Cheapest Way to Call Turkey from the UK
Every option compared honestly — access numbers, WhatsApp, VoIP apps and eSIMs. The right answer depends on your situation, so we cover all of them.
All Your Options at a Glance
There is no single best way to call Turkey from the UK — it depends on whether both ends have internet, whether you're on a landline or mobile, and how often you call. Here is an honest comparison of every option.
| Method | Typical Cost | Needs Internet | Best For | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Free | Both ends | Regular callers with WiFi on both sides | Best if both online |
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Coming soon | No | UK landline callers, elderly relatives with no smartphone | 🔔 Notify me |
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~1–3p/min | UK end only | UK mobile callers, no app needed on other end | Best for UK mobiles |
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Free / low | Both ends | If your contact already uses the same app | Good if app matches |
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From £3 | For data calls | Travelling to Turkey | Travel only |
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Standard UK Mobile
EE / O2 / Vodafone — international direct dial
|
50p–£1.50/min | No | Emergency calls only | Avoid — very expensive |
💡 The most important caveat on WhatsApp: it is genuinely free — but only works if the person you are calling also has a good internet connection. For calling elderly relatives or anyone without reliable WiFi or data, you need a paid option.
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Calling from Your UK Mobile
Your standard mobile network will charge 50p–£1.50 per minute for international calls to Turkey. Here are the two options that actually make sense.
Rebtel
The key advantage over WhatsApp: the person you're calling doesn't need a smartphone, internet connection, or any app. Rebtel routes your call over the internet on your end but delivers it as a normal phone call at the Turkey end. Rates from around 1–3p per minute.
WhatsApp (Free — with a caveat)
Completely free if the person you're calling has WhatsApp and a reliable internet connection. That caveat matters — if they have unreliable WiFi or data, call quality suffers. Best for regular calls to people you know are online.
Used Skype to call Turkey?
Microsoft shut Skype down in May 2025. The best direct replacement for calling Turkey landlines and mobiles is Rebtel — same principle, no account needed. For free app-to-app calls, WhatsApp is the natural replacement.
Also Need to Send Money to Turkey?
Many people calling Turkey from the UK also send money home regularly. Your high street bank is typically the worst way to do it — most add a hidden margin of 3–5% on top of the exchange rate before charging a transfer fee. These two services are consistently cheaper.
Wise
Uses the real mid-market exchange rate — the same one you see on Google — with a small transparent fee shown upfront before you send. No hidden margin buried in the exchange rate. Used by over 16 million people worldwide.
Remitly
Built specifically for diaspora remittances — very popular for UK–Turkey transfers. Competitive exchange rates with an on-time delivery guarantee: if your transfer is late, they refund the fee. Supports bank deposit, cash pickup and mobile wallet.
💡 Compare both before sending — rates shift daily. The cheapest for your amount this week may differ from last week.
Travelling to Turkey? Avoid Roaming Charges
If you're visiting Turkey, your UK SIM will cost you significantly more than you expect. EE charges up to £8.45 per day for data outside Europe — which adds up to over £59 on a week's trip just for mobile internet. An eSIM costs a fraction of that and activates before you board.
Airalo
Best for most travellers. Buy a data plan before you leave, scan a QR code, and you have local data rates the moment you land in Turkey. No physical SIM swap, no queues at the airport. Plans start from around £3.
Holafly
Better for longer stays or heavy data users. Unlimited data plans mean you never worry about running out — useful if you're making lots of WhatsApp video calls home, using Google Maps constantly, or working remotely during your trip.
ℹ️ eSIMs are data-only — calls and texts still go through apps like WhatsApp. Your UK number stays active on your phone's physical SIM alongside the eSIM.
How to Dial Turkey from the UK
📞 Dialling format
Dial 0090 + area code + local number for landlines, dropping the leading zero. Istanbul: 0090 212 or 0090 216 + 7-digit number. Mobiles start with 05xx — dial 0090 5 + remaining digits.
🕐 Time difference explained
Turkey uses UTC+3 year-round and no longer observes daylight saving. During UK BST (March–October) the gap narrows to 2 hours.
Dialling code for Turkey
The dialling code for Turkey is +91.
When calling Turkey from the UK you must dial 0091 followed by the Turkey number in full.
When using our service to make cheap calls to Turkey, you need to:
- Dial the access number
- When you hear the voice prompt, dial the Turkey number starting with 0091
- When you have finished inputting the number, wait to be connected.
That’s it….easy!
Best time to call Turkey from UK
Turkey Time is within the Eastern European Time Zone (EET) which is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2).
On that basis the best time to call Turkey is 8am until 7pm UK time. The whole of Turkey is covered by a single time zone so you don’t need to worry about which part of Turkey you are calling.
Travel Information (provided by the FCO)
Turkey Area Codes
| City | Dialing Code from UK |
| Adana | 0090 322 |
| Adapazari | 0090 264 |
| Adiyaman | 0090 416 |
| Afyon | 0090 272 |
| Agri | 0090 472 |
| Aksaray | 0090 382 |
| Amasya | 0090 358 |
| Ankara | 0090 312 |
| Antalya | 0090 242 |
| Ardahan | 0090 478 |
| Artvin | 0090 466 |
| Aydin | 0090 256 |
| Balikesir | 0090 266 |
| Bartin | 0090 378 |
| Batman | 0090 488 |
| Bayburt | 0090 458 |
| Bilecik | 0090 228 |
| Bingol | 0090 426 |
| Bitus | 0090 434 |
| Bolu | 0090 374 |
| Burdur | 0090 248 |
| Bursa | 0090 224 |
| Canakkale | 0090 286 |
| Cankiri | 0090 376 |
| Corum | 0090 364 |
| Denizli | 0090 258 |
| Diyarbakir | 0090 412 |
| Edirne | 0090 284 |
| Elazig | 0090 424 |
| Erzincan | 0090 446 |
| Erzurum | 0090 442 |
| Eskisehir | 0090 222 |
| Gaziantep | 0090 342 |
| Giresun | 0090 454 |
| Gumushane | 0090 456 |
| Hakkari | 0090 438 |
| Hatay | 0090 326 |
| Icel (Mersin) | 0090 324 |
| Igdir | 0090 476 |
| Isparta | 0090 246 |
| Istanbul | 0090 212 |
| Istanbul Asya (Asia side) | 0090 216 |
| Istanbul Avrupa (Europe side) | 0090 212 |
| Izmir | 0090 232 |
| Izmit | 0090 262 |
| Kahramanmaras | 0090 344 |
| Karaman | 0090 338 |
| Kars | 0090 474 |
| Kastamonu | 0090 366 |
| Kayseri | 0090 352 |
| Kirikkale | 0090 318 |
| Kirklareli | 0090 288 |
| Kirsehir | 0090 386 |
| Kocaeli | 0090 262 |
| Konya | 0090 332 |
| Kutahya | 0090 274 |
| Malatya | 0090 422 |
| Manisa | 0090 236 |
| Mardin | 0090 482 |
| Mugla | 0090 252 |
| Mus | 0090 436 |
| Nigde | 0090 388 |
| Ordu | 0090 452 |
| Rize | 0090 464 |
| Sakarya | 0090 264 |
| Samsun | 0090 362 |
| Sanliurfa | 0090 414 |
| Siirt | 0090 484 |
| Sirnak | 0090 486 |
| Sivas | 0090 346 |
| Tokat | 0090 356 |
| Trabzon | 0090 462 |
| Tunceli | 0090 428 |
| Van | 0090 432 |
| Yalova | 0090 226 |
| Yozgat | 0090 354 |
| Zonguldak | 0090 372 |
