Istanbulkart: Where to Buy It, What It Costs, and How to Use It

You reach the metro gate in Istanbul with a pocket of cash, and the gate won't take it. An Istanbulkart is the reloadable card that pays for the metro, Marmaray, trams, funiculars, city buses, and ferries. Under the city tariff in force since July 20, 2026, a ride with the card costs 46.20 lira (about $0.93). A single-use ticket costs 65 lira ($1.30), and a tap with your bank card is priced the same way.

The blank card itself is a small one-time cost. At 165 lira, the April 2026 price, it pays for itself after about 9 rides. If you will ride less than that, tapping a bank card may be simpler. The harder part often comes later, when you need a route, a top-up, or an app login and your phone has no data.

Dollar amounts below use about 49.9 lira to $1, the rate on October 30, 2026. Fares come from the city tariff, last read on October 19, 2026. Check the screen at the machine, because fares change.

In short:

  • A ride costs 46.20 lira with the card, or 65 lira with a single-use ticket or a bank card.
  • Visitors pay full fare on every boarding. Transfer discounts and exit refunds are only for personalized cards tied to a Turkish ID number.
  • Buy the card at a Biletmatik machine. Local guides place them in the arrivals halls at both IST and SAW, and Metro Istanbul has them at its stations.
  • One card can pay for your whole group, and each tap costs a full fare.
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Where the Istanbulkart works

The same card covers nearly all city transport. Metro, trams, the historic Tünel funicular, the nostalgic tram on Istiklal Street, and IETT city buses share the regular fare. The metrobus, Marmaray, the M11 airport line, and the ferries also take it, but they have their own prices.

The tariff bans cash on rail, buses, and ferries. Children under 7 ride free, and from age 7 they pay. For routes and last boats on the water, see our Istanbul ferry guide.

How much rides cost

These are full fares with an anonymous Istanbulkart under the tariff in force since July 20, 2026.

TripIstanbulkartSingle-use ticket uses
Metro, tram, funicular, IETT bus46.20 lira ($0.93)1 ride
Metrobus, by distance33.08-68.59 lira ($0.66-$1.37)2 rides
Marmaray, by distance37.40-82.17 lira ($0.75-$1.65)3 rides
M11 from IST, by distance37.40-73.19 lira ($0.75-$1.47)3 rides
Ferry, Kadikoy to Eminonu65.21 lira ($1.31)2 rides
Ferry to the Princes' Islands151.23 lira ($3.03)4 rides
IETT buses H-1, H-2, H-3, H-6, H-8 to IST92.40 lira ($1.85)2 rides

Single-use tickets come in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 rides, at 65, 120, 185, 230, 275, and 530 lira. Even the 10-ride ticket works out to 53 lira ($1.06) a ride, which is more than the card.

Rail, buses, and ferries that run between 00:30 and 05:30 charge double, except the metrobus. Seven Metro Istanbul lines run all night into Saturday and Sunday, including M4 to Sabiha Gokcen.

Where to buy an Istanbulkart

You buy the card from a Biletmatik machine, and you top it up at the same machine. A local guide updated in April 2026 listed the blank card at 165 lira (about $3.30) and said the machines are in the arrivals halls at both airports. That price is from before the July fare rise. Read the amount on the screen before you pay, because a card you have bought can't be returned or swapped under the Belbim contract. Belbim is the company that issues the card.

Istanbul Airport (IST). The M11 metro station is inside the airport, and it has a currency exchange if you need lira in cash.

Sabiha Gokcen (SAW). The M4 station sits next to the airport, with an entrance from the terminal. The ride to Kadikoy takes 52 minutes. On the way you can change to Marmaray at Ayrilik Cesmesi or the metrobus at Unalan.

In the city. Machines stand at Metro Istanbul stations. The same April guide places them at Sultanahmet tram stop, at Taksim metro, and at the Tünel funicular. Belbim representatives and service points also sell cards.

How to top up and check the balance

You have three ways to add money:

  1. At a Biletmatik machine. The April 2026 guide says it takes cash or a credit card.
  2. At a Belbim representative or service point.
  3. Online, through the app or website.

Online top-ups don't reach the card right away. The money appears after you tap the card on a bus validator, a Biletmatik, a representative's terminal, or an NFC phone with the app.

