What is the Troika card and how does a tourist buy and top it up?
Troika (Тройка) is Moscow’s reusable transport card: you buy it at any metro ticket office or machine for a small deposit, load any amount onto it and tap it at the turnstile. Tourists top it up with cash at a machine or ticket office, or through the Russian payment network, in the Moscow Metro app.
Updated September 2026
What the Troika card is
Troika is a plastic card for Moscow public transport. It works on the metro, buses, trams, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) and the Moscow Central Diameters (MCD). You keep a ruble balance on it and tap it at the turnstile or validator; the fare is taken from the balance.
For a visitor without a Russian bank card it is the simplest way to ride. It needs no bank account, no app and no phone number, and a ride from the balance usually costs less than a single-ride ticket. Fares change, so check the price board at the ticket office.
How to buy a Troika card
Every metro station sells it. As of 2026 you pay a small deposit for the card plus whatever you want to load. Ticket offices take cash; machines take cash and Russian-issued cards. Global payment methods are declined at both, so bring rubles.
- Find the ticket office (касса) or a ticket machine in the station lobby
- At a machine, switch the menu to English and choose the option to buy a Troika; at the office, just say “Тройка”
- Pay the deposit and your first top-up in cash
- Tap the card on the turnstile reader; the small screen shows your remaining balance
How to top up Troika as a tourist
Three ways work without a Russian bank card. In the app, the Russian payment network shows a bank list: pick “Промсельхозбанк (PayinRussia / Плати в России)” and PayInRussia opens for a one-tap confirmation. Its card details may work there as well.
- Ticket machine: hold the card to the reader, pick the amount and pay in cash
- Ticket office: hand over the card and cash and name the amount
- Moscow Metro (Метро Москвы) app: enter the card number, pick the Russian payment network and confirm the payment in PayInRussia
Good to know before you ride
Cash top-ups work immediately. If the app says an online top-up needs activating, hold the card to a yellow terminal or a turnstile reader in any station.
- One tap opens the gate for one person; the simplest plan for a group is a card per person
- Transfers between the metro and MCC are free within a set time window
- The balance stays on the card for years, so keep it for your next visit
- The deposit is refunded if you return the card at a ticket office
