How do you pay at a shopping mall or souvenir shop in Russia?

What the till accepts in a shopping mall

Shopping centres in Moscow, St Petersburg and other big cities take cards and QR codes at every till, but only through Russian systems. The terminal takes cards issued by Russian banks, and the cashier can show a Russian payment network QR code on the screen or point to a sticker next to the register. Cash in rubles works everywhere, and prices are in rubles only — nobody will take dollars or euros at the counter.

Since 2022 a card from global payment methods issued abroad does not work in any shop, and neither do Apple Pay and Google Pay. A UnionPay card issued abroad goes through in some places and not in others, so do not plan your shopping day around it.

• Cash in rubles
• Russian-issued card
• Russian payment network QR code at the till
• phone payments on Android with a Russian card
• Global payment methods — declined

Paying by QR code step by step

Ask the cashier to pay by the Russian payment network, — say «по QR-коду». A QR code appears on the terminal screen, on the receipt or on a sticker at the till. Open PayInRussia, scan it, check the amount and confirm; the payment lands in seconds and the cashier sees it. Many self-checkouts in large stores now offer the Russian payment network as well.

• Say «по QR-коду» at the till
• Scan the QR code in the app
• Check the amount
• Confirm with one tap
• Wait for the cashier to see the payment

Souvenir shops, stalls and markets

Chain souvenir shops in tourist centres work like any other store: terminal, QR code, cash. At open-air stalls and markets, such as the rows near Red Square or Izmailovo market in Moscow, the seller usually takes cash or a Russian payment network transfer to a phone number. Cash is the safe plan there, and bargaining is normal at markets, though not in shops.

Keep a few thousand rubles in small notes for stalls and use a QR code for everything else. If a card is declined at a till, nothing is wrong with it — ask for the QR code or pay cash. A PayInRussia card topped up before the trip covers a normal souvenir budget on the basic 15 000 ₽ balance, and the verified option is there for bigger purchases such as jewellery or electronics.