Lara Hayden (corkhealth53)
In theory, there should be a minimum number of minutes that is required to make calls within Turkcell. This seems like a great feature, as long as you only get charged for minutes that you use. But in practice, Turkcell has made this more of a catch-22. If you use up more than your allocated minutes, Turkcell charges you extra money per minute. So while it's good if you only use a few minutes at a time, it can become a serious problem if you use up ten or twenty minutes at a time. To avoid this issue, you need to know exactly how many minutes you're using the phone for. If you don't do this, Turkcell will try to trick you into thinking you have more minutes than you really do. There is a section right on the phone's screen that shows how much outgoing call traffic you've had over a given time period. You'll see the number of total minutes used, and the amount of minutes used during a single call. If you copy that data down, then you can easily compare it to your maximum and minimum usage periods for that period of time.
You should also find out how many texts you use on your cell phone during a month. The amount of texts that you send and receive from your phone will affect how many minutes are assigned to your account. So make sure you include this information when you go to set up your online account.
Setting up your online account should be relatively easy. But the rates that apply while you're loading minutes can be rather difficult to understand. Turkcell often has their own terms and conditions page, which make it difficult to understand what you're paying for. If you're unclear about the rate that applies, there is always a toll-free phone number that you can call to get a more clear explanation. You should always call the number if you have any questions regarding your billing or what you're charged for.
Turkcell provides a lot of helpful features and tools. One of them is the ability to transfer your minutes online. So instead of having to stand by the phone to load more or less minutes, you can do so in real time. And since you set a minimum amount of required minutes, you won't exceed that limit. But if you exceed your limit, your invoice will increase.
Turkcell is an excellent provider, but they do have some minor drawbacks. Some customers have reported problems with reception and signal strength. Others have trouble accessing the web pages on their site. You'll also need to pay attention to the terms and conditions page because you're still bound by those rules even if you sign up for an annual plan. It's best to check out all of their services before making your decision.
