I hope this post is in the right place. I searched high and low and couldn't find anything related.

When I started work I opened a standard everyday account with Finansbank. A few months later I applied for a credit card with them. Several weeks after making the application and speaking to various customer service people they decided to inform me that I am not eligible for a credit card with their great bank because I am a foreigner. You think they would have know that when they asked me for a copy of my passport!

So, off I go to Citibank. Through work, a colleague had a contact and called him. He arranged for an agent to come and do the paperwork in my office. Given my salary she told me I was able to apply for a gold card with a limit of YTL 5,000. One month later in the mail I get a standard credit card with a limit of YTL 500. Now lets be real. Who has a limit of YTL 500? It doesn't even have a chip it in and I have to produce ID everytime I use it.

After weeks of calls and emails to the guy at Citi I cannot get a response and I am totally livid . I need a damn credit card with a decent limit in order to take care of my finances in this country instead of Australia.

Has anyone had a positive experience with a Turkish bank in applying for and getting a cc?

FF

Akbank all the way. No probs. and a limit of 10,000 YTL from day one. I think it has something to do with your employer vouching for you though.

Yes. I think that's true. Is Bank have been fine with me, although it took a while to bump up the limit. (and I've never heard anything good about Citi in this area. Lots of complaints, in fact.)

I've been fine with HSBC - no problem with the limit either. They asked my salary (verbally) and gave me a limit accordingly.

Thanks everyone. Very helpful. I just called Akbank and they said to go to the branch and fill the application. So I'm going to give them a try.

My employer did vouch for me the first time around with Finans and Citi applications, but that hasn't helped. Maybe give a recent pay rise Akbank will give in for my need to spend!

Spine- wish I had have known about Citi before. I think I will close my accounts with them once I get a cc from someone else. What a big waste of time..

I'll post about my success or lack thereof after my Akbank application.

We used to have Citi as a corporate account and it was absolutley rubbish, however it may not be the banks fault it may be the people who work for them in Turkey as we also use Citi in other countries and have no issues.
Ii have Garanti ( i know we have some EITers that hate Garanti) but i've had no problems with them and a very high limit, on my card, they've also been very protective esspecially when someone tries to copy/ take money off it, which occasionally happens when i'm travelling but as Garanti have eyes on it i've not faced any issues.

I'm also happy with Garanti (best of a bad bunch) but am just in the process of getting an Akbank 'Wings' card so I can sit in the massage chairs and eat little sarnies in their lounge at Ataturk.

bc good you mentioned that as it reminded that IsBank and HSBC have lounges at the airport free to use if you have a credit card from one of them. The food seems to be provided by the same company to all of the lounges but I prefer the view from the HSBC lounge that lets you people watch (also HSBC lounge has free malt whisky and other drinks and I'm not sure if the others do.)

Sounds like good perks with Akbank, Is and HSBC for the traveller. Can you have any old credit card or does it have to be gold/silver etc? Can you still use the louge if you hold a cattle class ticket?

Thanks
FF

with HSBC the type of card determines the number of guests you can sign in (I think). With gold (and economy ticket) I am able to sign in 2 (edit: website says one, although I signed in two???) other people. As far as I remember they don't look at your ticket (although I may be wrong).

All in all a fairly shitty answer to your question, sorry!

No, not a shitty answer Seggiest, at least I have an idea of what you can get with an HSBC card and at least I don't have to fly first or business. I can just check with the bank what the requirements are I guess...

http://www.ataturkairport.com/1_f.php?id=134

some info in Turkish about the various lounges

and the advantage lounge website

http://www.advantage.com.tr/farki_yasa/ ... lounge.asp

I'm interested to see that at least one of you has managed to get a credit card out of Garanti Bank. I've been with them
since 1999 and have a "second" card guaranteed by a friend (Turkish), so that only he can talk to Them about the card, limits, queries etc.
I have been asking for a card in my own name for a long time and they continue to say that I can, provided I deposit cash with them, which they will hold in case I flee the country - which as a foreigner, I'm likely to do at any time, apparently. Is this necessary for you too? Does it hold at Akbank and HSBC also? I'm more than happy to move my account to Akbank if I can get a card, with a decent credit limit - 500TL isn't going to do it for me either! Do I have to have an account at Akbank before I can get a credit card?
Any advice about prising a card out of Garanti, which would be the easiest option at the moment?
This has been driving me crazy for ages

born2b

Time to switch banks. An account since 1999, and they're still holding you to that old policy of keeping a deposit in case you take off. That used to be a common practice, but it is know quite easy to get a credit card without such strong arming. Of course credit limits may be vary.

I suggest its time for a change.

[quote user="seggiest" post="112372"]bc good you mentioned that as it reminded that IsBank and HSBC have lounges at the airport free to use if you have a credit card from one of them. The food seems to be provided by the same company to all of the lounges but I prefer the view from the HSBC lounge that lets you people watch (also HSBC lounge has free malt whisky and other drinks and I'm not sure if the others do.)[/quote]

I specifically mentioned Wings because they have a lounge in the domestic terminal which I consider more beneficial/necessary than international as I'm usually otherwise engaged in duty free and you're not forced to sit at 're-mortgage your house' North Shieds because the other cafes are so crap. I'm sure I've been signed in to the HSBC/Advantage lounge on a bog standard card in international though.