N26 Turkey
Last year, I wrote the most comprehensive N26 bank review on the Internet, which has since been read by tens of thousands of travelers, digital nomads and online banking enthusiasts from every corner of the world.
Yet as all-encompassing as it is, I’ve had plenty of Turkish readers asking me questions specific to how to use N26.
So here, I want to clear up a few misunderstandings for any Turkish users joining N26, and also demonstrate why N26 is probably a better banking option for you than other online banks like Revolut, Monzo, Curve and Simple.
What Is N26?
N26 is an online-only bank designed for digital nomads, frequent travelers and anyone else who appreciates simplicity, great design and the lowest possible fees from their bank.
For example, my N26 account saves me thousands of Euros every year from the free worldwide ATM withdrawals, the best exchange rates on the planet (due to their partnership with TransferWise) and a remarkable travel insurance plan—all of which is included with my card.
It’s why I wrote a 3,000-word N26 bank review last year detailing my experience. That review covers all of their products in-depth, including N26 Black, N26 Metal, CASH26, INVEST26 and more.
It will also show you the exact time it makes sense for you to upgrade to N26 Black, and how to make the most of all the perks—perks like flight delay insurance, mobile phone insurance and travel cancellation insurance—that come with it.
And did I mention nearly all of these perks, plus plenty more, come absolutely free?
Benefits Of N26- Free ATM withdrawals worldwide. No matter where you are in the world, N26 will never charge you any fee for withdrawing cash from an ATM (unlike most banks, which charge $2-10 per foreign ATM withdrawal). If you’re on N26’s free plan, you’ll pay a 1.7% currency conversion fee on top of the mid-market rate, which is better than what nearly any other consumer bank provides.
- Real-time transaction notifications. Whenever money goes in or out of your account, whether it’s a transfer you’ve initiated or a pre-authorized payment, you’ll get a notification.
- Transaction categories. Every transaction is assigned a category like “Bars & Restaurants” or “Travel & Holidays” so you can easily keep track of your spending.
- PIN resets. Resetting your PIN at any time is as simple as logging into the app and changing it. No calling N26, no trips to the ATM, etc etc. 30 seconds and it’s done.
- Locking your card. Just like resetting your PIN, locking your card (to make it unusable for a period of time) is as simple as logging in and pressing the button. Unlocking it is just as easy.
- Payments abroad, online payments and cash withdrawals. For your security, you can toggle these on and off at any time.
- Spending and withdrawal limits. Another security feature that you can choose and change in the app at any time.
Is N26 available in Turkey? As you can see here, you can open an N26 account from any of the following countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and the United States. For example, I'm Canadian, but I signed up for N26 as soon as I moved to Berlin. If you live in one of the countries above AND are a citizen of one of the 164 countries below, you can sign up for N26: Yes! As I demonstrate in my original N26 bank review, you get free ATM withdrawals worldwide with your N26 Black card, which includes ATMs in Turkey. If you don’t have N26 Black and are on N26’s free plan, you pay a 1.7% fee on the total withdrawal amount. To show you what I mean, here’s a screenshot showing the recent withdrawal of 7,220 Thai baht that I made from an ATM in Bangkok, alongside the real exchange rate from xe.com. Remember: any time you withdraw cash or make a foreign currency transaction with N26, you pay the mid-market rate and not a penny more. N26 You and N26 Metal comes with an impressive travel and medical insurance plan to keep you safe and secure on the road. It's not quite as comprehensive as the SafetyWing insurance plan, which we highly recommend combining with your N26 membership, but it does cover a lot: N26’s fee structure is eight pages long and pretty dense, so here’s the important stuff: N26 Metal includes all of the benefits of N26 Black listed above, plus dedicated (priority) customer support and, of course, the metal card itself. I recently wrote a 2,000-word N26 Metal review that goes deep into N26's super-premium card. N26 Metal also comes with a growing number of exclusive partner offers and benefits, which rival the benefits of much more expensive premium credit cards like the American Express Platinum. These benefits include: N26 Metal currently costs €16.90/month. With its impressive insurance policy, fee-free foreign cash withdrawals, and the app’s ease of use, I really couldn’t be happier as a member of N26 You. It’s made banking a lot easier and cheaper for me, and has solved a lot of the messy problems I had before (ie. expensive and vague travel/medical insurance policies, plus spending nearly $100/month on hidden ATM and currency exchange fees). And you don't even need an N26 promo code to get started (Spoiler: N26 promo codes have gone extinct). To sign up, you just need to provide standard personal information (name, date of birth, etc.) and a valid ID or passport. Once you’ve signed up, verified your ID in the app and paired your smartphone (it takes 8 minutes total), they’ll send you your free MasterCard in the mail. Mine took just 2 days to arrive, and it comes in a pretty sleek package. Comment below if you have questions about N26 and I’ll do what I can to answer them, or you can also reach N26’s support team via their app or website. Get $30 off your next online purchase at 3,500+ stores. Only with Rakuten. Want to save $30 on your next online purchase? Rakuten gives you cashback on the purchases you're already making. From Amazon to Nike and every retailer in between, millions of users save $450+ per year just by installing the Rakuten app or browser extension.
Can I withdraw money for free with my N26 card when I’m in Turkey?
What insurance comes with N26 You and N26 Metal?
How much does N26 cost?
N26 Metal
How To Sign Up For N26
It says “N26 isn’t available yet in Turkey” 🙁
Hi Zeynep – sorry to hear that you weren’t able to open your N26 account. As we mention above, you can open an N26 account as a Turkish citizen, but in order to receive your N26 card you need to be in one of Germany, Austria, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Finland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece, Slovakia, the UK, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, or the United States. Unfortunately, N26 doesn’t ship cards to Turkey yet.
Hello, it seems I cannot send money from my N26 account to a Turkish bank account via IBAN.. Can you confirm this?
Hi Ayse, you’re right that you cannot send money directly from N26 to a Turkish account using the IBAN alone. I generally send money from my N26 account to my Turkish Ziraat account using TransferWise. The fees are extremely low, and I’ve used for 5+ years with no troubles at all.
Unfortunately the information given here regarding the fees is not accurate.
For ATM money withdrawal in Turkey (with N26 card), there is a fee from 4% to 8% of the amount.
Maybe it is not taken by N26, but it is taken…
Hi Dana, as someone who has spent the past 3 years living in Istanbul, I can say with certainty that you just need to withdraw cash from the ING ATMs, not from Garanti’s or other banks’ ATMs, because those banks charge fees (it’s not N26 charging fees but the Turkish banks). If you withdraw from ING ATMs and select “No” when you’re given the option to have your currency converted, you won’t pay any fees at all. I’ve been doing this for years and it’s always worked flawlessly for me. I hope this helps!
so basically you are saying I should withdraw EURO and not TL?
Thanks very much!! 🙂
Not exactly – you should be withdrawing Turkish lira.
Hallo,
Seit ein paar Tagen bin ich in der Türkei, ich benutze eine türkische SIM-Karte, die ich am Flughafen gekauft und gewechselt habe, seit gibt es ständig Fehler, ab und zu mal geht es dann wieder nicht, hängt es mit der Sim Karte zusammen oder eher, dass ich in der Türkei bin.
MfG melo