Turkey Travel eSIM
Plans

Compare Turkey eSIM Plans

Prices are in Australian dollars and convert automatically if you shop in another currency. All three plans are eSIMs delivered by email as a QR code, and all three support hotspot.

Which Turkey eSIM Should I Choose?

Two to four weeks, data only: the Turkey & Europe data eSIM

The Turkey & Europe Prepaid Travel eSIM Card is the plan built around Turkey. The 10GB Data (30 Days) plan is A$25.90 and suits maps, messaging, ride apps and photo uploads on a two-week trip. The 20GB Data (30 Days) plan is A$39.90 and gives more room for video calls, hotspot use and a longer route from Istanbul to Cappadocia and down to the coast. There is no ID check and no phone number. When the high-speed allowance is used, data continues at 128Kbps, so messaging keeps working.

A week or less: the Europe & UK data eSIM

For a short stopover or a long weekend in Istanbul, the Europe & UK data eSIM comes in 7-day sizes: 5GB (7 Days) for A$9.90 and 10GB (7 Days) for A$13.90. It is a Europe-wide Three plan that roams on Turkcell in Turkey, and its product page carries the same install-before-arrival notice for Turkey. Like the plan above it is data only, needs no ID, and slows to 128Kbps after the allowance.

You need to make calls: the Vodafone eSIM

The Turkey & Europe Prepaid Travel eSIM – Vodafone adds voice. The 26GB Data (28 Days) plan is A$47.90 with 100 minutes of calls, and the 40GB Data (28 Days) plan is A$61.90 with 200 minutes. It comes with a Spanish +34 phone number and can receive incoming international calls. The product page describes the 26GB minutes as calls within Spain and the EU and the 40GB minutes as calls within Spain, Europe and Turkey, so pick the 40GB plan if you expect to ring Turkish numbers. SMS is not included, calls to your home country are not included, and a passport is required for registration.

Turkey Network Coverage: Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom

Turkey has three national mobile operators: Turkcell, Vodafone Turkey and Türk Telekom. Here is what our plans use. The Turkey & Europe data eSIM is a roaming plan that connects to Turkcell, Türk Telekom or Vodafone in Turkey, whichever partner network is available where you are. The Europe & UK data eSIM is a Three plan that roams on Turkcell in Turkey. The Vodafone eSIM is a Vodafone plan with a Spanish number that roams in Turkey. None of the three is a local Turkish plan with a Turkish number.

In Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya you can expect strong 4G coverage in the city, at the airports and on the main metro, tram and ferry routes. Along the Aegean and Mediterranean coast, resort towns such as Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye, Kaş and Alanya are well covered, as are the highways between them. In Cappadocia, signal is reliable in Göreme, Ürgüp, Uçhisar and Avanos and can fade in the deeper valleys and inside cave rooms carved into the rock, where hotel Wi-Fi is often the better option. Expect gaps on mountain roads in the east, on stretches of the Lycian Way, and offshore on boat trips once you are out of sight of land.

Travelling Beyond Turkey?

All three plans are multi-country. The Turkey & Europe data eSIM covers Turkey plus the EU countries on its list, the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. The Vodafone eSIM covers 37 countries including Turkey, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Kosovo, Monaco and the Vatican. That makes the common add-ons simple: a ferry from Bodrum to Kos or from Marmaris to Rhodes, a flight on to Athens, or an overland route from Istanbul into Bulgaria and Greece all stay on the same eSIM.

Countries outside those lists, including Turkey's eastern neighbours, are not covered. See the full range of Europe eSIM plans and our Turkey & Europe collection for other combinations, or global eSIMs for a wider itinerary.

How It Works

1. Buy online. Choose a plan and check out. The QR code is sent by email. For the Turkey & Europe data eSIM and the Vodafone eSIM, allow up to 24 hours; for the Europe & UK data eSIM, orders placed after 1 AM AEST are sent from 9 AM AEST. Buy a few days ahead so the QR code is in your inbox before you fly.
2. Install on Wi-Fi before you fly. Scan the QR code at home or at your departure airport. This is the step not to leave for later: Turkey has introduced local restrictions that may block the installation or download of eSIM profiles on Turkish mobile networks and Wi-Fi. Installing a data eSIM early does not use up your plan, because validity starts on the first network connection in a covered country. The Europe & UK data eSIM must be installed and used within 90 days of purchase. The Vodafone eSIM works differently: you submit your arrival date and its product page says to install on arrival, so contact us before you travel to confirm the timing for a Turkey trip.
3. Land and connect. Select the travel eSIM for mobile data and switch on data roaming for that line. It connects to a supported Turkish network automatically. The Turkey & Europe eSIM user guide has screen-by-screen steps, and Turkey eSIM Regulations: What Travellers Must Know explains the install rule.

If something does not connect, our Melbourne-based support team is available 16 hours a day by live chat and email.

Turkey eSIM vs Roaming on Your Home Plan

Roaming on your home plan is the easiest option to switch on and the hardest to budget. Many carriers charge a fee for each day you use the phone abroad, so the cost grows with the length of the trip, and Turkey is not always in the same roaming zone as the EU on home plans. A prepaid travel eSIM is one upfront price for a fixed amount of data and a fixed number of days, with no contract.

The other alternative is a local SIM bought at the airport or in town. That means queuing with your passport for registration, and phones brought from abroad that use a Turkish SIM for a longer stay have to be registered with the authorities. A travel eSIM avoids both because it is a roaming plan, and your home SIM stays in the phone for incoming calls and bank verification texts. Keep data roaming switched off on the home line and let the eSIM carry the data.

Tips for Using an eSIM in Turkey

• Install before you board. Check that the eSIM shows in your phone's mobile settings before you leave for the airport. Do not delete it once installed, as a QR code cannot be reissued.
• Transit through Europe with care. A data eSIM activates on its first connection in any covered country. If you change planes in an EU airport on the way, keep the eSIM line switched off until you reach Turkey.
• Get around Istanbul. Trams, metro, Marmaray trains and Bosphorus ferries use the Istanbulkart, and map apps with live data make the transfers between them much easier. Taxi apps such as BiTaksi need a data connection.
• Stay reachable in Cappadocia. Hot-air balloon flights depend on the morning wind, and operators usually confirm or reschedule by message before dawn. Keep mobile data on overnight.
• Download offline maps for the coast. Save the area before driving the coast road between Fethiye and Kaş or walking sections of the Lycian Way, where signal comes and goes.
• Use apps for calls. On the data-only plans, WhatsApp and similar apps handle calls and messages, and many hotels, guides and transfer drivers in Turkey use WhatsApp.
• Watch your allowance when tethering. Hotspot is supported on all three plans and shared data counts against your allowance.

Turkey eSIM FAQs