Welcome to the ultimate guide of Spotify subscriptions!
IMPORTANT UPDATE 26 JULY 2023: RE Method 2
OlduBil: "Transfers from foreign bank accounts to our bank accounts in Turkey are not possible".
OlduBil is no longer accepting deposits/transfers from foreign bank accounts. Please DO NOT make any transfers into OlduBil (i.e. your Türkiye Mastercard) until further notice!
If you already have the funds in OlduBil from a previous transfer, you are free to continue with Method 2. For those wanting to top up your Türkiye Mastercard, please DO NOT initiate any transfers into OlduBil from Wise or Revolut until I have a new update
For those who do not have funds in OlduBil and wish to utilise Method 2, I'm afraid this is no longer possible at this point in time. Every transfer done is at your own risk!
Background:
Modern problems require modern solutions. Like Xbox Game Passes, Youtube, Netflix, Discord, Google One, Microsoft 365, relocating (virtually of course) to Turkey is usually the best option, with some methods saving hundreds or thousands of dollars each year added up. The processes below are very easy, just take it slow and you'll get there! Just remember you'll be saving hundreds at the end of the day.
Due to a price increase by Spotify worldwide, my previous guide has expired. But no worries, this guide is now better than ever, and combines the two methods together (Google Pay for those who want to use Australian Cards, or Virtual Türkiye Mastercard for those who can't do the Google Pay method) as well as providing more information on extra plans and family systems. There will be some screenshots throughout the sign-up process for OlduBil(see screenshots in the instructions section) from previous testing - and yes, I can confirm the validity of these methods because I don't spend money for nothing. Most important thing - Türkiye is still very cheap!
Thank you so much for all your support and previous comments (I love reading them)! Any comments, concerns, suggestions or feedback are welcome :)
Available Plans:
You can see all the features of all Spotify Premium plans here: https://support.spotify.com/us/article/premium-plans/
Monthly Plans:
| Subscription Plan | TR Pricing (TL) | AU Conversion (AUD) | AU Pricing (AUD) | Savings (AUD / %) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student (Monthly) | ₺21,99 TL | ~$1.21 | $6.99 | ~$5.78 (83%) | ID verification req |
| Individual (Monthly) | ₺39,99 TL | ~$2.19 | $12.99 | ~$10.80 (83%) | 1 profile |
| Duo (Monthly) | ₺54,99 TL | ~$3.02 | $17.99 | ~$14.97 (83%) | 2 profiles |
| Family (Monthly) | ₺64,99 TL | ~$3.57 | $20.99 | ~$17.42 (83%) | 6 profiles |
Additionally, Spotify provides prepaid options for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months on the individual plan:
| Subscription Plan | TR Pricing (TL) | AU Conversion (AUD) | AU Pricing (AUD) | Savings (AUD / %) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individual (1 Month) | ₺39,99 TL | ~$2.19 | $12.99 | ~$10.80 (83%) | ~$2.19/mth |
| Individual (3 Months) | ₺119,00 TL | ~$6.53 | $38.97 | ~$32.44 (83%) | ~$2.18/mth |
| Individual (6 Months) | ₺239,00 TL | ~$13.12 | $77.94 | ~$64.82 (83%) | ~$2.19/mth |
| Individual (12 Months) | ₺399,00 TL | ~$21.91 | $155.88 | ~$133.97 (86%) | ~$1.82/mth |
Note that due to a recent and continuing crash in the Turkish Lira currency, the TRY-AUD is hitting an all time low. All prices in this guide are current as of 25 July 2023.
Instructions – Method #1 via Google Pay (Android Required) – If you want to use your Australian debit/credit card
Note: If you currently subscribe to Google One or any other Google services via Türkiye, then you may already have a Türkiye payment profile in your Google account. If this is the case, you may not need to do Part 1 at all (go straight to Part 2).
If you have an existing Google account and don't want to create a new Google account, simply add a new Türkiye payment profile into your Google account (not ideal for Google accounts where the sole user is an Android user or the family system consists of Android users - see why in the notes section of this post. You can create a new payment profile by following these steps: go to https://pay.google.com/gp/w/u/0/home/settings and clicking the pen icon next to "Country/Region" and a link to create a new profile should pop up. You can then add details for the Turkish profile (If needed, use a fake address generator to obtain a random Turkey address).
If you don't have an Android device, and would still like to use your Australian debit/credit card via Google Pay, consider this BlueStacks method by @langh using a PC.
Part 1 – Creating a new Google account
Create a new Google account on your phone.
Delete your Google Play Store cache (this may not be required). If you don't know how to, please see Google's instructions.
Select your new Google account in the Google Play Store app to switch over from your personal account or add it in if it's not there (to do this, click on your top right icon, then click the dropdown next to your account email, then click "Add another account"). Make sure the selected account is your new Google account.
Add a new payment method and select "Turkey" as the country (to do this, click on your top right icon again, then click "Payments and Subscriptions", then click "Payment methods"). If needed, use a fake address generator to obtain a random Turkey address for the payment profile. You can use your Australian debit or credit card (or any card as you wish) and best to use a card with no international transaction fees (Suncorp and Latitude Platinum have no international fees).
Part 2 – Subscribing to Spotify Premium
Boot up the Spotify app and click "sign up" or "log in" with VPN off. If you don't have the Spotify app, download it from the Google Play Store. See link here.
Can I sign up with my Australian Spotify account? - Yes! Simply log in (make sure your current subscription, if any, is cancelled).
Turn on VPN and connect to a server in Türkiye (see Notes section for suggestions) and leave it on for the remainder of the steps below.
