Turkey |
|
|
|
|
|
Help!
|
| 1. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:14 pm |
|
I am going to Turkey for 9 weeks next summer and was wonering if anyone could help me with some questions i have.
1) What would be the best thing to do about money? Do you think I should take quite a bit and then hide it in my apartment (and also get my family to bring some when they come and visit) or are there hsbc cash points over there that i can use?
2) I will need a mobile phone while i'm over there, my contract is running out on my current one anyway so i will buy a new phone just before i go, is it possible to stick a Turkish sim card in it and top it up with Turkish credit?
Thanks so much if anyone can help! 
|
|
| 2. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:27 pm |
|
Quoting oceanmavi: I am going to Turkey for 9 weeks next summer and was wonering if anyone could help me with some questions i have.
1) What would be the best thing to do about money? Do you think I should take quite a bit and then hide it in my apartment (and also get my family to bring some when they come and visit) or are there hsbc cash points over there that i can use?
2) I will need a mobile phone while i'm over there, my contract is running out on my current one anyway so i will buy a new phone just before i go, is it possible to stick a Turkish sim card in it and top it up with Turkish credit?
Thanks so much if anyone can help! |
according to my tiny experience in Turkey I'd advise u to use credit cards mostly and just have some little amount of cash with u (that's how most turkish ppl pay as far as I have been told).As for the sim, it is possible of course to stick any sim card in ur new phone.Doesn't matter where u are!I had done that when i went to istanbul. My borhter was using Vodafon so his connection turned into a turkish one automatically coz of the roaming thingy....
Lucky u!!!!  Turkiye'de iyi eglen!
|
|
| 3. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:33 pm |
|
Hi Delidolu, thanks for your reply.
I haven't actually got a credit card, my mum suggested taking travellers checks and just changing them when i need them, but i don't know if this will be a hassle or not!
I thought about just putting an ordinary simcard in but was worried it might be a bit expensive to use over there, do you know how much texts etc are?
|
|
| 4. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:55 pm |
|
Quoting oceanmavi: Hi Delidolu, thanks for your reply.
I haven't actually got a credit card, my mum suggested taking travellers checks and just changing them when i need them, but i don't know if this will be a hassle or not!
I thought about just putting an ordinary simcard in but was worried it might be a bit expensive to use over there, do you know how much texts etc are? |
|
|
| 5. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:55 pm |
|
Quoting oceanmavi: Hi Delidolu, thanks for your reply.
I haven't actually got a credit card, my mum suggested taking travellers checks and just changing them when i need them, but i don't know if this will be a hassle or not!
I thought about just putting an ordinary simcard in but was worried it might be a bit expensive to use over there, do you know how much texts etc are? |
You can take travellers' cheques but like in most countries you will probably be charged each time you change one. When we used to come here on holiday we tended to bring sterling with us to change up over here as you usually get a better rate. When we needed more money we just used our debit cards - out bank makes a charge of £1.50 for every withdrawal but some charge a lot more so you have to be careful doing this.
You can put a turkish sim in your english phone but you will probably find your phone locked if you are here for 9 weeks - so you won't be able to use it. If you are intending to visit Turkey a lot it would probably be worthwhile buying a basic Turkish cell phone - you can get one at the moment for about 80 ytl (around £40 at the moment). I hope you have a great time!
|
|
| 6. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 02:56 pm |
|
Quoting oceanmavi: Hi Delidolu, thanks for your reply.
I haven't actually got a credit card, my mum suggested taking travellers checks and just changing them when i need them, but i don't know if this will be a hassle or not!
I thought about just putting an ordinary simcard in but was worried it might be a bit expensive to use over there, do you know how much texts etc are? |
ok I made some research  Thank God I have turkish friends....so...There are three major telecoms in turkey:Avea,Turkcell and Vodafone.Prices are pretty much the same.To buy a simcard it will cost u 10 YTL and it gives u 20 credits.One credit per sms.Then u can buy 100 credits which cost 8 euros...(1 euro is approx 1,76 YTL, u do the math I suck at it).I f u send from Avea to Avea or Vodafone to Vodafone then it is cheaper than if u send from Avea to Turkcell for example.My friend says that it's better to make calls than send sms.
|
|
| 7. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 03:00 pm |
|
Quoting lady in red: Quoting oceanmavi: Hi Delidolu, thanks for your reply.
I haven't actually got a credit card, my mum suggested taking travellers checks and just changing them when i need them, but i don't know if this will be a hassle or not!
