Which roaming to choose in Turkey: review of tariff plans

Travel Tariffs

This operator has a special offer for those who travel not only within Russia, but also abroad. The most favorable Beeline tariff in roaming is “All for 1800 + roaming”. For 1800 rub. per day you receive:

• 15 GB of Internet traffic, valid throughout Russia, the CIS, Europe and popular countries.
• 3000 min. for calls in your home region and traveling around the country.
• 3000 SMS under the same conditions.
• Free inboxes in your own and other regions.

Calls and messages to Beeline on the tariff for traveling abroad are provided under the conditions (described below).

Please note: you can switch to the tariff from your personal account on the Beeline website, from the mobile application of this operator and by calling the number 0674002017. The switch is free.

You can find out how to find out your balance in different ways by following the link.

Turkish mobile operators

Turkish providers offer visitors convenient rates for regular communication, Internet surfing, and watching movies. Current operators: Vodafone, Avea, Turkcell.

Mobile operators in Turkey

Vodafone

The 2G network covers the entire country (excluding desert areas and the mountainous east), 3G – large and medium-sized settlements, 4G – large cities.

Vodafone is notable for having the largest number of weekly and monthly internet packages on offer. The options are:

• 10 liras – 1 GB for a week (activation via SMS to number 3636 with the text 1GB HAFTALIK);
• 16 – 1 GB for a month (ABONE SUPER 1GB);
• 22 – 2 GB per month (ABONE SUPER 2GB);
• 40 – 4 GB (ABONE DEVAM 4GB);
• 50 – 6 GB (ABONE 3AY6GB);
• 80 – 12 GB for a 3-month period (ABONE 3AY12GB).

Vodafone communication salon

The cost of the card is 70 liras (50 bonus liras are credited to the account).

The balance is checked by dialing *123#.

Vodafone offers a “Passes” program, which provides unlimited use of social networks for a certain period of time. It is activated by sending the word HAFTALIK (to receive a weekly service) and PASS (monthly) to number 7000.

Turkcell

Leading operator in Turkey. The 2G network operates on 99% of the territory, 3G – 95%, 4G covers all major settlements.

A card with a basic package valid for a week will cost 50 liras. It includes 20 liras on your balance, 500 minutes of on-net calls (international calls are not provided), 1000 SMS, 2 GB of traffic. The minimum cost for updating the package is 27 liras.

If you wish, you can add Internet traffic for a month:

• 1 GB – 12 liras (type the message TANISMA 1GB, send to number 2222);
• 4 GB – 44 (ABONE 4GB);
• 8 GB – 70 (ABONE 8GB).

Avea

The operator is popular due to its provision of good communications (including 4G) in all provinces of the country and the relatively low cost of services. The cost of a SIM card is 70 liras. The package includes 20 liras on the account, 4 GB of traffic. Domestic calls are cheap, but it is not very profitable to call from Turkey to the Russian Federation.

Monthly Internet traffic costs:

• 15 lira – 0.5 GB;
• 19 – 1 GB;
• 29 – 2 GB.

Turk Telecom

Packages are activated by code to number 5555:

• 1 GB per week – 9 liras (code HAFTA1);
• 10 GB per week – 25 liras (code HAFTA10GB);
• 1 GB per month – 19 liras (code AYLIK 1GB);
• There are also packages of 2,3,4,4,5 and 10 GB, which can be called with the codes “AYLIK*GB” (insert a number instead of a star) - up to 6 GB and “3AY10GB” - for 10 GB. The cost of the most expensive package is 59 liras .

Option Unlimited Internet in roaming

Unlimited traffic in more than 100 countries around the world. The first 100 MB per day - at maximum speed, then, until the next day - at speeds up to 128 Kbps.

• Connection - 110*20171#, disconnection - 110*20170#.
• The option is already built into the tariffs of the “EVERYTHING”, “Everything”, “Anlim”, “Zero Doubts” and “Absolutely EVERYTHING” line.
• Speed ​​extension: 300 MB - *110*122#, 600 RUR/package; 50 MB - *110*121#, 150 rub./package.
• Subscription fee - 350 rubles / day, connection - free. The fee is charged only if you go online. If you don’t use the network abroad, you don’t pay anything.
• Valid in the CIS and all popular countries.

You can also manage the option for roaming abroad in Beeline from your personal account on the official website and through the mobile application of this operator. The procedure for connecting to roaming is here.

More for the Internet

Beeline roaming services when traveling abroad:

• Internet notification while roaming. The system will notify you if you spend more than the established amount on mobile Internet. The limit for prepaid tariffs is 2000 rubles, for postpaid tariffs – 30000 rubles. The service is provided free of charge, there is no subscription fee.

Activate - *110*1471#, deactivate - *110*1470#.

Which option is better for a tourist?

Before choosing a Turkish SIM card, you should think about what you need to purchase. Using the services of Turkish mobile operators is beneficial only if you stay in a foreign country for a long time. There is no particular price advantage for communications and the Internet over Russian roaming. When you come to relax for a week or two, you shouldn’t bother with getting a SIM card, because the procedure will take a lot of time.

If you still need to buy a SIM card, then of the three Turkish providers Vodafone is preferable. It offers optimal conditions for calls on local and international lines, and favorable Internet in Turkey.

The second most profitable provider is Avea. Recommended for subscribers who constantly use the Internet. Tariffing for internal calls is carried out according to the principle: the more money in the account, the less the call costs. But international calls are expensive (up to 50 liras per minute call).

Turkcell is the least profitable. To make a call, you will have to shell out a decent amount of money. Telephone calls and SMS are more expensive than with Russian roaming.

