7 best UK-issued prepaid travel cards for Turkey

Planning a sun-soaked week or two in Turkey? Before you can hit the beaches, you’ll need to work out the best way to cover your summer holiday spending.

Spending outside the UK using your ordinary debit card can be expensive.So, you might want to consider a prepaid travel card instead.

In this guide, we’ll compare the best prepaid travel cards for Turkey that are currently available in the UK. This includes fees, features, exchange rates and everything else you need to know.

We’ll also show you an alternative, the Wise debit card. It’s designed for low-cost spending in Turkey (and elsewhere), automatically converting your pounds to the local currency at a fair mid-market exchange rate.

Learn more about the Wise debit card

What is a prepaid travel card?

A prepaid travel card is a debit card which you ‘load’ with your chosen currency before you travel. So for a week-long holiday in Turkey for example, you might load up however much you want to spend in Turkish lira (or euros - depending what currencies the card supports).

Then, you can use the card like an ordinary debit card once you’re abroad, on everything from dining to shopping.

A great thing about prepaid travel cards is the certainty they offer over costs. You know the exact exchange rate and fee when you load the card, so there’s no risk of getting ripped off by ATM operators or overseas currency exchange services.

They can also help you to manage your budget, as you can only spend what you’ve preloaded.

What makes for a great prepaid travel card for Turkey?

Before you start to compare prepaid travel cards, you’ll need to know what key features to look out for.

For spending in Turkey, you should look for a card that has:

• No initial or monthly fees
• No top-up fees
• No foreign ATM fees
• Generous maximum load amounts (this is the most you can load or hold on the card at once)
• Good exchange rates, with low or no extra fees added on top
• Support for multiple currencies - if you’ll be travelling to other destinations as part of your trip, or later in the year.

You should also look for cards that support Turkish lira (TRY). As we’ll see from our list, not all of them do. Although in major cities and tourist areas in Turkey, you can also spend in euros.

So ideally, a card that lets you preload both EUR and TRY is the one to go for.

What are the disadvantages of prepaid travel cards?

Prepaid travel cards do have a few potential downsides, so it’s worth considering these before getting one. For example:

• Some prepaid cards come with lots of fees attached. This includes foreign ATM charges, fees for loading the card with currency, and inactivity charges.
• You can’t use them for some pre-authorised transactions, such as car hire or hotel room bookings.
• Lack of Section 75 protection on purchases over £100 - this is the purchase protection you get when spending on credit cards.¹⁴

📖 Read more: The best UK bank accounts for travelling and travel insurance

The 7 best prepaid travel cards for Turkey

Now, let’s dive into our list of the best prepaid travel cards for Turkey? To give you the broadest choice, we’ve included cards that support both TRY and EUR, and cards that only let you spend in EUR.

But don’t forget that there are alternatives out there too. Get a Wise debit card and you can spend and withdraw cash abroad, including in Turkey and Europe.

The Wise debit card also offers a world of travel-friendly features such as:

• Have your GBP automatically converted to TRY at the mid-market exchange rate, whenever you spend. There’s just a small fee* to convert the currency
• No foreign transaction fees
• Withdraw up to £200 from overseas ATMs for free (although ATM operators may charge their own fees)
• Manage everything from the handy Wise app.

You can also use your Wise account to send money worldwide in just a few clicks. You’ll get the mid-market exchange rate and low fees*, so your money will go much further.

1: Post Office Travel Money Card - Best for multiple currencies¹

The Post Office Travel Money Card lets you load and spend up to 22 currencies, all using the same card. Importantly, this includes both Turkish lira and euros.

You just need to create a new virtual wallet for each currency you want to use. This makes it ideal for multi-destination trips, as well as giving you the option to pay in both EUR and TRY while in Turkey.

Pros:

• Holds up to 22 currencies, including both EUR and TRY
• No charges for spending abroad (in a preloaded currency)
• Use with Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Hold up to £10,000 at once
• Maximum top-up limit £5,000.

Cons:

• ATM fees apply (varies by currency)
• 1.5% commission charge for GBP top-ups
• Low daily cash withdrawal limit of €450 (varies by currency)
• Monthly £2 inactivity fee chargeable 12 months after card expires

The card uses First Rate exchange rates, which are competitive but are likely to include a margin on top of the mid-market rate.

The Post Office Travel mobile app offers an easy way to manage your card, including letting you freeze your card if it’s lost or stolen (or between trips).

