A Russian tourist, while in Turkey, checked on personal experience what was declared by the authorities information that cash from a Tinkoff bank card of the Russian MIR payment system is available for withdrawal at ATMs of five Turkish banks. She shared the details on the Yandex.Zen channel.
For the current month, 5 banks operate in Turkey with the domestic MIR card. These are Turkiye Is Bankasi, Ziraat Bankasi, VakifBank, DenizBank and HalkBank. The blogger said that ATMs are often found on the streets and “there are several at once in a row of different banks,” so compatriots should have no problems finding them.
The traveler admitted that at present, something may also depend on the ownership of the card by a particular bank. So, during a trip to Uzbekistan, when withdrawing cash, banks did not take commissions from a card issued by Tinkoff Bank, but withheld from those who used a Sberbank card. According to the girl, a year ago, the commission for cash withdrawal and the currency conversion rate depended on the bank that owned the card, and on which bank the ATM in which the tourist withdraws money belongs.
While in Turkey, the tourist tested the machines of all five banks and noted that there is no difference in which ATM of which bank the Russians will withdraw money – the conditions will be the same. The author noted that she could not use only the VakifBank cash desk. “Perhaps that particular ATM was non-working. But ATMs of this bank are less common than others. In all other ATMs, I was given money at the same rate, regardless of the bank,” she shared the results.
At the same time, the Russian woman added that Tinkoff Bank has limits on cash withdrawals: amounts equal to 300 lira (about 1,000 rubles) and more are subject to a commission, and amounts above this amount are available for withdrawal without deduction of funds by the bank. “For the withdrawal of exactly 300 lira, I was charged about 90 rubles of commission. Lira was issued to me at the rate of 3.57 rubles. This is despite the fact that the exchange rate of the lira was about 3.33 rubles,” the tourist clarified and added that not a single bank changes the currency at the exchange rate.
In addition, the traveler said that with the MIR card she managed to pay in many establishments in Turkey: cafes, restaurants, shops, communication stores. However, there were situations when it was not possible to pay for a product or service: “It depends on which bank serves the terminal in this store/restaurant. If one of the five banks listed, then the payment will go through. To avoid such situations, the girl suggested carrying cash as a backup means of payment and, first of all, using a card for transactions.
Earlier, Turprom wrote that “It’s better for tourists not to eat: the most overpriced dishes of Turkey have been named.”
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