Survival Guide - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 748

Money
Turkey's currency is the Türk Lirası (Turkish lira; " ). The lira comes in notes of five, 10,
20, 50, 100 and 200, and coins of one, five, 10, 25 and 50 kuruş and one lira.
After decades of rampant inflation, the lira is now stable. Because hyperinflation led to
Turkish lira having strings of zeros, many people, confusingly, still work in thousands and
millions. Don't be alarmed if you're buying items worth, say, " 6 and the shopkeeper asks
you for " 6,000,000.
Lack of change is a constant problem; try to keep a supply of coins and small notes for
minor payments.
ATMS
ATMs dispense Turkish lira, and occasionally euros and US dollars, to Visa, MasterCard,
Cirrus and Maestro card holders. Machines are found in most towns.
It's possible to get around Turkey using only ATMs if you draw out money in the towns
to tide you through the villages that don't have them. Also keep some cash in reserve for
the inevitable day when the machine throws a wobbly.
CREDIT CARDS
Both Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted by hotels, shops and restaurants, although
often not by pensions and local restaurants outside the main tourist areas. You can also get
cash advances on these cards. Amex is less commonly accepted outside top-end establish-
ments. Inform your credit-card provider of your travel plans; otherwise, transactions may
be stopped, as credit-card fraud does happen in Turkey.
FOREIGN CURRENCIES
Euros and US dollars are the most readily accepted foreign currencies. Foreign currencies
are accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants in many tourist areas, and taxi drivers will
take them for big journeys.