Russian tourists in Turkey acknowledge new problems with Mir cards

Disturbing news comes from Turkey – ATMs have stopped accepting cards of the Mir payment system, the Russians write. In chats, Russian tourists share information that many failed not only to pay with cards in stores, but also to withdraw cash from an ATM. We contacted people who live in Istanbul to verify this information.

The fact that the Russian Mir cards worked in Turkey every other time, we wrote a month ago. The banks that fell under the sanctions were doing very badly.

In the central hotels of Istanbul, Mir cards were also not accepted for payment, as well as cards from the Chinese UnionPay payment system. Most often, tourists paid in cash – lira, dollars or euros.

“I didn’t get my Mir card on Thursday, not a single ATM accepted it, although official information was not published anywhere,” the tourist shared in an Istanbul chat.

We contacted Andrey, who lives in Istanbul and constantly monitors the situation with banks.

– Until recently, five banks operated in Turkey, which were connected to the Mir payment system. Now the shop is closed. Last Friday in Turkey, Vakif Bank, which had been working properly all summer, suddenly stopped issuing funds. Apparently, they are no longer cooperating with Mir, it is not possible to withdraw money from their ATMs from any Russian card, – says Andrey. – Now only Ziraat and HalkBank ATMs work with sanctioned Russian banks.

The first one has a daily withdrawal limit of 2500 liras (8200 rubles), the second one has 7500 liras (24500 rubles).

Money from the Mir card of non-sanctioned banks can be withdrawn at two more banks – Turkiye IS Bank and DenizBank. Withdrawing cash is obtained with a plastic card with a chip, inserting the device into an ATM. Contactless withdrawal in Turkey does not work.

– Is it possible to pay with Mir cards somewhere?

– Since recently, you can hardly pay with cards of sanctioned banks anywhere – neither in shops, nor in restaurants. So far, it has been possible to pay with cards issued by banks that have not fallen under sanctions in single electronics stores, clothing stores, large supermarkets, and airports in Istanbul, Antalya, and Bodrum. But in the boutiques of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Valentino, Hermes, Burberry, Prada, Bvlgari, our cards are not accepted at all. You can pay in cash there if the purchase price is not more than 7,000 liras (23,000 rubles).

Are Russian tourists panicking?

– There is no panic. Most tourists are insured. We arrived with foreign cards or with UnionPay, which works almost everywhere, except for hotels and some shops. People stocked up on cash.

So far, if you wish, you can withdraw lira from the Mir card, you just have to spend more time searching for the right ATMs. And it must be remembered that if one ATM did not dispense cash, then do not give up, look for another one – this is a normal phenomenon for Turkey. But if there are a lot of ATMs in Istanbul, then it is more difficult with them in the resorts. There are fewer of them, and tourists empty them faster.

– Can rubles be exchanged in Turkey?

– Yes, but not everywhere. There are definitely such exchangers in the Aksakai district, in the Laleli quarter, where wholesalers trade. There you can find a money changer who will buy rubles from your hands. Exchange rate is not so favorable.

By the way, not so long ago, Russian tourists stopped opening accounts in Turkish banks, while at the beginning of summer, many travel agencies offered Russians services for issuing a bank card. Now only those who have issued a residence permit can get a card.