In recent years, foreign travel has become noticeably more difficult for Russians, and it’s not just about the need to obtain visas or plan routes. One of the main problems is paying for purchases abroad, because not all Russian bank cards work outside the country due to sanctions. This creates additional complications: you have to look for alternative options, fiddle with cash, or worry that the card won’t work at Issued in Russia before all in a foreign terminal.
Current situation with maps for 2025Issued in Russia before
After VISA and MasterCard left Russia in 2022, many travelers found that their usual cards stopped working abroad.
Issued in Russia before 2022, they still continue to function within the country and are used in Russian payment
systems, but they are no longer valid abroad. New cards of these international systems are not issued in Russia.
In response to this, Russian banks began to more actively Issued in Russia before promote the national payment
system MIR , which, although it has gained popularity within the country, remains of little demand in most foreign
countries. Abroad, it is accepted only in a limited number of countries and not in all chain stores or services.
At the same time, the Chinese payment
system UnionPay is considered an alternative solution , but there are some nuances here too. Cards issued in Russia
often help to pay abroad, but in a number of countries there may be restrictions on their use. UnionPay works most
reliably in most Asian countries, but in Europe and the USA such cards sometimes cause difficulties.
In addition, the Japanese JCB system, which was considered a promising option for Russians for some time, is no longer available within the country.
What cards should you take with you abroad?
Before choosing a specific card for foreign travel, it is important phone number list to understand in which countries it will work, what difficulties you may encounter and what the situation is with its issuance in Russia. Let’s look at working options and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.
MIR maps
The national payment system MIR remains the most accessible Issued in Russia before for Russians. However, outside the country it cannot yet compete with its international counterparts. Firstly, MIR is officially accepted only in a few countries, so the geography of use is limited (Cuba, Vietnam, Belarus).
Secondly, even in those countries where the system the principle of a responsive website formally works, there are often payment failures – terminals do not recognize the card or simply “drop out” of the system.
In addition, some stores and services may not have enough motivation to integrate less common payment solutions and prefer VISA, MasterCard or UnionPay.
UnionPay cards
The UnionPay payment system is often mentioned as an alternative option for traveling abroad, and initially it seemed like a promising solution: in Asian countries these mobile lead cards are accepted quite widely, and in Europe and the USA – selectively.
However, recently some Russian banks (for example, Gazprombank and MTS Bank) have stopped issuing and servicing UnionPay cards, which makes it difficult to obtain them.
