Russia: Currency Exchange, Bank Cards and SIM Cards — Before and After Landing

Just back from Russia, we have put together everything we learned about the three things people ask about most: currency exchange, bank cards and SIM cards.

1. Currency exchange

Before you leave

1. Banks at home basically cannot sell you roubles (in Shenzhen, at least, no bank would). The two of us carried 1800 yuan plus 600 US dollars in cash and found it not enough — we would add at least another 1000 yuan on top of that.
2. If the rate at home is reasonable, change at least 1000 roubles in advance to cover transport out of the airport.

At the airport

The exchange counters at the airport offer a terrible rate, around 1 : 8.5. So:

At the airport, change only enough to get into the city — leave the large amounts for the city.

In the city (official exchange offices)

• GUM department store on Red Square: there is an official exchange desk on the third floor; the rate at the time was around 1 : 11.5.
• We did not have time to try the places with even better rates, so we make no recommendations here.

A reminder: always use an official exchange office and never deal privately — you have no protection, and counterfeit notes or disputes are a real risk.

2. Bank cards: YooMoney (a legitimate Russian bank card)

Registering before you leave

Sign up in advance on the official website. A mobile number from your home country is enough, and the process is quick.

Collecting and activating the card after landing

1. Where to collect it: walk out of the airport and turn left; look for the purple sign — it is very obvious.
2. Issuing: if you have already filled in your registration details at home, showing them to the staff is enough and the card is issued on the spot.
3. Activation: the three-digit code is activated inside the app — very simple, and the staff will show you how.
4. Topping up: the top-up machine is right next to the desk — choose a machine with a green ✓ (the same applies outside the airport). After topping up, a 500-rouble fee is deducted automatically.
5. Using it: once activated and topped up, the card works normally.

A few pitfalls in practice

• Transfers by phone number often fail: we tried several times and the money sent to a phone number never reached the other account — transfer directly by card number instead.
• Watch the fees: officially it is 3%, but in practice a 100-rouble transfer by card number actually cost 148 roubles. Before a real transfer, send 2 roubles as a test.
• Metro: you can tap twice for two people — no problem.
• Buses: after the first person taps, tap the card again and press the button on the side to add a passenger.

3. SIM cards and data

The two of us used SIM cards bought from an online seller at home, with roaming not enabled. What we found:

We also met other travellers whose SIM cards had no signal at all. To be safe, prepare both a local SIM card and international roaming: one for data, one as a backup.

Summary