Central Bank toldhow pay-services (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) will now work in Russia.
Apple pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay should work for cards of all banks, except for those that fell under the most stringent sanctions. These are VTB, Sovcombank, Promsvyazbank, Novikombank, Otkritie.
However, payments through other banks may also not go through if the POS terminal (payment device) or online store is serviced by one of the sanctioned banks.
The Central Bank recommended to carry a card with you “just in case” so that you can pay without using pay-services.
Let’s remind, earlier the European Union, the USA and Canada agreed on new sanctions against Russia. They provide for disconnecting a number of banks from SWIFT and freezing the assets of the Central Bank and Russian businessmen. The White House predicts a “free fall” of the Russian banking system due to these sanctions.
Over the weekend, the West intends to prepare new sanctions, in particular against the Central Bank. It is not yet clear which banks will be disconnected from SWIFT. The German government claimed that the sanction would affect banks from the sanctions list, but the list could be expanded.
