Turkey could compel tourists to use bank cards for purchases over $200

MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax) - The Turkish authorities are considering forcing their citizens and foreign tourists, including from Russia, to only use bank cards for purchases greater than 7,000 lira ($206), the Ekonomim newspaper reported.

"The Turkish Finance Ministry is drafting a new resolution to mandate the use of debit or credit cards for payments of 7,000 Turkish lira and above. The rule will also apply to non-taxpayers," it said.

Failure to comply will entail a fine of up to 10% of the purchase, up to at least 5,000 lira ($147.4), it said.

The new law could lead to a drop in expensive purchases that Russian tourists make in Turkey, Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Vice President Artur Muradyan said.

"The volume of expensive purchases could really decrease. Although the new rules are unlikely to quantitatively affect the flow of Russian tourists. Russians continue to visit Turkey, but they will probably spend less there," Muradyan said.

The move could also create problems for paying in cash for whole-family sightseeing tours (which cost more than $200), ATOR said.