Credit and debit card payments are accepted in Russia by International hotels, luxury boutiques, chain restaurants and larger stores and supermarkets in Moscow, St Petersburg and resorts on the Black Sea coast such as Sochi.

Many Russian vendors do not accept card payments, including taxi drivers, museums, public transport, local eateries, smaller vendors and vendors in smaller cities or remote regions, where the economy is very much cash-based.

If you are going to pay by card in Russia: Be aware of significant currency conversion fees and bank fees for card payments: Your bank’s RUB to GBP exchange rate may be quite bad. This is how banks make money. Before using your bank card for payments in Russa, it’s certainly a good idea to contact your bank. This will avoid your card becoming blocked due to international transactions that your bank may find suspicious.

We recommend bringing some Russian Rubles in cash with you on your trip to Russia. That way you will be able to pay for the purchases when card payments aren’t available.

Cash remains a popular and convenient payment method in Russia, and a great fallback option. You’ll need cash in Russia for taxi rides, public transport, buying from local vendors in smaller stores, tipping, nightlife and shopping at local markets.

It’s a good idea to buy Russian Rubles before you head off to Russia. Local money changers will prefer Euros or US dollars and rates for Pounds Sterling aren’t good.

Russia is a very large country and prices vary widely. Overall, the cost of living in Russia is 41% lower than the cost of living in the UK.

For a coffee in Saint Petersburg, the price will be around 130 rubles. For a three-course meal in a mid-range restaurant, the cost will be in the area of 1200 rubles per person.

Tipping in Russia is similar to tipping in other places in Europe: If you like the service you add 10-15% to the amount paid.

You should leave the tip in cash. This can be done in many cases by rounding the amount up to the nearest 50-100 rubles.