The tourist decides which mobile connection to use while vacationing in Turkey, focusing on personal needs and financial capabilities. Some vacationers value conversations and SMS messages, while others value Internet access. Turkish providers set prices for their services that are not much different from Russian roaming. Therefore, when coming for a short vacation, it is better to use roaming than to apply for a Turkish SIM.

Calls, SMS and Internet abroad

Here we will tell you a little about what the “Beeline Most Profitable Roaming” option is, follow the link for a detailed description of it and how to disable it.

Table with conditions for traveling in the CIS countries, Europe, and other popular countries:

This service will help you save significantly on Beeline roaming communications abroad.

Minutes and megabytes not spent on the current day are not transferred to the next day as part of this service.

For unpopular countries the conditions are different. Packages are not provided, tariffs are per minute and per gigabyte (exception in the footnote). Price table:

*In Tanzania, Morocco, Tunisia, China and Argentina, Beeline subscribers receive a traffic package of 40 MB per day for 200 rubles. (the next day, when you go online, a new package is activated, and 200 rubles are withdrawn from your account). Once the tariff is exhausted, 1 MB costs 5 rubles.

How to enable Beeline foreign roaming: by default, the service is enabled for all subscribers of the operator. It is automatically activated the first time you access the network or make a call (incoming or outgoing) while outside of Russia. If you do not use the Internet - you have turned it off, for example, and do not make calls - the packages are not activated, and no fee is charged for them.

And here is information on how to activate roaming in Russia.

Exotic countries

The service is not valid in their territories; while in their territories, Beeline subscribers use communication services under the following conditions:

• Outgoing and incoming calls – 200 rub./min.
• Outgoing messages (SMS) – 30 rub.
• Internet traffic – 15 rub. / 20 KB.

Bonus! “Everywhere is like home” - how to activate the service, read the article at the link.

Rules for using mobile communications for tourists

10 nuances and questions about mobile communications in Turkey that you need to know about before purchasing a SIM card:

• Mobile operators.
  There are three main mobile operators in Turkey: TurkTelekom, TurkCell, Vodafone and several small (virtual) operators.
• Limitation on the validity period of the SIM card.
  It is important to know! The SIM card will be active for up to 90 days. This is due to the fact that tourists can legally stay in Turkey for a maximum of 90 days, after which you must either leave the country or receive a residence permit.
• Documents for obtaining a telephone number.
  To purchase you will need a passport
• Payment for communication services.
  The easiest way for tourists to pay for communications is through operator branches in stores and shopping centers.
  I advise you to purchase a package tariff plan
  , because in this case the Internet and phone calls will be much cheaper.
• Internet.
  Mobile Internet in Turkey often works much better than landline Internet. You will need it to navigate around the country, to view what fines you have, to book hotels, etc.

Important to remember! Any SIM card purchased for a foreign passport will be active for up to 90 days and a phone number will be included with it; after this period, you can simply throw it away.

As you can see, buying a SIM card is not difficult, but that’s not all, let’s continue...

• What to do when visiting the country again.
  Since the cards only work for 90 days, be prepared for the fact that when you visit the country again, you will have to buy a SIM card again, and this is a fact; if more time has passed, it will be deactivated. For this reason, you should not leave your phone number to everyone, because it is temporary. And purchasing a new card is an additional expense, approximately 100 liras or 1050 rubles.
• Blocking a cell phone during a long stay in the country.
  Keep in mind that phones purchased outside of Turkey will simply stop working after 120 days if you do not pay the tax on the imported phone. Here we are not talking about a telephone number, but about a device. This is due to the fact that initially mobile phones in Turkey are a little more expensive.

Keep in mind that from January 1, 2021, the tax on an imported phone is 1838 Turkish lira, which is approximately equal to 19115.2 rubles or $315. For a dual-SIM device, the tax is more expensive.

To register your imported phone, you will need to obtain a tax number in Turkey.

• The process of choosing a tariff and the difficulties of communicating with sellers.
  Be prepared for the fact that at points of sale, not all employees are well versed in their own tariff plans; in addition, not all of them speak Russian or even English.
  As you understand, mobile communications are quite specific and have many technical aspects that are quite difficult to figure out without knowing the language. Another life hack is related to the purchase of the SIM card itself, if it suddenly happens that the seller speaks only Turkish and he does not understand other languages, then just tell him yeni sim-card (new SIM card) and it will be in your pocket!
• Mobile phone theft.
  In Turkey, it is not customary to steal mobile phones; theft in general is quite rare. What to do if your mobile phone is stolen? It's simple: you need to immediately contact the police, because the likelihood that your phone will be found is quite high.
• Is there an alternative to the major telecom operators?
  Yes, I have. In this article I will tell you about another little-known BIM operator (SIM cards of which can be easily purchased at any BIM network store)
• Do not buy a SIM card at the airport , as you know, everything costs more there than in the city!
• Eliminate minutes and SMS from your data plan to save money. Almost every telecom operator has a tariff plan in which you can increase, for example, Gigabytes, which is more important for a tourist and at the same time there is no extra charge, i.e. no minutes, no SMS. Try to explain when purchasing a card and perhaps you will be connected to a more favorable tariff at the moment!

More for calls: Per-minute charging in international roaming

If you do not have a Beeline tariff for traveling abroad, you can use per-minute billing for incoming and outgoing calls.

• Cost – 30 rubles/min. not incoming and outgoing abroad. There are no subscription or connection fees.
• Activation - *110*201#, deactivation - *110*201#.

Available on both prepaid and postpaid Beeline tariffs when roaming abroad (we described the tariff and connection to services above).