Boot up the Spotify app again. Click on the premium tab on the bottom right of the home screen. Select the plan you want. Scroll down to the bottom and make sure the country is set to Türkiye. If it's Australia or another country, click the dropdown and change it to Türkiye.
Alternatively, go to your Spotify account settings on a web browser and check what country is selected. If it's Türkiye, you're good to go. If it's Australia or another country, click the dropdown and change it to Türkiye. However, you still have to double check on the app again on step 3.
Country dropdown box greyed out? - I bet you have a current Premium subscription running? If so, this will have to finish. You can't make changes to your location while Premium is running.
Click on "Google Pay". Complete the Google Pay confirmation prompt to subscribe. Your debit/credit card should already be preloaded (add one if not). If requested for an address, please use your Australian address (new Spotify accounts - family plan sign-ups).
If you get an error, trying clicking the "change plan" option and re-select your plan. Muck around with it a little… Turn VPN on or off etc.
Fly back home and turn off your VPN. YOU'RE DONE! WOOO! Enjoy your savings :)
Part 3 - Family Members (Family plan only)
On the main account (plan manager), go to: https://www.spotify.com/tr-tr/account/family/ to obtain an invite link. Ensure the address listed is your Australian address (DO NOT use a Türkiye address)
Get a family member, friend, bf, gf, or whatever person to accept that link. When requested, enter in the same address as listed in Step 1.
Error? "You need to live at the same address? It looks like you’re trying to join Premium Family from a different country. Premium Family is only available for family members that live together. Try again when you’re at the same address."
Simple solution - go to the relevant Spotify account on a web browser and check what country is selected. If it's Türkiye, you're good to go. If it's Australia or another country, connect to a VPN server in Türkiye, then refresh the page, click the dropdown and change it to Türkiye. Accept the invite again and it should work. You can turn off VPN after this.
Instructions – Method #2 (If you want to use your Virtual Türkiye Mastercard)
Türkiye-based Virtual Mastercard REQUIRED
Please read the following instructions carefully. If you already have a Türkiye-based Virtual Mastercard via OlduBil, proceed with the following instructions. If you do not have a Türkiye-based Virtual Mastercard, STOP HERE and see how to get one here in the instructions section (Part 1 and Part 2): https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/784047. I'm in the process of making a wiki page on the Türkiye-based Virtual Mastercard via OlduBil, so stay tuned!
Notes: The Spotify sign up pages may be in Turkish (which is easily navigatable if you have some common sense). Feel free to translate the page to English otherwise.
Part 1 – Subscribing to Spotify Premium
Log in to Spotify (VPN off), or make a new account (VPN off).
Turn on VPN and connect to a server in Türkiye (see Notes section for suggestions) and leave it on for the remainder of the steps below.
Go to the Spotify Premium plans page.
Scroll down and select the plan you want. Proceed to pay with your Turkey-based Virtual Mastercard. If requested for an address, please use your Australian address (new Spotify accounts - family plan sign-ups).
Fly back home and turn off your VPN. YOU'RE DONE! WOOO! Enjoy your savings :)
HELP POINT: Because the popup payment windown cannot be translated to English, here are screenshots of the process in the following order: (1), (2), (3)
Part 2 – Family Members (Family plan only)
On the main account (plan manager), go to: https://www.spotify.com/tr-tr/account/family/ to obtain an invite link. Ensure the address listed is your Australian address (DO NOT use a Türkiye address)
Get a family member, friend, bf, gf, or whatever person to accept that link. When requested, enter in the same address as listed in Step 1.
Error? "You need to live at the same address? It looks like you’re trying to join Premium Family from a different country. Premium Family is only available for family members that live together. Try again when you’re at the same address."
Simple solution - go to the relevant Spotify account on a web browser and check what country is selected. If it's Türkiye, you're good to go. If it's Australia or another country, connect to a VPN server in Türkiye, then refresh the page, click the dropdown and change it to Türkiye. Accept the invite again and it should work. You can turn off VPN after this.
ISP Notes (Important)
If you currently have a Spotify Premium subscription, simply cancel the subscription and you'll be able to resubscribe via Türkiye. If the current subscription is a family plan, simply cancel the subscription and once you resubscribe via Türkiye (do not let the subscription expire), the entire family system will remain intact and no futher changes will be necessary.
Most VPN services will connect to Türkiye, unlike India. Those include NordVPN, Private Internet Access (PIA), free Windscribe Chrome extension (recommended), free UrbanVPN Chrome extension (recommended), ExpressVPN, etc. If one doesn't work, use another VPN.
- If you're using Windscribe and it shows different currencies: keep turning the windscribe on and off. Each time you don't get TL, turn it off and on, then refresh the Spotify sign up page. You'll eventually land on TL. Go to https://whatismyipaddress.com/ each time you turn it off/on and see if you land on Istanbul.
FAQ
Q: Will I need to turn VPN on everytime I listen to Spotify?
A: No! You no longer need to have VPN on every time you use Spotify Premium. VPN is only required for sign up. After sign up, use Spotify without a VPN.
Q: I got charged a different rate compared to the prices on this post. What happened?
A: Due to foreign exchange rates constantly fluctuating, prices will differ by several cents each month
Q: I have an existing Spotify account, can I use the same email?
A: Definitely!
Q: Is signing up to Spotify Turkey going to affect my Spotify library/catalogue?
A: After setting up this sub, you may or may not notice the Spotify catalogue/recommendations may be weird with brand new regional music, etc… but your Spotify catalogue will adjust to what you’re listening to and soon it will look like nothing ever happened
Q: GST/VAT and Tax related questions?
A: Don't worry, there really isn't any tax you need to worry about.
Thank you @xdpx
Using your advice, I was able to recover my lost transfer. Process went like you said it would.