The 40-60 TL offers are available to you only after having purchased the sim card. The sim card comes with a 1 month option built-in (20 GB internet). I bought the sim card because i was short on time, but the misleading offers left a sour taste.
Hi I am going to Turkey in two weeks time. Please give me some info about getting a simcard in IST Airport. I need it for internet purpose mainly for GPS. Is the vodafone Tourist plan is a good option and what is the cheapest. i am in turkey for 10 days only. Thanks George
Hi. I bought a Vodafone TR prepaid SIM about 9 months ago. I tryed to find out if its still active and i can’t find ouț. Can you help me?
Hi Alexandru, sorry for the problem you had. Actually I don’t know what to say about all the problems people have globally with the GSM operators :(
https://www.vodafone.com.tr/en/roam-with-vodafone.php this is the customer satisfaction policy. You can can dial 542 or (+90 542) 542 00 00 to reach the Vodafone Call Center 24 hours/7 days. As Vodafone is a global brand, you can also ask for your complaints about them in your own country too I guess
Well, reading the comments leads to a single conclusion, which is both the data of the article and in the links of the telecom provider are not correct,, or lets say not updated!!!!!
So, what is It for??
What is the benefit any traveller can have out of wrong infornation?
It is only misleading.
Kindly update the data, or remove It at all.
The data in the content is correct, the prices may have been changing time to time as there is a competition between the GSM operators. The page is a guide about which can be better for you. This is not a page telling about the up-to-date prices. And I did give the official links for the packages and prices for your cross check. Don’t be lazy to check the official links and don’t be rude as well. There is the update day on the top of the page. And there is also close X tab for the explorer, you can quit and go away immediately.
Hi there,
I’m a bit confused with the two plans you introduced here! But, here is my situation and I would appreciate if you could help.
I bought a BimCell sim card last year and each month I used to go to a BIM store and pay for a phone and internet package. It was OK for the first few months, but then as I did not use the telephone to call anyone, it went to a semi active mode; I was still able to use the internet and receive calls but could not call anyone. Now, I think it is completely inactive. I received a message today indicating that I owe 3,150 tl as a wireless usage fee to the government!!
I do not understand why am I getting this much charged for not even being able to use the damn phone for the past 6 months!
Have you any idea what I should do?
Thanks,
Faye
Hi Faye, sorry that you had such a disappointing experience. Well personally I would not prefer GSM services operated by side companies like supermarket chain stores, postal services etc. For BimCell, I didn’t introduced them here as I by myself have no such experience and idea with their services. About your problem, what I know is that when your package is inactive for a specific time period, your card and line should be closed and the contract should be automatically cancelled. And I recommend you to call and their customer service from 4444551
I checked BimCell website (Turkish unfortunately) and it says below;
The details of Active Duration and Inactive Duration determined according to the last load date are as follows;
Active Duration (184 days): From your last load date, your line will be open for both making and receiving calls for 184 days. If you have not reloaded after 184 days, your line will be closed to outside calls and the 92-day inactive period will begin.
Passive Period (92 days): During the passive period, your line is closed to outside calls, you can only receive calls from your line. In order to make calls again, you need to load.
If you do not load your line until the end of the passive period, your line will be closed completely and your Contract Agreement for the line will be cancelled.
Lies. Its 200 liras for a sim, from any company. I checked with 7 shops AND the corporate stores. If 95+tax equals 200, then just say so. A lie by omission is still a lie.
Hi James, thank you for your disrespectful comment. Here I am not selling any GSM SIM card or whatever. I did give details about what you’d get. You should check the page’s last updated day as the prices may have changed. I am also giving the official links of the GSM operators to let you cross check about all. Here I give idea, you should definitely buy your SIM card or whatever from official local shops.
Lies? Seriously?
The guy is only showing useful information about Istanbul and tourists SIM cards with links from the companies websites.
I contacted Vodafone recently and their offer (₺40) is no longer available, but they are still publishing it on their website.
Ahmad, thank you very much for your support! Best wishes
This article isn’t accurate. I’m in Turkey now and it is impossible to buy just the sim card without activating an expensive plan. Vodafone quoted me 180 lira for a sim card with no plan on it. They want you to buy a plan, so they make it difficult to just buy the card alone.
Hi Fatima, there is a competition between 3 main GSM operators in Turkey and the prices, packages and tariffs change very frequently. I did give the official links of the GSM operators so you should cross check. And note that the prices can be higher on local shops.
Bought the TURISTCELL, thank you for your personal delivery to the airport, 1000 min international calls was enough so as 15gb 4g internet, and every where Good connection, we post everything live to or friend’s and families throw Instagram and WhatsApp. We used the unlimbered local calls for our driver, hotel etc. I just can recommend it.