KÜHEYLAN HUKUK
How to Recover Credit Card Fees and Bank Fees? Legal and illegal bank fees have been updated as of 2026 within the framework of the Communiqué on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Fees to be Collected from Financial Consumers in the Consumer Arbitration Tribunal Process (2020/7) and Law No. 6502, Article 31
Items such as credit card annual membership fee, account management fee and cash advance commission are the most common subjects of consumer applications regarding banks; According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, approximately four percent of the applications made to consumer arbitration committees in the first half of 2025 are related only to credit card fees. The Central Bank Communiqué, which came into force in 2020, lists each fee that can be charged, requires the consumer's approval for each fee, and uploads the proof of approval to the bank. The guide explains the circumstances in which dues cannot be collected at all, how to claim back the fees collected, the limits on other items such as account maintenance fees and cash advances, and the steps of applying to the consumer arbitration committee.
1. What Fees Can the Bank Charge?
Banks and card issuers may only charge fees, other than interest, for the products and services listed in the Central Bank's Communiqué No. 2020/7 and the list attached thereto; No fee can be charged for an item that is not on the list (Communiqué article 6/1). The consumer's separate approval must be obtained for each paid product or service included in the contract. If the bank cannot prove that it has received this approval, the approval is deemed not to have been received at all (Art. 5/3). This rule is decisive in favor of the consumer as it puts the burden of proof on the bank in refund disputes.
In order to increase a fee specified in the contract, the bank must notify the consumer at least thirty days before the increase. The consumer may stop using the product within fifteen days from the notification, and in this case, no increased fee will be charged (Art. 7).
2. Under what circumstances can credit card fees not be collected?
Card issuing organizations must offer a type of credit card that does not charge an annual membership fee (6502 Article 31/3; Communiqué Article 11/1). In addition to this basic rule, the Communiqué regulates in detail the situations in which dues cannot be collected:
Request to switch to a fee-free card: The bank must fulfill the consumer's request to change his fee-bearing card to a fee-free card with the same limit. A person whose application for a card without dues is rejected cannot be given a card with dues based on this application.
Cancellation of the card with debt: Card cancellation request cannot be rejected on the grounds that there is debt on the card; Fees cannot be collected during the debt payment period of the card canceled in this way (Art. 11/2).
Debit card and virtual card: Annual membership fees cannot be charged for debit cards and virtual credit cards (Art. 11/3).
Before first use: Dues can only be accrued after the first use of the card that debits the consumer (Art. 11/5).
Dormant card: Fees cannot be charged to a card that has not been inactive for at least 180 days, as long as it remains inactive. During this period, enforcement proceedings cannot be carried out, interest cannot be charged, and Risk Center notification cannot be made for the pending dues; Fees that cannot be collected within twelve months are canceled (Art. 11/6-7).
Additional card: The dues for each additional card cannot exceed fifty percent of the dues of the main card (Art. 11/4).
Apart from these cases, dues can be collected annually in an amount determined according to the features of the card. Therefore, the success of the fee refund request depends on the type of card, whether the consumer requests a fee-free card and whether the bank can prove approval regarding the fee. In the Supreme Court's decisions regarding the period before 2020, requests for refund of dues and similar fees resulted in different results depending on the existence of information and approval.
Deposit account management fee No fee can be charged for account opening, operation and maintenance. Communiqué article 13
Loan allocation fee (file fee) It cannot exceed five thousandths of the principal disbursed; No fee can be charged under any other name. Communiqué article 10/1
cash advance The fee cannot exceed one percent of the advance amount; No fee can be charged for installment cash advances and overdraft loans. Communiqué article 10/6
Account statement and virtual card No fee can be charged; Two card renewals per year are free Communiqué article 11/8
Own bank's ATM Deposits, balance inquiries and withdrawals within the limit are free of charge. Communiqué article 14/1
account for credit Fees cannot be charged only for the account through which credit transactions are made. Communiqué article 10/7
Since the file fee and loan allocation fee refund are discussed in a separate guide in the Consumer Law series of Küheylan Law Firm, only their limits are mentioned here. Since the maximum amounts determined in the Communiqué for EFT and money transfer fees are updated every year by the inflation rate, the current limit must be checked according to the transaction date (Art. 7/1).
