Moscow SVO Airport Currency Exchange Guide: Which Counter Gives the Best Rate and How Much to Change
- Moscow airport
- SVO
- Sheremetyevo
- Russia currency exchange
- UnionPay cash withdrawal
When you change money into roubles at SVO, two decisions — which counter and how much — determine whether you quietly lose tens or even a hundred-odd yuan for nothing.
Best rate: Сбер (Sberbank)
At Terminal B, find this Сбер (Sberbank) branch: its rate is the best in the airport, around 1 CNY = 11.x roubles.
Counters to avoid
The other currency exchange points in the airport are clearly worse, only about 1 CNY = 10 roubles — more than 10% below Сбер.
Before you change money, look at the two columns on the rate board, "buy" and "sell", and compare only the direction you will actually use. Do not be misled by the big advertising type.
How much to change: enough for the fare
Do not change too much at the airport — about 500 CNY covers the transport into the city centre.
Change larger amounts once you are in the city:
- Go to a VTB Bank branch and change CNY cash; that gives the best rate.
- No CNY cash? Use a UnionPay debit card to withdraw at an ATM of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Россельхозбанк).
- The yellow ATM with the "hammer" logo in the sixth photo (the author calls it the "hammer bank") works too, only the rate is a little worse.
Why other banks do not work
Because of sanctions, most Russian banks cannot take UnionPay, Visa or Mastercard. So the number of machines that will actually give you cash in Russia is smaller than you would expect — when you find one that works, remember where it is; do not wait until your cash runs out to start looking.
Summary
| Place | Method | Rate / advice |
|---|---|---|
| SVO Airport | Сбер (Sberbank) | About 1 CNY ≈ 11.x roubles, the best in the airport |
| SVO Airport | Other exchange counters | About 1 CNY ≈ 10 roubles, avoid |
| City centre | VTB Bank branch (CNY cash) | Best rate |
| City centre | Russian Agricultural Bank / "hammer" ATM (UnionPay) | Fine as a backup, slightly worse rate |
Suggested amount: about 500 CNY equivalent at the airport, the rest once you are in the city.
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