Further to the announcements by Visa and Mastercard about the suspension of their operations in Russia, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation has issued a statement clarifying the situation.
All Visa and Mastercard cards issued by Russian banks will continue to work as usual in Russia until their expiry date. Client funds in the accounts linked to these cards remain safe and secure.
The holders of such cards in Russia can use ATMs, make payments via the cards and use the cards for card-to-card transfers.
However, international operations with these cards will not be possible. These operations include payments in foreign online stores, as well as using the cards abroad.
In case a Russian resident is traveling abroad, the central bank recommends having currency in cash and the “MIR” card for the countries which accept it. The list of these countries includes Turkey, Vietnam, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadzhikistan, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.