So… Let’s start with the main thing. At the moment, citizens of Belarus can easily open a debit card of the Russian Tinkoff bank (new name T-Bank). To do this, it is not necessary to have a residence permit in Russia or even a Russian SIM card. Just fill out a small application on the bank’s website. BUT (!) you can only get this card on the territory of Russia. It can be Moscow, Smolensk, St. Petersburg or a village with the romantic name of the Bottom, near the Vitebsk region. But it will not be delivered to you in Belarus. You need to somehow get yourself to this card.
I will tell you in detail how to do this in my article today. Here I will share my experience; I will write how the meeting with the courier is going, and how to use the T-Bank card in the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Therefore, read the article to the end and very carefully. Well, if questions remain, welcome to the comments.
How can a Belarusian apply for a Tinkoff Black card?
The first thing you need to do is open the bank’s website and apply for a card.
If you place it here on this page, you will receive 500 rub as a gift from T-Bank and me personally.
In the “Citizenship” column, select “I do not have Russian citizenship”. In the window with the phone number – “I have a number from another country.”
Another important point: Tinkoff Bank does not have regular branches. Therefore, cards and other banking products are delivered by special couriers. You must choose the date and time of the meeting with him yourself. You will see the available slots when making an application. Usually, you can schedule an appointment with the courier in 2-3 days. At the same time, you can even choose weekends, which is a big plus.
Where to make an appointment with the courier, and how to plan a trip?
I went to Smolensk to get a map, so I’ll tell you about this city as an example. You can get there from Minsk by train or bus. See the schedule and prices at сайтах:
- RW.by
- Ticketbus.by.
It is better to schedule the meeting with the courier in the Smolensky railway station building. At first, I tried to find some kind of cafe for a meeting. But then I decided that the option with the train station would be the most reliable.
I went to Smolensk myself one afternoon (there in the morning, back in the evening). But if you have to stay in Russia for 1-2 nights, then take note of these two sites:
- The first one
- Second.
Here you can find a hotel or an apartment for a day. As you know, after the well-known events, Booking and AIRBNB no longer work in Russia.
At the very end, I will also post a link to my big article about Smolensk itself. Most likely, you will have to stay there for 7-8 hours. Therefore, a story about what to see in this city, and where you can eat there on a budget, will still be useful to you. Seriously: be sure to read it.
A few words about roaming
To make your trip to Russia go well, I recommend connecting yourself to an international connection for at least one day. So you can call the courier at any time, and he, accordingly, will be able to call you.
- At A1 – roaming is enabled through the mobile application “My A1”.
- At MTS – using the “My MTS” application, as well as through a USD request (*111*22#).
In both cases, it must be enabled on the territory of Belarus.
Everything is quite simple at the mobile operator Life. His international connection is turned on automatically. You cross the border and the phone itself switches to Megafon, Tele2 or another Russian provider.
The service itself is free for all three operators, as well as 40 minutes of incoming calls. You will have to pay only for outgoing calls, but the numbers there are quite penny. For example, on my Infinite Plus tariff (from Life), calls in Russia cost 50 kopecks per minute.
Why is roaming so important? Just an hour before your immediate meeting, the courier will try to call you. If your number is unavailable, he may just decide that you have not arrived. Of course, you can also negotiate with him using an online chat. But roaming is a cheap thing. Therefore, it is better that you have it.
Smolensk. Courier. And a lot of gifts.
I chose the time of the meeting with the bank employee myself. The courier was supposed to arrive from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. And the Tinkoff mobile app constantly bombarded me with messages about his every move.
About 2 hours before the meeting, I was sent his phone and photo. And even earlier, a special chat appeared in the application, where you could write a message to the courier.
As I said, an hour before our meeting, the courier called me. I told him where I was standing and how to get to know me. And by about noon, a representative of T-bank appeared at the Smolensky railway station. I was given a card, and with it a few small souvenirs. Among them was a cardholder, some stickers and a T-Mobile SIM card (with Internet and a free trial period of 7 days).
As the courier said, to fully activate the card, you need to make a one-time purchase in the amount of 300 rub (or its equivalent in another currency). I made this one right away in the nearest Smolenskaya Pyaterochka. But you can also buy something on the territory of Belarus. After that, the card will work correctly.
About the T-Mobile SIM card
I repeat once again: in Smolensk, you will most likely be stuck for 7-8 hours. Therefore, a SIM card with the Internet will be useful to you. It is better not to give up on it. You will be able to watch videos on YouTube and write to your mother that you ate, put on a hat and in general everything is fine with you.
And when you return to Belarus, this SIM card can be easily disabled in the T-Mobile mobile application. All you need to do is go to the “Tariff Settings” and put a zero in each column. Then the tariff will be completely free.
If you often visit Russia, you can save your SIM card. Just throw some money at her every couple of months. In this regard, everything is as convenient as possible. While you are in Belarus, you are setting a “zero tariff”, as I showed above. And for trips to the Russian Federation, you set the minutes and Internet settings that you need.
