If you're planning a trip to Moscow or St. Petersburg, one question comes up before almost anything else: how do you actually pay for things once you land? Foreign Visa, Mastercard and AMEX cards stopped working inside Russia back in 2022, and that hasn't changed. Apple Pay and Google Pay don't work either. So unless you want to carry around a stack of cash for your entire trip.
One of the easiest fixes right now is an app called PayInRussia. It's built specifically for tourists coming to Russia. Here's how it works.
It's an app you download straight onto your phone, paired with a virtual ruble balance you top up using your own foreign card. Once it's loaded, you pay by scanning QR codes, the same way locals do through SBP, Russia's fast payment system that's now accepted almost everywhere, from coffee shops to museum ticket counters.
You sign up with your name and phone number, and you're ready to spend within minutes.
The app works both on iOS and Android, you can find simple installation instructions on their website.
Without any extra verification, you can load and pay up to 15,000 rubles straight from your foreign card. The limit is per operation, you can make several though. If you're expecting bigger one-time purchases, you'll want to verify your account.
Verification raises the cap to 600,000 rubles.
You can fund the app and pay for things like excursion bookings before you've even left home. So if you're already putting down a deposit on a private tour, you can load the balance weeks ahead of time.
Once you're there, open the app, tap the QR icon, point your camera at the code on the counter, website or terminal, confirm. That's the whole transaction. It works at restaurants, shops and most tourist sites, anywhere that takes SBP QR payments, which by now is nearly everywhere.
What it won't do? No cash withdrawals. This isn't a substitute for an ATM card, so there's no real reason to overload your balance "just in case." Topping up is instant, so add money as you go rather than loading everything on day one.
The service is provided by PSHB bank (one of the biggest and reliable banks) and support answers in English, Chinese and Russian by email and WhatsApp.
You can find our QR code on the payment page.