I thought about just putting an ordinary simcard in but was worried it might be a bit expensive to use over there, do you know how much texts etc are? |
You can take travellers' cheques but like in most countries you will probably be charged each time you change one. When we used to come here on holiday we tended to bring sterling with us to change up over here as you usually get a better rate. When we needed more money we just used our debit cards - out bank makes a charge of £1.50 for every withdrawal but some charge a lot more so you have to be careful doing this.
You can put a turkish sim in your english phone but you will probably find your phone locked if you are here for 9 weeks - so you won't be able to use it. If you are intending to visit Turkey a lot it would probably be worthwhile buying a basic Turkish cell phone - you can get one at the moment for about 80 ytl (around £40 at the moment). I hope you have a great time! |
I agree: DO NOT BRING TRAVELLERS CHEQUES as they are awkward. If you have a Cirrus,Mastercard or Visa sign on your card you will be able to use it in the many many ATMs available all over Turkey.
There is a solution to the telephone locking problem. When you come in to Turkey get your phone registered as you go through passport control and customs. Each person is allowed to register one foreign phone. It will then work for ever in Turkey. You just have to make sure you still have the phone with you to show when you leave the country.
This technological locking is to stop people stealing lots of phones abroad and bringing them in to Turkey to sell, or to stop people bringing a large number of phones in without paying import tax and then selling them.
Then you just buy a Turkish SIM card and putit in your existing phone.
|
|
| 8. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 03:03 pm |
|
Quoting lady in red:
You can put a turkish sim in your english phone but you will probably find your phone locked if you are here for 9 weeks - so you won't be able to use it. If you are intending to visit Turkey a lot it would probably be worthwhile buying a basic Turkish cell phone - you can get one at the moment for about 80 ytl (around £40 at the moment). I hope you have a great time! |
I saw on mymerhaba that if you buy a turkish phone over there then you have to register it and might have to wait up to 3 months to be able to use it, don't know if its true or not but would be a big pain if it is!
|
|
| 9. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 03:10 pm |
|
Quoting oceanmavi: Quoting lady in red:
You can put a turkish sim in your english phone but you will probably find your phone locked if you are here for 9 weeks - so you won't be able to use it. If you are intending to visit Turkey a lot it would probably be worthwhile buying a basic Turkish cell phone - you can get one at the moment for about 80 ytl (around £40 at the moment). I hope you have a great time! |
I saw on mymerhaba that if you buy a turkish phone over there then you have to register it and might have to wait up to 3 months to be able to use it, don't know if its true or not but would be a big pain if it is!
|
I bought a turkish cellphone just after we came here - It was registered for me when I bought it and I could use it straightaway. BTW I would disagree that it is better to phone than sms - phoning is quite expensive. With Turkcell it is 2 kontours (credits) for each sms. A 200 kontours card costs around 33 ytl + you get 50 free (so its really 250!)
|
|
| 10. |
06 Jan 2008 Sun 03:15 pm |
|
Quoting lady in red: Quoting oceanmavi: Quoting lady in red:
You can put a turkish sim in your english phone but you will probably find your phone locked if you are here for 9 weeks - so you won't be able to use it. If you are intending to visit Turkey a lot it would probably be worthwhile buying a basic Turkish cell phone - you can get one at the moment for about 80 ytl (around £40 at the moment). I hope you have a great time! |
I saw on mymerhaba that if you buy a turkish phone over there then you have to register it and might have to wait up to 3 months to be able to use it, don't know if its true or not but would be a big pain if it is!
|
I bought a turkish cellphone just after we came here - It was registered for me when I bought it and I could use it straightaway. BTW I would disagree that it is better to phone than sms - phoning is quite expensive. With Turkcell it is 2 kontours (credits) for each sms. A 200 kontours card costs around 33 ytl + you get 50 free (so its really 250!) |
LAdyinRed: your advice about calling, and the fact that a Turkish phone or SIM card can be used within 2 hours is spot on. I helped someone buy one last week, they just needed their passport for ID and it was all ready for use within about 2 hours of them leaving the shop.
Just, if you already have a phone, register it at the airport when you arrive. Phones in Turkey are more expensive than in many countries because of high import taxes and luxury goods taxes. My new Aussie friends that I helped get a phone were shocked that it cost them 144 Aussie dollars for a phone that in Aus was only 88 Aussie dollars.
|
|
|