How do I top up my Tinkoff (T-Bank) card?
It all depends on where you are going to do it. In Russia, everything is quite simple – all you need is to find the nearest Tinkoff Bank ATM and top up your card with cash.
In Smolensk, you can do this at the Liniya supermarket (it is 500 meters from the station building). The ATM is located on the ground floor and works both for issuing and receiving Russian rubles. I put the money in the ATM – and after 10 seconds they were already reflected in the account.
To top up a Tinkoff bank card from Belarus is a little more difficult, but it is also real. To do this, you need to go to the nearest branch Technobank (or another bank working with the Unistream system). You buy Russian rubles at the checkout and then immediately send them to your card. You only need to have your passport and money with you. The transfer takes place within 2-3 minutes. At the end of August 2024, no commission was charged for this operation (neither for sending nor for crediting).
Is it possible to use the Tinkoff card in Belarus?
Yes, it is possible. In any place where the World cards are accepted. I withdrew money from ATMs and paid with it in supermarkets. And so far, all operations have been excellent.
The conversion from RUB to BYN takes place at the bank’s exchange rate. It can be viewed in the mobile application on the “Exchange Rates” tab (in the “Other currency transactions” subsection). At the end of the month, cashback is credited to the card. It is usually 1-2%. But there are also categories of increased cashback (they can be selected in the mobile app once a month). For example, it can be 5% for purchases in clothing stores or 3% for purchases in pharmacies.
How to withdraw money without commission?
Tinkoff does not charge a commission for withdrawing money in Belarus. But there are three conditions: (1) you need to withdraw at least 3,000 RUB at a time and (2) no more than 100,000 RUB per month. The amounts are indicated in Russian rubles, but it can be any other equivalent currency (including BYN). Also remember condition number 3: you can withdraw no more than 500 BYN per week from one Belarusian bank. Next, I will describe everything using an example.
Example. You open the TB mobile app and see that today 1 BYN costs 31 RUB. You put the card into an ATM and withdraw 100 Belarusian rubles. Tinkoff Bank charges you 3100 rub. In this case, there will be no commission. But you should withdraw 50 BYN or, let’s say, 10 BYN. A commission of 99 RUB will be added to this amount. Therefore, it is better to withdraw more or less large amounts at a time (but no more than 500 BYN per week in one bank). If you need to withdraw more, just withdraw 500 Belarusian rubles at ATMs of different banks. Removed from Technobank — step to the VTB ATM, removed from VTB — go to Belarusbank.
Now let’s talk about another important question: in which ATMs in Belarus can money be withdrawn from a Tinkoff (T-Bank) card without commission? I answer: at least 7 banks will suit you here. I withdrew cash (BYN) from Belarusbank, Belagroprombank, Belinvestbank, Technobank, VTB, BelVEB Bank and RBB Bank, and none of them took any commission. Mir cards are often accepted even at ATMs that do not have a corresponding sticker.
Only 6 Belarusian banks charge a fee for withdrawing money from foreign cards. These are Alfa-Bank, Belgazprombank, BNB-bank, BSB-Bank, Bank «Solution» and Bank «Dabrabyt». It is better to bypass their ATMs. I also do not recommend ATMs of MTBank and Belarusian Sberbank. They do not take a commission, but lately they have been contemptuously spitting out Russian cards.
Is it possible to withdraw Russian rubles from a Tinkoff card in Belarus?
Probably not. At least that’s what Sberbank in Minsk told me. I have found similar comments on various financial websites. They say that only Belarusian rubles can be withdrawn from foreign cards in Belarus. If you have any other information on this subject, please write about it in the comments.
Pros and cons of the Black card from T-Bank
A new design of Tinkoff cards created for the anniversary of the band “The King and the Fool” (November 2023).
First of all, these cards are suitable for those who receive salaries in Russian rubles or often cooperate with customers from the Russian Federation.
The cards have a good cashback and many beautiful designs. And, as I said, the cards themselves are accompanied by a gift cardholder and a welcome bonus of 500 rub.
To receive them, you just need to apply for a card here at this link.
These cards also give a lot of bonuses to those who often travel to Russia (or just fly from Russian airports). For example, S7 tickets can be purchased 3% cheaper through the T-Bank application than on the airline’s official website. And if you connect the Premium service, you will receive:
- Annual travel insurance for 5 people;
- Free calls in Russia;
- And every month 2 free passes to the business lounges of Russian airports.
You can read more about this in the article at the link below.
As for the disadvantages, they are all related to the Mir payment system. She works in only a few countries. Therefore, in conditional Poland or Lithuania, these cards can only be used as bookmarks. But here we already have what we have. Overall, I like the Tinkoff Black card.
That’s all. I told you everything I knew. If you still have questions, ask them in the comments.