2: EasyFX Currency Card - Best for cash withdrawals

The EasyFX Currency card charges absolutely no fees for ATM withdrawals overseas. What’s more, there’s a generous daily limit of up to £1,000 a day.²

So, you can take out cash when you need to, just make sure to watch out for ATM operator fees.

You will be limited to just euros though, as this card doesn’t support Turkish lira.

Pros: ²

• No fees for spending overseas (in a preloaded currency)
• No foreign ATM withdrawal fees
• No load fees
• Generous maximum ATM withdrawal of £1,000 a day (max. £500 per withdrawal)
• In-app card security, including temporary card blocking.
• Supports 14 currencies.³
• Hold up to £15,000 at once.

Cons: ²

• £2 monthly inactivity fee if not used for 12 months
• £6 card replacement fee
• No support for Turkish lira.

The provider offers competitive foreign exchange rates when you preload your card. These rates are likely to beat some others on our list (depending on the currency).⁴ However, these might still be a little short of mid-market exchange rates.

3: Caxton Currency Card - Best for travel perks

The Caxton Currency Card comes with lots of extra travel benefits, alongside the other features you’d expect from a prepaid travel card.

This includes 25% off airport lounge access, 20% off airport parking, discounted Covid-19 tests and many perks.⁵

Just like with the previous card on our list though, the Caxton card doesn’t support Turkish lira - only euros.

Pros: ⁶

• No fees for overseas spending
• No fees for foreign ATM withdrawals
• UK-based customer support available 365 days a year
• Load up to 15 currencies
• Hold up to £12,000¹⁵
• Travel perks including discounted airport lounge access and airport parking.

Cons:

• Low daily cash withdrawal limit of £300⁷
• £2 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months of no use.⁶
• No support for Turkish lira.

The Caxton Currency Card app lets you top up while you’re away, and access useful security features such as freezing/unfreezing your card.

When you load a balance onto your card, your pounds will be converted using Caxton’s own exchange rate. You can check this on the Caxton website, and in the app before you load the card.

4: FairFX Currency Card - Best for longer trips

The FairFX Currency Card has the highest maximum load limit of all the prepaid travel cards on our list. You can hold up to £50,000 on the card at once.⁸

Although unfortunately, its list of supported currencies doesn’t include Turkish lira. So, you’ll need to spend in euros in Turkey where accepted.

Thanks to this high load limit, the card is a good choice for longer trips. You can simply preload and enjoy your trip, without having to worry about constantly topping up or exchanging currency.

Pros: ⁹

• Supports 15 currencies
• Use in over 190 countries
• 3.5% cashback when spending at selected retailers in the UK
• No foreign transaction fees
• No load fees
• Hold up to £50,000
• Competitive exchange rates
• High ATM withdrawal limit of £1,500 a day (£500 a time).⁸

Cons: ⁹

• £1 fee for ATM withdrawals overseas and in the UK
• £2 monthly inactivity fee on expired cards with leftover balances.
• No support for Turkish lira.

You can manage your card through the FairFX app, which lets you review transactions and pause your card if you lose it.

5: ASDA Travel Money Card - Best for spending in Lira

The ASDA Travel Money Card lets you load Turkish Lira, Euros and 13 other currencies. This, along with its mainly fee-free features, makes the card a great all-round pick for spending in Turkey, Europe and beyond.

Pros: ¹⁰

• Load up to 15 currencies, including euros and Turkish lira
• No foreign ATM withdrawal fees - withdraw up to £500 a day¹⁰
• No fees for spending overseas (in a preloaded currency)
• No load fees for foreign currency
• 24/7 global assistance
• No credit check to apply
• No inactivity fee if there’s no balance on the card.¹¹

Cons: ¹¹

• 2% fee for loading GBP
• Can only hold £5,000 at once.

ASDA Money applies its own exchange rate when you load the card with foreign currency.

6: Sainsburys Travel Card - Best for Nectar card holders¹²

Have a Nectar card? Sign up for the Sainsburys Travel Card and you may be able to benefit from preferential exchange rates.

The card also has promotional offers for Nectar customers. This includes a bonus 500 points when you get the Sainsbury’s Travel Card and enter your Nectar account number (promotion available at the time of writing).

And here’s some more good news - the Sainsbury’s card supports both euros and Turkish lira.