4. How to Request a Refund?
1. Collection of documents: Card or account contract, fee information form and account statements for the relevant periods are requested from the bank. No copy fee can be charged for the first year after the document is issued (Communiqué article 9/4).
2. Written application to the bank: The refund request is forwarded to the bank via permanent data storage, specifying the amount and dates. If the bank accepts the refund, it is obliged to send the amount free of charge to the account declared by the consumer (Art. 8).
3. Consumer arbitration committee: If the dispute value is below 186,000 TL for 2026, it is mandatory to apply to the consumer arbitration committee at the consumer's place of residence or where the transaction was made. Application can be made free of charge via e-Government.
4. Consumer court: If the value is above the limit, mediation is first applied; If an agreement cannot be reached, a lawsuit is filed in the consumer court (6502 article 73/A).
The Supreme Court accepts that the ten-year contract statute of limitations will apply to refund requests arising from the loan agreement (3rd HD, 22.11.2021, E.2021/6558, K.2021/11813). Therefore, fees collected in the last ten years can be requested back to the extent documented in account statements.
N.A. has not used the credit card he received in 2019 since 2023; The bank accrued approximately 1,900 TL in dues every year and reported the unpaid dues as overdue to the Risk Center. N.A.'s request to switch to a fee-free card in 2024 was verbally rejected on the grounds of "campaign conditions".
Since the card remains inactive for more than 180 days, no dues can be reflected during this period; Charging interest on pending dues and reporting to the Risk Center are also prohibited (Communiqué art. 11/6-7). Rejection of the request to switch to a fee-free card is also against Article 11/1. In the application made to the consumer arbitration committee, it was decided to cancel the accrued dues and delay interest and correct the record; The bank made the transition to a fee-free card with the same limit.
Are credit card fees legal?
Dues are a fee that can be legally collected, except for the exceptions listed in the law; However, the bank must offer a fee-free card type, obtain approval for the fee, and prove this. Fees cannot be collected from dormant cards, debit cards and virtual cards.
I want to close my card but I have debt, can the bank reject it?
No. Cancellation requests cannot be rejected on the grounds that there is a debt on the card, and no dues can be collected during the period in which the debt is paid. The debt continues to be paid according to the payment plan in the contract.
Can the account maintenance fee be refunded?
Charging fees for opening, operating and maintaining deposit accounts is prohibited by Article 13 of the Communiqué. Fees collected in this context can be requested back by documenting them with account statements.
What happens if the bank does not comply with the decision of the arbitral tribunal?
Decisions of the consumer arbitration committee are in the nature of a decision and can be followed through the enforcement office. The bank has the right to appeal against the decision to the consumer court within fifteen days.
Making the request verbally: Requests forwarded to the call center may not be proven; Fee-free card and refund requests must be made in writing or with a permanent data recorder.
Not requesting account statements: The amount to be refunded can only be documented with periodic account statements.
Overlooking the campaign commitment: In campaigns subject to a spending commitment, only the unmet benefit can be claimed back; Additionally, no penalty fee can be collected (Communiqué article 15/2).
Choosing the competent authority incorrectly: Going directly to the court for requests below the limit will lead to the rejection of the case due to procedural reasons.
Not following the Risk Center record: The overdue record resulting from unfair dues will continue to affect the credit score unless it is corrected together with the refund request.
Although bank fees may seem small individually, they accumulate over the years and reach significant amounts, and unfair fee records directly affect your credit score. Communiqué No. 2020/7 has strengthened the consumer's hand by limiting the fees to a list, giving the burden of proof of approval to the bank, and detailed prohibitions on card fees; However, the effectiveness of these rights depends on the correct collection of documents and the timely application to the competent authority. Küheylan Law Firm offers effective legal support in consumer disputes arising from banking transactions, from calculating fee and dues refund requests based on account statements, to consumer arbitration committee applications, to the consumer court process carried out upon the bank's objection, and to the correction of Risk Center records.
Important Legal Notice: The legal explanations, tables and case studies in this guide have been prepared by Küheylan Law Firm for general information purposes based on the legislation and judicial decisions in force as of 2026 and do not constitute legal advice. Since contract provisions, notification dates and periods directly determine the outcome in banking and finance disputes, it is recommended that each concrete case be evaluated separately by a lawyer. © 2026 Küheylan Law Firm. All rights reserved.
KÜHEYLAN HUKUK