{"id":628,"date":"2018-05-20T08:09:27","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T08:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iran.1stquest.com\/blog\/?p=628"},"modified":"2020-01-05T08:52:34","modified_gmt":"2020-01-05T08:52:34","slug":"iran-travel-guide-currency-and-cell-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/iran-travel-guide-currency-and-cell-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Travel Guide: Currency and Cell-phone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran Travel Guide series<\/a>\u00a0will give you useful tips for navigating and\u00a0discovering this country independently. In this piece, I am going to give you some general information about Iran currency and using cell-phones in Iran. Upon reading it, you should know almost everything there is to know about money exchange and getting a SIM card. Both of these are the essentials of traveling in Iran<\/a> or any other country, for that matter.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Money Talks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"shetab<\/a>

The Shetab system is an electronic banking clearance and automated payments system used in Iran.<\/p><\/div>\n

The first thing you should keep in mind is that Iran is disconnected from the international banking system. Once you come here, the ubiquity of banks and ATMs will probably surprise you. The banking system in Iran is quite modern and efficient; most people have Debit+ cards, which they use for online payments; they are also accepted in almost all of the retail stores. However, international sanctions render impossible any non-domestic transactions. Thus, you have to calculate in advance, how much money you need to spend and bring it in a common international currency and exchange it here. You can easily exchange US dollar and Euro, as well as the British Pound, the Australian and Canadian dollar. The currencies of the neighboring countries are easy to swap as well: Turkish Lira, Emirati Dirham, etc.<\/p>\n

\"central<\/a>

Central bank of Iran building, Tehran, Iran<\/p><\/div>\n

Where to Exchange Money in Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Here are a few tips on exchanging currencies: firstly, do not go knocking on the door of any bank and ask them for money exchange. Banks in Iran deal only with \u201cofficial rates.\u201d Unlike other countries, Iranian banks do not exchange foreign currencies.\u00a0As other countries, do not exchange a lot of money at the airport– maybe enough for your cab fare. Exchange bureaus are\u00a0found\u00a0everywhere; often, however, they are clustered in a hub not far from the town\u2019s center. In Tehran<\/a>, for example, you find dozens of them at Ferdowsi Square (Ferdowsi Metro Station, Line 4). If you need to ask for directions, the keyword would be sarrafi<\/em>.\u00a0 Finally, if you are uncomfortable with carrying a lot of cash, you can go to a bank and ask for a prepaid debit card, in Iran known as cash gift-cards or kart hadiye<\/em>. This will give you pretty much all the functionalities of a debit card and you can travel with more ease of mind.<\/p>\n

\"exchange<\/a>

If you need to ask for directions to find the place to exchange money, the keyword would be sarrafi<\/em>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Rial or Toman: One Country Two Currencies<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Iranian money has a lot\u00a0of zeros.\u00a0The people of this country automatically drop one zero off the official unit, Rial; thus, ten thousand Rials is one thousand, in the nominal currency, Toman. Sometimes they go further and drop four zeros altogether. Let us imagine you want to buy a pair of shoes. The price tag shows a 65 followed by four zeros. In Iran, that would be 65. Iranians mentally add the four zeros. So if you are in a restaurant and hear 12, that is a hundred and twenty thousand Rials…. more or less $4. You might need a few days to get used to this, but it is not all that confusing.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/em>:\u00a0100 Absolutely Necessary Farsi Phrases to Survive in Iran<\/a><\/p>\n

\"exchange<\/a>

Iranians checking exchange rates at a shop in Tehran.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Stay Connected: Where to Get a SIM Card in Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Another thing often needed is a SIM card. First off, do not forget to bring an unlocked\u00a0phone with you. You cannot use an Iranian SIM card if you bought your phone with a contract. Currently, there are three major\u00a0providers in Iran: IR-MCI<\/a>, MTN Irancell<\/a>, and Rightel<\/a>. All provide good services, yet most travelers stick with Irancell, probably because it is easier to register and their customer service centers, more ubiquitous. Yes, you need to register your SIM before you can use it; that\u2019s something you can probably do if you have some time at the IKA airport. There are two kiosks that sell prepaid SIM cards of all the providers. In Tehran, two metro stations, Imam Khomeini<\/em> and Imam Hossein<\/em>, host MTN Irancell customer service centers. If you get a 3G or 4G SIM, you have solved the problem of your Internet needs as well.\u00a0Roaming in Iran is possible, mostly via IR-MCI,\u00a0if you have a contract. You can inquire the prices from your network provider. However, you will probably end up paying hundreds of dollars for a two-week stay.<\/p>\n

