Everything You Need to Know About İstanbul Card

With the developing technology, many things we use have left their place to smart devices. The era of buying tickets by paying to use public transport is in the past. One of the cards designed to benefit from public transportation vehicles is the İstanbul Card. The use of the card, which was created to provide transportation within the city, is no longer limited to public transportation vehicles. The scope and function of the Istanbul Card was rapidly developed. We have answered questions such as how to get an İstanbul Card and where it is valid.

What is İstanbul Card and What are its Types?

İstanbul Card rail systems are designed to provide access to public transportation vehicles such as sea and land vehicles. İstanbul is divided into types according to card features. However, in general, İstanbul Card; It is divided into two as anonymous and personal cards. Everyone can benefit from the subscription option, which is one of the card types we mentioned, but it should be noted that monthly subscription cannot be made with this card type.

The first of the İstanbul Card types we will talk about will be the Discounted Card. Both students and people over 60 can benefit from this card. Another type of İstanbul Card is the Free Card option. People who can obtain the Free Card can be listed as citizens over the age of 65, families of martyrs and veterans, yellow press card holders, national athletes, mothers with children under the age of 4, employees of organizations such as TURKSTAT and PTT. Blue Card, which is another option other than these cards, is the card that can be preferred by people who cannot use the discounted or free cards we mentioned. The last card type we will talk about will be the Limited Usage Card. There are different types of this card, such as BirGet and ÜÇGet. The Limited Usage Card is suitable for use by citizens residing in Istanbul who come to the city temporarily to visit.

How and Where to Buy İstanbul Card?

As there are different types of İstanbul Card, the documents required to have those cards vary. In order to obtain a non-personalized Anonymous Card, purchases can be made from kiosks or vending machines without the need for a special procedure.

In order to have a Discounted Card, there are some documents that students and citizens over the age of 60 need to prepare. Educational documents, ID cards and passport photos taken within the last six months are required to indicate that students are currently studying. For citizens over the age of 60, passport photos and IDs taken within the last six months are sufficient for them to have a card. The same formalities apply to those who want to get a Blue Card. In other words, those who want to have a Blue Card will also need to apply with their passport photos and identity documents. In addition to the physical application, you can also apply online to get any of the cards you need. You can apply online via the Istanbul Card website. When your transactions are approved as a result of your application, the ready card will be delivered to you via PTT.

How to Load Money to İstanbul Card?

When your Istanbul Card money runs out, there are many channel options to top up. We can roughly divide these options into physical and online transactions. First of all, if we talk about the physical balance loading process, BELBİM vending machines that are connected to IMM can be used. Apart from this, you can also use the kiosks, markets and smart bus stops to top up your balance. For online money loading, you can download the Istanbul Card mobile application available on IOS and Android phones. You can top up with the mobile branches of the banks or you can benefit from the Fastpay application.

When you download the Istanbul Card mobile application, you will be able to loading money and query how much money left in your card. After downloading the mobile application, you can adapt your İstanbul Card to the mobile system by entering your 16-digit card number on the front of your card into the system.

What is İstanbul Card Visa Process and How Is It Done?

The more understandable name of the Istanbul Card visa process is the update process. The visa process, which is one of the İstanbul Card transactions within the scope of BELBİM affiliated with IMM, includes updating the card once a year. The purpose of this process is to reactivate the visa after the visa period defined on the card expires. It is carried out to benefit from the tariffs of the visa card. The user is informed with a notification 15 days before the visa expires. You can easily make your İstanbul Card visa process through Biletmatiks. After placing your card in the reader section of the ticket machine, you need to mark the visa section. The visa process will be completed within 10 seconds.

For this transaction, a decrease may occur from the existing balance on your card, or you may be asked to load the balance. For this, the system will ask you for confirmation during the process. After you approve the payment, your visa processing will be completed.

Where is Istanbul Card Valid?

We mentioned that the first design purpose of the Istanbul Card was the use of public transportation by citizens. However, as we mentioned, the usage area of the card has become much more than just transportation. Well, let's see where you can use the Istanbul Card other than transportation;

- Toilets connected to IMM

- Hamidiye water vending machines

- Ispark Car Parks

- Social facilities affiliated to IMM

- City beach entrances

- In Migros, Şok, Bim and A101 markets