Pros:

• Load up to 15 currencies, including euros and Turkish lira
• Manage your card using the Sainsbury’s Bank travel money card app
• No foreign ATM withdrawal fees - withdraw up to £500 every 24 hours
• No fees for spending abroad (in preloaded currencies)
• No load fees for foreign currency.

Cons:

• 2% load fee for GBP
• £2 monthly fee after 18 months of inactivity
• Hold a maximum of just £5,000 at once.

7: Travelex Travel Money Card - Best for regular top-ups¹³

Lastly, we have the Travelex Travel Money Card. It’s a good option for spending on the go and covering unexpected costs. This is because it has no fees for loading up your card with currency.

What’s more, it lets you load up with both Turkish lira and euros.

Pros:

• Supports 15 currencies, including euros and Turkish lira.
• No foreign ATM withdrawal fees - withdraw up to £500 a day
• No fees for spending overseas (in preloaded currencies)
• Extra travel benefits such as free Wi-Fi worldwide
• Manage your card through the Travelex Money app
• 24/7 assistance if your card is lost or stolen.

Cons:

• 2% fee for GBP loads
• £2 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months
• Only hold a maximum of £5,000 on the card at once.

When you load your card with currency, you’ll get Travelex exchange rates. These will be available in the Travelex Money app at the time of loading.

The best prepaid travel cards for Europe comparison

Card name	Hold amount	ATM fees	Cash withdrawal limit	Currencies
Post Office Travel Money Card	Up to £10,000	Yes - varies by currency	£300 daily*	22 inc. Turkish lira
EasyFX Currency Card	Up to £15,000	No	£1,000 daily	14
Caxton Currency Card	Up to £12,000	No	£300 daily	15
FairFX Currency Card	Up to £50,000	Yes - £1 per withdrawal	£1,500 daily	15
ASDA Travel Money Card	Up to £5,000	No	£500 daily	15 inc. Turkish lira
Sainsburys Travel Card	Up to £5,000	No	£500 daily	15 inc. Turkish lira
Travelex Travel Money Card	Up to £5,000	No	£500 daily	15 inc. Turkish lira

*varies by currency

📖 Read more: UK travel credit cards you can use abroad

FAQ

What is the difference between a prepaid card and a travel card?

Prepaid cards require you to load the card up with your chosen currency (or currencies) in advance, then you can spend the balance. Travel cards usually let you just spend without having to preload, and the currency will be converted to the local currency as you do so.

Are prepaid Turkish lira travel cards worth it?

Prepaid travel cards are a good option for avoiding expensive bank fees for spending abroad. They also have security benefits, including keeping your travel money separate from your bank account. You’ll just need to watch out for any extra or hidden fees.

Is it cheaper to use cash or card in Turkey?

You’ll need to compare the costs of changing currency before you travel, with the exchange rates and fees for spending or ATM withdrawals on a particular card.

Can you use euros in Turkey?

Yes, you can use euros in Turkey, but not everywhere. Euros are likely to be accepted in major cities and tourist areas, but in some places only Turkish lira will be accepted.

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And that’s it - our rundown of the best prepaid travel cards for Turkey, including fees, limits, features and much more. After reading this, you should be all set to choose the right prepaid travel card for your trip.

Just remember that there are other options out there for your travel spending.

You can use a Wise debit card abroad, including in Turkey, for spending without needing to top up your card in the local currency (as long as you have funds available in your account).

Best of all, your money is automatically converted at the mid-market exchange rate, which can beat the rates offered by many of the cards on our list. There’s just a tiny conversion fee* to pay, or no conversion fee at all if you already have the local currency in your Wise account.

Register with Wise today

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Sources used:

1. Post Office - Travel Money Card
2. EasyFX - Card fees
3. EasyFX - FAQs
4. EasyFX - Rates
5. Caxton - Travel Extras
6. Caxton - Currency Card
7. Caxton - Support - What are the maximum number of ATM withdrawals I can make on my Caxton Card?
8. FairFX - Support - What are the balance and spending limits on the FairFX Card?
9. FairFX - Currency Card
10. ASDA Money - Travel Money Card
11. ASDA Money - Travel Money Card fees and limits
12. Sainsburys Bank - Prepaid Travel Money Card
13. Travelex - Travel Money Card
14. Financial Ombudsman - Section 75 and chargeback
15. Caxton - Caxton Mastercard prepaid card terms and conditions

Sources last checked on date: 17-Jul-2023