Last updated: 28 June 2023
Maybe you’re planning a visit to Istanbul soon and you’re looking at the different options to remain connected during your trip or maybe you’re standing in the arrivals hall right now wondering about buying a SIM card in Turkey? Well, either way, you’ve come to the right place because I’m going to take you through the options to make sure you get all the answers you need.
** If you’re standing at Istanbul airport at this very moment and just need to know which SIM card we recommend then click here for our SIM card recommendation **
May 2019 Update – Just one thing to keep in mind is that when we visited Istanbul at the end of 2018, the main Istanbul airport was Ataturk, the new İstanbul Havalimanı had not opened yet. As of April 2019, Ataturk airport was closed for commercial flights. This means that the locations of the SIM card providers in this post may not be located in the same locations as written however all other information remains relevant. More updates to follow.
The Good News
The good news is that buying a SIM card in Istanbul is nice and easy and you can get everything sorted right in the airport! This means you won’t need to spend precious time running all over the city trying to find a shop which has SIM card options.
The Network Providers – 3 Choices
Once you enter the arrivals hall, there are three network providers available to buy your SIM card; Vodafone, Turk Telekom, and Turkcell. The Vodafone stand is located to your right the moment you walk out into the arrival hall, Turkcell is located straight ahead and to the left, and Turk Telekom is located to the left side of the hall.
Get Connected Before You Land
If you’d rather acquire a SIM card before landing in Istanbul, there are options.
Order a Prepaid SIM Card for Turkey online and have it shipped to you before you leave. That way, you’re ready for your trip and connected the second you land.
The Smart Traveler+ option is perfect for mid-heavy data users. This option is a data only package, meaning it does not include any call & SMS functionality. To get around this we’d recommend you use data based options to make calls, like Skype, even WhatsApp.
The SIM Card Deals
The first thing to keep in mind is that the Turkish SIM cards are definitely not as cheap as you’d expect, especially when compared to Latvia and Poland, but there are plenty of options available so you’re going to find something to suit your needs during your trip.
The length of your visit to Turkey will determine what type of SIM card you need and the types of inclusions you require. Some of the other considerations to have a think about include;
- Do you need the ability to make local calls? This can be helpful for dinner reservations or calling to check if a restaurant or attraction is open?
- Will you need the ability to send SMS or will Whatsapp suffice?
- Is data/internet the most important function to you? Is it just you using it or do you plan on using a mobile hotspot to other devices? It’s always better to have too much internet than not enough
Vodafone
The Vodafone SIM card is advertised pretty heavily on the sides of the barriers as you wait in the immigration line and is the first network provider you see when you walk through the arrivals hall so it is likely to be one of the most popular network providers.
Here’s a breakdown of the SIM card offers available;
- 120 TL – 100 min local calls, 1GB internet (£18)
- 250 TL – 750 min local calls, 250 local SMS, 7GB internet (£37)
- 320 TL – 750 min local calls, 250 local SMS, 7GB internet, 120 min international calls (£47)
- 330 TL – 1000 min local calls, 1000 local SMS, 11GB internet (£49)
- 380 TL – 1000 min local calls, 1000 local SMS, 17GB internet (£56)
- 430 TL – 1000 min local calls, 60 min international calls, 17GB internet (£64)
- 450 TL – 1000 min local calls, 1000 local SMS, 22GB internet, 25 min international calls (£67)
Data Only
- 380 TL – 17GB (£56)
- 440 TL – 27GB (£65)
- 500 TL – 37GB (£74)
- 560 TL – 47GB (£83)
- 620 TL – 57GB (£92)
- 680 TL – 67GB (£101)
Our recommendation: If you’re staying for a full week to ten days then we’d recommend the 250 TL offer providing 750 min local calls, 250 local SMS, 7GB internet (£37)
Turkcell
During our visit this is the stand which had the most amount of staff members, not that many of them seemed particularly happy to be there. We approached the counter and spoke with a member it the team who pointed at a nearby sign displaying the SIM card prices. There was a choice of either the 8GB or the 15GB, we enquired about the 6GB option and told bluntly that it wasn’t available.
