Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

is anyone experiencing problems with barclay credit card, having been declined in two seperate shops although plenty of credit , i contacted my bank, who assured me that there was no reason why it should be declined ?

There are some shops (and its growing) who bank with TRNC banks and UK banks won't deal with them, only Turkish banks. I find outlets here are more likely to accept UK Debit Cards rather than Credit cards as they receive the money quicker. Give Barclays a ring and explain, I'm sure you'll find the flaming machines are on the blink this end.

gripon wrote: ↑

Sun 12 Apr 2026 7:52 am

is anyone experiencing problems with barclay credit card, having been declined in two seperate shops although plenty of credit , i contacted my bank, who assured me that there was no reason why it should be declined ?

If this helps, but AI version..


Your Barclays credit card may not work in shops in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) primarily due to international banking restrictions, geopolitical issues, and security measures applied to transactions processed through Turkish infrastructure.

Here are the main reasons why transactions may be declined:

TRNC is not part of the International Banking System: Because the TRNC is not internationally recognized, its banking infrastructure relies entirely on Turkey. Transactions are often processed as if they are occurring in Turkey.

High-Risk Security Alerts: UK banks like Barclays have sophisticated fraud detection systems. Transactions in North Cyprus are sometimes flagged as "high risk" due to the complex political situation, leading to automatic declines.

Foreign Transaction Declines: Some merchant payment machines (PDQ machines) in the TRNC are configured only for local cards and cannot process foreign cards, or they may be flagged by your bank as a prohibited region.

In-Store Spending Restrictions: In your Barclays app, you may have "in-store international spending" switched off, preventing physical card use at terminals abroad.

Tips to resolve the issue:
Use the Barclays App: Check for a notification to verify if a transaction was declined for security reasons. You can confirm it was you.
Try Inserting Instead of Tapping: Contactless technology is not universally supported, and sometimes tapping fails while inserting the card for a chip-and-pin transaction works.

Cash Withdrawal: If card machines are failing, try using your card at an ATM to withdraw local currency (Turkish Lira), as this is often more successful, though fees will apply.

Use a Different Machine: Some, but not all, machines in the TRNC can handle foreign cards.

Note: You may be charged a 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee for using your card in the TRNC.

My card's not working - Barclays
There are lots of reasons why your card might not be working online, at a cash machine or in store. You can now see declined transactions in your Barclays app, ...

Straight from the horses mouth. I did a load of shopping today in the small Ilellis in Alsancank, I was asked the usual "Cash or Card" I said Card and she replied "English bank? " I said "No, Turkish, does it make a difference." "Yes was her reply" As there was a bit of queue and I was in a hurry, I didn't have time to enquire if it was the length it takes for them to be paid, BUT what I did notice, she put put the machine down and picked up another one when I said "Turkish bank". Don't know if that helps at all. ?

benjaminbutton wrote: ↑

Mon 13 Apr 2026 5:05 pm

BUT what I did notice, she put put the machine down and picked up another one when I said "Turkish bank". Don't know if that helps at all. ?

I remember the dance of the card machines before I started using my revolut and that might well be the problem here

I've had the same thing with different card machine having to be used, but this is using debit card.

Using any foreign cards, try to get them to use the machine with Card plus, or JCC. Some local banks will only work if the card is put in the machine and then your pin number. BTW, Virgin Money (now part of nationwide) debit cards don't incur charges in shops. However, be careful with ATMs: IS (Ish) bank and another 'local one' I forget tried to charge me12% on TL cash, Near East Bank ATM never charges me anything.

My smartphone contactless Revolut payments will never work with Halk Bank card reader machines, if I see the cashier pick up the white Halk Bank card reader I ask for CardPlus reader instead.