To see your balance, hold the card to a Biletmatik or to an NFC phone with the app. Money stays on the card for 3 years after your last ride or top-up. After that, the card is closed and a fee of 2 lira a month applies, so you can keep it at home for your next trip.

If you lose an anonymous card, it can't be blocked, and the money can't be moved to a new one. Don't load more than you plan to use soon.

Anonymous or personalized card

The machine sells an anonymous card. It isn't tied to anyone, so whoever holds it can use it.

A personalized card is tied to one person. Belbim's rules ask for a Turkish ID number along with a phone number and email. Tariff rule 11 gives transfer discounts and exit refunds only to personalized cards with a TCKN or YKN, the two Turkish ID numbers.

For a visitor, that has two effects:

  • No transfer discount. Holders of those cards pay 34.40 lira for a second boarding within 120 minutes, 26.42 for a third, and 17.18 after that. You pay the full 46.20 lira each time.
  • No exit refund. On Marmaray, M11, and the metrobus, the gate takes the top fare for the line when you enter. An anonymous card doesn't get the difference back when you leave early.

Sharing one card and tourist passes

One anonymous card can pay for a group. Each tap at the gate takes one more full fare. The 30-minute wait between tap-ins in the tariff applies to discount cards and passes, not to the regular card.

The tariff also has tourist passes: 615 lira ($12.32) for 1 day and 30 rides, 1,380 lira ($27.65) for 3 days and 70 rides, and 4,000 lira ($80) for 7 days and 200 rides. Compared with 46.20 lira a ride, they pay off only at about 10 to 13 rides a day. Most sightseeing days use far fewer.

Paying with a bank card or your phone

The tariff lets you pay with a credit, debit, or prepaid bank card. You are charged like a single-use ticket: 65 lira on the metro, and 120 lira on a ferry, where a single ticket counts as 2 rides. Any foreign transaction fee from your US card comes on top.

Airport express HVL buses take an Istanbulkart, the QR code, or a bank card. HVL-9 from IST to Taksim costs 470 lira ($9.42). For lines and times, see our Havaist bus guide.

The official app, İstanbulkart - Dijital Hesabım, has an English option. It offers QR payment at the card fare and top-ups. Login uses a code sent to your phone, and Belbim's rules ask for a Turkish ID number. For a short visit, the machine and a plain card are the easier route.

M11 from Istanbul Airport with your card

From IST, trains toward the city run six stops to Gayrettepe. The gate takes the top fare for the line, 73.19 lira ($1.47), and an anonymous card doesn't get any of it back. At Gayrettepe, change to M2 for Taksim, three stops and another 46.20 lira. The total is about 119 lira ($2.39) per person.

A single-use ticket on M11 uses 3 rides, so a 3-ride ticket at 185 lira ($3.71) is gone at the first gate. With two people or more, buy the card first.

Get data before you land

The card works without a phone, but routes and online top-ups need data.

Free Wi-Fi at IST asks for a code by SMS or a passport scan at a kiosk. SAW gives one hour. Our Istanbul Airport SIM guide covers both.

A travel eSIM can be installed at home over Wi-Fi with a QR code. Days start with your first connection in Turkey, and your US number stays on as a second line. Our Turkey plans list Vodafone and Türk Telekom, On October 30, 2026, 3 GB for 30 days cost $7 and 5 GB for 30 days cost $9.50.

As a cautious guide, 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and rides, or 1.5 hours of video calls. You can add data to the same eSIM. Your phone must support eSIM and be unlocked, so check your phone first. If your US plan already covers Turkey with enough data, you don't need one. Our Turkey eSIM guide compares the options.

Questions

Where can I buy an Istanbulkart at the airport?

Look for a Biletmatik machine. A local guide updated in April 2026 places them in the arrivals halls at IST and SAW. The M4 station at SAW is run by Metro Istanbul, which sells cards at its stations.

How much is an Istanbulkart?

The blank card was listed at 165 lira (about $3.30) in April 2026, before the July fare rise, so check the screen. A ride costs 46.20 lira ($0.93). The card can't be returned.

Can two people share one Istanbulkart?

Yes. Each tap takes one full fare. There is no transfer discount on an anonymous card.

Can I just use my credit card?

Yes, the tariff allows it, but it is priced like a single-use ticket: 65 lira ($1.30) a ride on the metro, against 46.20 lira with the card.

Sources

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