Currency hacks: Russia
The quirk: International cards don't work since 2022
What's going on
Visa + Mastercard suspended Russia operations in 2022. UnionPay (Chinese) the only foreign-issued option that works.
The smart-traveler strategy
- Bring USD cash — banks in major cities can exchange.
- UnionPay cards (issued from some Asian banks) work at most Russian ATMs.
- Sberbank + Mir card (issued in Russia for residents).
- Difficult logistics for Western tourists generally.