Our recommendation: If you’re a heavy user of data/internet and don’t need any local calls or SMS then we’d recommend the 8GB deal for either a short stay or a week-long stay because it’s a good allowance for the price of 190 TL (£28)
Turk Telekom
This is the SIM card we purchased during our 24 hours layover in Istanbul because we were after a relatively small amount of data and anything larger seemed a waste of money. We opted for the the 2GB deal for 190 TL (£28) which served us perfectly well during our visit and we used it a lot (including as a mobile hotspot across multiple devices). Total amount used during our layover was just under 1GB.
Note: it is important to note that the cost of the Turk Telekom 2GB SIM card that we paid was 190 TL (£28), the same price as the 8GB deal from Turkcell. We waited for a long time, approx 25 min, to be served by an apathetic member of the Turk Telekom team and whilst he was able to get our SIM card working, I can’t exactly say I would go back again. On our next visit to Istanbul, we will be going with the 8GB deal from Turkcell.
Here are the deals available from the Turk Telekom stand, which are only available for cash only so we recommend having some Turkish Lira on you before visiting the stand. All SIM card offers available from Turk Telekom include 500 min local calls, 500 local SMS, and last for 30 days. The main difference is the amount of included data, outlined below;
Important Tip
You may have noticed that there’s a bit of a difference between what we ACTUALLY paid for our Turkcell SIM card (190 TL – £28) and what was advertised on the card above (100 TL £15). And what is comes down to is that I didn’t pay attention to the card when the sales person simply said it was 190 TL and I handed over the cash! What I should have done is checked the quoted price against what was advertised and questioned it.
This is proof that no matter how long you travel for, you should always know what the advertised price is before you hand over the money. I will definitely keep this in mind for next time, and strongly suggest you do the same to ensure you pay the correct price. Hope this helps.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things about buying a SIM card in Istanbul airport is that it’s relatively quick and easy and means that you can get connected not long after arriving in Turkey! There are deals to suit all budgets and all data requirements so choose the one that’s right for you.
Two final tips: Firstly, make sure you have cash available because not all will take card payments. Secondly, aside from cash, you’ll need identification to secure a SIM card in Turkey. As you’re in the airport, you should have your passport on hand.
Happy travels!!
Great post as well as thoughtful replies by the writers. Like one of the posts, we will also be continuing from Istanbul to Cappadocio and Izmir/Kusadasi. I second Roma’s answer about investigating the coverage maps to choose the best network. Or easier yet, contact your rental host or hotel staff at the location that will be most challenged for coverage (on our itinerary it’s likely to be Cappadocio, as all networks are going to work in the big cities). My Airbnb host in Goreme recommended Turkcell. For European travel, I pop in a EE SIM chip from the UK that I’ve managed to keep active and linked to my US-issued credit card since 2015, but the reciprocal no-roaming within the EU nations may force me to get a different one if/when Brexit occurs. And of course no SIM chip from an EU member comes with a reciprocity agreement in Turkey. For a first-timer to swapping SIM chips on an iPhone, be sure to have the special tool as most paper clips are too large for the hole, and you won’t be in a SIM store when you want to swap back to your original chip on the flight home. Few phones are locked anymore so that’s rarely an issue.
Thanks Mark for providing such useful information 🙂
Can I use the SIM (DATA ONLY) all over Turkey.? I will be travelling to Izmir and Cappadocia too.
That definitely depends on coverage of whichever provider you choose to go with. I recommend you check coverage maps for each Telco before purchasing to ensure you get the coverage you need when you’re outside the major cities.
The Information was helpful especially for those who will be travelling to Istanbul for the 2019 UEFA Sper Cup. I need to keep myself online since I will be live streaming. Am used to Pocket Wifis but the provider I have been using is a little bit slow. Do you have any options for me. I have tried searching online only to bump on Skyroam and rent n Connect anyone who have had their experience in Instabul
Hi, Makokha. We are really happy to hear that you found our SIM card post helpful. Have you considered using a local SIM card and then using the mobile hotspot option on your phone to be able to connect other devices instead of the Pocket WiFi? Please let us know if you need any extra help ok?