Read also<\/em>:\u00a0How to Stay Connected Even in Iran!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Mobile<\/a>

Mobile network operators in Iran: Rightel, Irancell, IR-MCI.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Do you want to get your visa in 2 days without any hassle? 1stQuest<\/a> will take care of all the process with best support. It`s cheap, easy and the chance of rejection is almost 0%.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Registration of a SIM Card in Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The going price for a 4G SIM card is about 4 euros. You can buy and register your SIM card at the two aforementioned metro stations or any other customer service center. The problem with the ones stationed in the Metro (and all such centers in Tehran) is that they are always packed. They work till 17:00 every day (except their half-day Thursdays and their off Fridays) and you will have to wait some 50 minutes or more for your turn. The plus side is that registration at these customer centers is smooth and instantaneous. If you want to spare yourself the long wait, many retailers all over the country\u00a0sell SIM cards at a higher price. In this scenario, if you have an Iranian helping you with translation, things will probably move more smoothly. However, it will be a few hours before your SIM is up and working.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Irancell<\/a>

One of the Irancell customer service centers in Tehran.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tips for Optimizing Your MTN Irancell Experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So you now have a registered prepaid SIM card. One of the first things you might inquire is how to put credit in it. Newspaper kiosks, as well as grocery stores, can sell you a little piece of cardboard with a 16-digit pin; credit in Persian<\/a> is \u201cSharj,\u201d so the keyword would be \u201cIrancell sharj<\/em>.\u201dAfter scratching the ink that covers the pin, dial in *141*[16-digit pin]# and hit call. If you have entered the pin correctly, you should get a message with your new balance. Other providers give you a similar option for topping off your balance, yet the code is not the same; no worries though, as the relevant code is noted on the little cardboard you bought. With the credit you have now, you can call, text or surf the Internet. Using ATMs, you can recharge your SIM directly; yet, as previously noted, it is only possible with an Iranian debit card.<\/p>\n

\"Irancell<\/a>

Irancell’s 4G SIM cards come in Nano and Micro Cuts. The other providers’ SIMs come in Micro Cuts.<\/p><\/div>\n

Access Internet (Almost) Everywhere <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Network coverage in Iran is nearly decent. That is to say, in big cities you have a very good coverage, which translates into a relatively fast Internet connection. If you are an Internet junkie, it is in your financial interest to get an \u201cInternet Package.\u201d These are prepaid packages that give you a certain amount of traffic for a specific period of time. They must be activated accordingly: you need to put enough credit on your phone and dial in a USSD code. You can get a list of Irancell’s packages by dialing *555*5# or visiting Irancell’s website<\/a>\u00a0for the list of all their offers and their activation codes.<\/p>\n

Here are a few other useful USSD codes: to inquire your credit balance, dial *141*1# and hit call; to change the language of your SIM to English, dial, *555*4*3*2# and hit call; to request your phone\u2019s Internet setting, dial *555*4*2# and hit call.<\/p>\n

\"Iran<\/a>

In big cities, you have a very good coverage of mobile network and fast Internet connection. | \u00a9 Zoomit<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Making an International Call from Iran<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As explained before, your home SIM card will work very well in Iran; both Irancell and IR-MCI have contracts with major providers of different countries.\u00a0You should contact your provider to inquire the cost of such services. The most economical option is to keep in touch with your loved ones is\u00a0applications like Skype. They are fully functional with the data plans previously described. With an MTN Irancell SIM, as well as other providers, you can make international calls or send text messages. An international text message will cost 1500 Rials with a prepaid MTN Irancell. You can also make international calls; to inquire the price, take a look at Irancell’s international tariff<\/a> page and\u00a0simply\u00a0choose your call destination from the pop-up list.<\/p>\n

\"Iran<\/a>

Irancell is the second largest mobile phone network operator of Iran. It is 49% owned by the South Africa-based MTN Group.<\/p><\/div>\n

Are you coming to Iran?! Get your Iran Visa<\/a> just for\u00a0\u20ac 29 at 1stQuest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Ali Jafari<\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran Travel Guide series\u00a0will give you useful tips for navigating and\u00a0discovering this country independently. In this piece, I am going to give you some general information about Iran currency and using cell-phones in Iran. Upon reading it, you should know…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tip-to-the-trip"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1stquest.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}