Can you pay for the Moscow Metro with cash and no card?
Yes. Moscow Metro stations sell tickets for rubles in cash: the ticket machines take cash, and where there is a staffed ticket office it takes cash too. Buy a paper single-ride ticket, touch it to the turnstile reader and walk through. You do not need a bank card, a Troika or an app.
Updated September 2026
Where to buy a metro ticket with cash
Go to the ticket office (касса) or a ticket machine (автомат) in the station lobby, before the turnstiles. Both take rubles in cash. Bring smaller notes: machines do not always accept or break large denominations, and the ticket office is the easier choice if you only have large notes. The machines have an English menu.
Ask for a single ticket (Единый). It is a thin paper card, usually sold for one or two rides. At the turnstile, hold it against the round reader, wait for the green signal and go.
What a paper ticket costs you
Paper tickets are the most expensive way to ride. As of 2026 a paper single ride costs about 80 ₽, while the same trip from a Troika balance is closer to 65 ₽ — check the fare board at the ticket office, prices change each year. Over a week of riding the difference adds up.
You also queue every time: at big stations and at rush hour the ticket office line can take several minutes. Even so, cash is the sensible choice when:
- You ride the metro only once or twice
- You arrive late and just need to reach the hotel
- You would rather skip the deposit and the app
- You are only on a short stopover
Why a foreign card is not a fallback
Since 2022, cards from global payment methods issued outside Russia do not work at metro turnstiles or ticket machines, and neither do Apple Pay and Google Pay. The turnstiles take Russian-issued bank cards, phone payments on Android and Troika. With no Russian card, cash never fails, so carry a few hundred rubles in small notes for your first rides.
If you change your mind about Troika
Ride more than a few times a day and a Troika (Тройка) quickly pays for itself. It is sold at the same ticket offices and machines for a small deposit and takes cash top-ups at any machine, so it needs no Russian card either.
To keep your cash for other things, the Metro Moscow (Метро Москвы) app offers the Russian payment network, as a payment method. Choose the Russian payment network, pick Промсельхозбанк (PayinRussia / Плати в России) in the bank list, and the PayInRussia app opens for you to confirm with one tap. Then follow the app’s steps to load the paid balance onto the card.
