Turkish Lira

A question about : Turkish Lira

Hi All,

1st of all, apologies if this thread is anywhere else but I haven't been able to find it.

I am going to Turkey in June and can't decide on the best way for taking spending money.

Looking at MSE, the Halifax Clarity CC is a good option but there is no guarantee of getting the credit limit you require and you can only use 50% of your limit for cash so doesn't really work for me.

Prepaid cards - There doesn't seem to be any with the option for Lira, I know this is available in Euros but again I would prefer Lira.

Cash - I don't really like the idea of transferring Ј2000 into Lira for obvious reasons.

Are there any other suggestions/options out there that I'm missing? What have you guys done when travelling to Turkey?

Thanks in advance
Robert

Best answers:

• I had a week in Turkey in January. I took Lira notes with me, admittedly not as much as Ј2k though. Almost everywhere we went took Euros too.
• Looking at various websites of questionable age, going with Ј50 preconverted & at least one GBP Ј10 note per person 'for visa' then drawing money at banks & changing those at resorts (& even in markets) seem to be recommended.
  Euros and US dollars can all be changed locally & "although Turkey has no black market, foreign currencies are readily accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants in many tourist areas."
  Just do not carry wads of cash. Anywhere. Ever.
  Apparently travellers cheques are considered hassle (shock!) so interrogate your bank on it's foreign charges.
  Have a great time, & do try a real Turkish bath. You come out 'way more limber than when you went in!
• I always just draw money out of ATMs. Yes you lose a bit on the exchange, but prices are very cheap anyway and that way you don't run the risk of having loads of money on you. I think there are special cards you can get where you don't pay fees.