Using ATM's

[Kimmyg]

Hi All

A quick question regarding using the ATM's in Kalkan to withdraw sterling. I've seen an article highlighting which machines have that facility, I just wondered if anybody new if all the mainstream banks in the uk allow you to use an ATM in turkey without charge, albeit you're taking out sterling, not lira?

Many thanks



Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=13338.0

[Kalkan regular]

Why not ask your bank if you would have charges for withdrawing sterling in Turkey.

[mel]

Im with Nationwide and they don't charge for withdrawing ££'s but some banks do.

[kalkan4eva]

We're with First Direct, a branch of HSBC and they do charge for withdrawing sterling outside of the UK... so check with your bank. Also, if you don't regularly use ATM's abroad best to let your bank know anyway, as they often put a stop on cards if they see "unusual activity".

[Sezkalkan]

Yes, as above, we are with First Direct and have been charged before! 

[baclava]

My UK bank is Barclays and I have never been charged for withdrawals at the HSBC machine in Kalkan.

[Charlie]

I have a Nationwide Flex Account card and I have never been charged for withdrawing sterling from an ATM in Kalkan.

[alantj]

A couple of years ago, I was stung by the Natwest for nearly £100 worth of charges and commissions during two weeks in Kalkan.

Doing a bit of research back home I could not believe how complicated the banks what should be a very simple transaction. There are several types of fees when you use cards abroad.

The:
           - visible charge which you can see on your receipt and statement
           - exchange rate commission charge of 1-3% which is not usually shown
           - the base exchange rate used, either MasterCard or Visa depending on your card issuer.
             eg today
                 MasterCard (used by the Clarity card) is showing an excellent rate of   4.24
                 Visa (used by Nationwide) is showing a less excellent but very precise 4.1651444782 
           - local charge if you use a non Link ATM
           - Card charge for using a non Link ATM (e.g. 2% for most Nationwide cards)

To cut a long story short, I changed to the Clarity card based on a recommendation in a newspaper article as it used the MasterCard exchange rate and has no other charges.

There were a couple of other similar cards but I cannot remember what they were. You could get an updated recommendation from the comparison sites.   
                 

[Kalkan regular]

We use ATM's all the time and we have visited Kalkan three times a year for many years. There have been various warnings over the years however about scams at the ATM's, as you get in the UK also.

My advice is to try to use them attached to a bank and use it when the bank is open so you can go in if there's a problem (my cousin's card once got swallowed by the machine on a Saturday and we were leaving on the Monday at 9am) and also tricksters are less likely to operate then. If the bank's closed make sure there's no one 'loitering' to 'help' you when you use the ATM.

10 years ago our credit card was cloned and the fraud people at the bank thought it was likely to have happened in Turkey as we'd only used the new card once in the UK for an online purchase. We had used it a lot in Kalkan, Kas & Fethiye as we had been buying furniture and household goods. Since then we tend to use our card carefully at the ATM then pay cash unless it's for a large amount. If we use our card anywhere we never let it out of our sight. One of the fraud staff's questions was had our card been out of our sight or had anyone ever 'dropped' our card when we'd handed it over (a gismo under their trousers evidently will record the info and then they watch the pin entered).

[Blue Lizard]

Sound advice......... it's easy to get into holiday mode and think everyone's your friend

[Oxfordblue]

Maybe I'm being really thick, never been to Turkey before... But why would you want £??

Surely everything is priced and paid in TL?

[DRBD]

Think its called exchange rates.

[Charlie]

Oxford Blue I like many lift my money out in sterling as it is free to do so using my Nationwide Flexi Account card.I then change it to lira in either the bank or one of the shops. If I withdrew my money from the ATM in Turkish lira I would be charged a fee for doing so, therefore this way works for me.  Alternatively if you have a Nationwide Flex Plus account you can withdraw foreign currency at no additional charge.  Best check with your bank what is best for you to do.

[Anne]

I used to be able to withdraw sterling free from my UK HSBC account using the HSBC ATM in Kalkan but now they have  taken it  out I will have to use one of the other ones,  HSBC told me they wouldn't charge but the bank whose ATM is was might charge, does anyone know if any of the banks in Kalkan do impose a local charge if you use their ATM?

[kalkan4eva]

The "non sterling transaction fee" which I am charged for withdrawing...erm sterling...is made by HSBC, not the Turkish Bank. I am a First Direct customer and when I queried the charge they said it's a 2% transaction charge across the board to all HSBC customers who are taking out money abroad - if I had taken Turkish lira directly from the ATM I would have had an additional commission charge. This applies whether I use an HSBC ATM or not as we always used the one in Fethiye before there was one in Kalkan. You've been lucky to get it free before now Anne if this is their current policy.
We very rarely used the HSBC ATM in Kalkan as we heard so many people had problems with it - perhaps they took it out for that reason.

[Lucy Lou]

I'm surprised to hear that kalkan4eva, sounds more like your bank charged not HSBC.  In June I used my Nationwide debit card (not an account that gives free use abroad for foreign currency) to withdraw sterling from HSBC & Akbank (the stand alone in town) ATMs & had no charges from either of them or Nationwide.  I'd checked prior & Nationwide had said even if abroad if sterling withdrawn no charges.

Previously I'd withdrawn cash on Halifax Clarity credit card from Is, Garanti or HSBC (both sterling & lira) & never been charged.  To minimise interest I pay it off online almost immediately.

Anne I've not been online last couple of days but last week KTLN updated their article on this issue.  Have a look there.

Good Luck,
Lucy Lou

[Lizilu20]

Sorry guys but I'm confused. Is there an ATM in Kalkan that gives you the option of withdrawing sterling as we were stung in April by bank charges for lira.
I thought I saw HSBC but a post above said that its been removed?

[amber]

I am a HSBC customer both in the UK and Turkey so a bit fed up that the HSBC machine was carted off on the back of a big lorry recently and a machine from another bank replaced it.
Previously I have been able to withdraw sterling from that machine and from Garanti machine also.The Garanti bank machine has recently been upgraded and no longer has a sterling option.
There is a fairly new bank in Kalkan called TEB,near Yali Supermarket and I have now found I can use my UK HSBC card to withdraw sterling with no charge - hooray!

[Lizilu20]

Thanks Amber 

[Golden Oldies]

Used our Santander 123 debit card to withdraw sterling from the Is bank and paid no fees. However we used our Lloyds debit card and were charged 2%.