Türkiye’s Banking Regulation and Supervision Board, known as the BDDK, has revised two sets of rules affecting consumer finance: the maximum maturity for loans used to buy mobile phones and the credit-limit threshold used to calculate minimum credit-card payments. The decisions, dated October 1, 2026, update monetary thresholds that had become less representative as handset prices and card limits increased.
For a new mobile phone priced at 40,000 Turkish lira or less, a consumer loan used for the purchase may now have a maximum maturity of 12 months. If the phone’s sales price is above 40,000 lira, the maximum maturity is limited to three months. The rule concerns a consumer loan obtained for a handset purchase and should not be confused with installment transactions made directly on a credit card.
A separate threshold applies to refurbished phones. When the seller qualifies as a refurbishment center or an authorized seller under the relevant regulation, a refurbished handset priced at 50,000 lira or less can be financed with a maturity of up to 12 months. For a refurbished device priced above 50,000 lira, the maximum maturity is three months. The higher threshold therefore applies only when both the product and the seller meet the conditions for refurbished-goods transactions.
The basic credit-card installment rule for phone purchases remains unchanged. Installments continue to be prohibited for mobile phones that are not classified as refurbished products. Refurbished phones, however, can still be purchased with up to 12 credit-card installments without a price ceiling. Consumers consequently need to distinguish among a bank consumer loan, a credit-card installment purchase and the special rules for certified refurbished products.
The second BDDK decision changes the credit-card limit threshold that determines the minimum payment ratio. For cards with a limit of 100,000 lira or less, the minimum payment will equal 20 percent of the statement balance. For cards with a limit above 100,000 lira, the minimum payment will remain 40 percent of the statement balance. The previous limit threshold was 50,000 lira, meaning the dividing line has doubled while the two percentage rates have not changed.
The adjustment does not erase outstanding card debt or remove the cost of carrying a balance. A minimum payment is only the smallest portion of the statement balance that must be paid by the due date. If a cardholder pays only that amount, interest may continue to accrue on the remaining balance under the bank’s contract and applicable regulations. The practical change is therefore which percentage applies, not the underlying price of credit.
The handset-loan thresholds also make the final sales price and the seller’s legal status especially important. Before agreeing to a payment plan, buyers should verify whether a device is officially documented as refurbished, whether the shop is a recognized refurbishment center or authorized seller, and what maturity the bank is offering. A transaction that does not meet those conditions cannot automatically benefit from the 50,000-lira threshold for refurbished phones.
The decisions update consumer-finance parameters at a time when device prices and credit-card limits have moved higher. Their immediate impact will be visible in the repayment period available to people planning a handset purchase and in the minimum amount that some cardholders must set aside for their monthly statement. Banks and retailers will need to align their processes with the decisions, while consumers should calculate payments using their own card limit, statement balance and the product’s verified status.
