Payments

All payments in Russia are made in rubles. However, in many shops you may find prices indicated in foreign currency or so-called conditional units, which are usually equal to US dollars or Euros. The eachange rate of ruble keeps changing all the time (mainly decreasing), that is why conditional units are used. In shops the exchange rate may be a bit higher than the official one. You can exchange your money in commercial banks, numerous exchange offices, in hotels, just try to find a board marked as "Currency Exchange". The exchange rate for US dollars in Moscow may be higher than in the regions, therefore we encourage you to exchange here the whole amount of cash you will need during your stay in Russia. Most hotels and souvenir shops in Moscow accept major credit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, etc. Please, keep in mind that you will have to pay cash at the hotels in Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirst and Smolensk.