Hostels in Turkey accept cards?

Just travelled Turkey for 3 weeks and stayed in a mix of hostels and pensions. In Istanbul and Bodrum, cards worked more oftenespecially Visa and Mastercardbut in places like Cappadocia and smaller villages, it was a different story. One hostel in Uçhisar straight up told me they “only accept cash from foreigners.” It wasn’t hostile or anything, just common practice. I made sure to keep a mix of payment options ready at all times.

In Antalya and Fethiye, I found that cards were accepted at about half the hostels I stayed inbut not always reliably. At the hostel in Kaleiçi, their card terminal was down for “maintenance” when I checked out, so I had to rush to withdraw cash. Lesson learned: always ask ahead and carry at least 1-2 nights’ worth of cash just in case the machines are down or offline.

I was travelling through Izmir and Selçuk earlier this year, and almost every hostel I stayed at asked for cash. One of them accepted cards but had connection issues and asked me to walk to a Ziraat ATM down the street. In more rural areas and coastal towns, it’s definitely safer to carry Turkish lira. Even hostels that list card acceptance online sometimes change that policy when you check in.

Most of the hostels I stayed at in Istanbul and Göreme accepted cards, but they always preferred cash. At Cheers Hostel near Sultanahmet, they charged a 3% fee for using a foreign card, so I just paid in lira. One guy at the desk said their POS machine “didn’t always work,” which seemed like a polite nudge toward cash. If you book online through sites like Hostelworld, card is fine, but in-person payment is often cash-first.

Just finished a backpacking trip in Turkey. Card acceptance breaks down like this:

Istanbul/Cappadocia: 90% take cards

Coastal towns (Bodrum, Fethiye): 70% take cards

Eastern cities (Trabzon, Van): Cash only at most places
Always ask about deposits - many hostels want 100-200 TL cash even if you paid by card. Laundry and tours are almost always cash transactions.

In my experience:

- Chain hostels (Cheers, Hostelworld partners) take cards

- Family-run hostels often prefer cash

- All hostels accept cards for online bookings

- None accept cards for small purchases under 100 TL
I keep 500 TL in mixed bills and use my Revolut card for everything else. The only place that refused cards entirely was a small hostel in Pamukkale.

I work at a hostel in Sultanahmet. We take cards for bookings but require 50 TL cash deposit for room keys (refundable at checkout). Many smaller hostels do this to avoid card disputes. Laundry machines are almost always coin-operated (5-10 TL coins). Pro tip: Ask about payment methods when booking - newer hostels are more likely to be fully cashless.

Most hostels in Istanbul and tourist areas like Cappadocia accept cards for room payments, but I've stayed at three different hostels this month that required cash for everything else - laundry, tours, even drinking water. One hostel in Antalya had a card minimum of 500 TL for room charges. Always carry at least 200-300 TL in small bills just in case.