Great helpThanks
Thanks for the informative post. Do you know if any of these service providers and/or SIMS can be used elsewhere in Europe without large data roaming charges? EG Vodafone. We will be travelling across Europe to the UK starting in Istanbul and are hoping to get one SIM card to cover the whole journey.
Thanks Paul. Not that I’m aware of – at least in terms of a SIM card from Istanbul. If it was me, I’d be inclined to pick up a SIM when I got to an EU member state as there are no roaming charges in the EU – it just depends where you’re headed noting that some, but not all, countries on the continent are in the EU. If you have a list, I can indicate, or simply Google “EU Members” for the list.
Thank you so much! Very helpful. What happens at the end of the trip? Do you go to the booth to have it removed? I\\\’ve never used a SIM card in my travels as I have TMobile and never needed to have additional coverage. Thanks!
Thanks Monica for the comment, thrilled to hear you’re heading to Turkey. The SIM card is relatively easy to remove from your phone, instructions really depend on the make/model of your device. You can swap the SIM cards back yourself. Assuming your phone takes only one SIM (some phones take two) then you will need to remove the Turkish SIM to then replace it with your TMobile SIM. If you’re not confident in doing this, the same kiosk should be able to assist.
If you need more information, do hit reply and let us know, reach out via your preferred social platform or email us, the address can be found on our Contact page: https://www.roamingrequired.com/contact/
Thank you for your advice, we are travelling next week and only just found out we’d be flying to the new airport. Luckily, the car hire company have managed to swap our booking. We are travelling with 2 small people so we need to be more prepared for things now…
Fingers crossed you have a smooth journey Damelza 🙂
Thank you.. I am visiting in April 2019 and this info is very helpful.
Oh that’s great news! I’m thrilled to hear that the SIM card information was helpful, Cindy. How long are you planning to stay? Also, are you planning on taking the train from the airport into Istanbul? If so, you can pick up a reloadable train card from the machines in the terminal. Quickest and easiest way to get into the city centre.
Hi russell – is there a train from the new airport to the city? My research suggests that the only public conveyance is a Bus.
Hi, Ajay
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. At the moment the best way to get from the new airport is one of the express buses to a metro station and then connect directly into the city. A good option is a bus to Taksim and then take the M2. Hope this helps. Russell
Hi, thanks so much for the informative review, it really helps travelers. You paid 190TL for 2GB of data at Turk Telekom, yet the price at the Turk Telekom stand reads 2GB for 100TL, is this because you paid by credit card? And, what sort of data speed where you able to get via the Turk Telekom network ? Would it be fast enough to upload say, 10MB-15MB individual pictures to my Google account? Paying 130TL cash for 9GB at Turk Telekom sounds alot cheaper than paying 190TL for 8GB at Turk Cell, do you think that, thats a better idea? The reason I ask, is because i am a data power user, I always backup my photos and short videos clips. I would’t mind paying 200TL cash for 24GB at Turk Telekom if its actually worth it, I’ve looked at The, “rent it” options like TEP and others and think that prepaid is still just less of a hassle. And finally, how long in terms of days does Turk Cell Allow a user to use the 8GB of data before it expires? I will be in Istanbul for 12 Days. I hope that you have many more wonderful, exciting a fulfilling trips to Istanbul.
Hi, Rahul. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comprehensive message for us, it’s very much appreciated. You raise a good point about the difference in the cost and I believe that a was mistake on my part when I didn’t double check the cost when the sales assistant told me the price. Always ensure that the price told matches what is advertised.
In terms of your questions, I did not encounter any issues with my local SIM card and used it freely during our visit. I didn’t back up my data using it (I did that at the hotel) however I can’t see any issues if we were to do that over a mobile network at night. I would suggest checking out if you need 9GB of data and to check about the coverage of Turk Telekom and make sure coverage is available for you. I would be interested in testing them next time we visit Turkey. Most of the prepaid SIM cards are valid for 30 days so you shouldn’t have any issues over your 12 days visit. Please let us know how you go with your visit to Turkey 👍