Payments using payment cards issued in Russia and Belarus

Follow the latest information on card payments using Russian and Belarusian credit and debit cards in the Netherlands, and on the use of Dutch payment cards in Russia and Belarus…

UPDATE 6 MARCH 2022: Mastercard and Visa have completely suspended their operations in Russia . Russians with a credit or debit card issued under these brands can no longer use it outside Russia. Cardholders from other countries can no longer use cards issued under these two brands in Russia. This also applies to the Maestro and V PAY card brands.

UPDATE 2 MARCH 2022: Mastercard and Visa have announced that they have disconnected several Russian banks and other payment service providers from their payment networks for an indefinite period . As a result, many Russian payment cards issued under these brands can no longer be used anywhere, including in the Netherlands. Payment cards issued under these brands in other countries, including the Netherlands, can no longer be used in many places in Russia, including for cash withdrawals.

Some Dutch business owners, such as retailers, are wondering whether they will still receive their money after a customer from Russia or Belarus pays by credit or debit card. At present, very few payments are probably being made in the Netherlands with payment cards issued in those countries. If a foreign card issuer, such as a Russian bank, is excluded as a result of government sanctions, its payment cards can no longer be used in the Netherlands. Online payment terminals will then decline those cards.

Online payment terminals will also decline foreign payment cards if the payment service provider involved, such as a Dutch bank, believes that the foreign card issuer can no longer settle transactions made with its cards for other reasons, such as financial difficulties.

Finally, a Russian or Belarusian card issuer may itself decline foreign transactions made by its cardholders, for example on instructions from the authorities in its home country.

In all these situations, Dutch business owners will see on their online payment terminals that payments with certain Russian or Belarusian payment cards have been declined and therefore could not be completed. A foreign cardholder whose payment is declined can try to pay in another way, for example with euro cash.

If a payment made with a Russian or Belarusian payment card is authorised online by a payment terminal, it is unlikely that the foreign card issuer will subsequently fail to settle it. Dutch business owners can ask their card-payment service provider whether it always guarantees settlement of a card payment authorised online. This is also covered by the contracts between businesses and their payment service providers.

With an offline card payment, made without a payment terminal or without an online connection to a payment service provider, it is impossible to verify reliably whether the customer’s card is still valid and usable. The merchant (the Dutch business owner) then bears the risk that the card payment will ultimately not be settled. Businesses should therefore have every card payment authorised online through their payment terminals. Almost all payment terminals in the Netherlands are connected online to a payment service provider. Offline terminals are used in the Netherlands only in places where a connection is unavailable, such as on aircraft and seagoing vessels.

Withdrawing cash with a Russian or Belarusian payment card

Anyone with a payment card (credit or debit card), including Russians and Belarusians, can try to withdraw cash from a Dutch ATM. If this does not work, the cause often lies with the card issuer or the cardholder. For example, the cardholder may have insufficient funds for the withdrawal. A card issuer, such as a Russian bank, may restrict cash withdrawals abroad for all its cardholders, for example on instructions from the authorities in its home country.

Cash withdrawals using Russian or Belarusian payment cards may also fail if the card issuer in Russia or Belarus is subject to sanctions imposed by the Dutch government. The same applies if the ATM operator expects that the foreign card issuer will subsequently be unable to settle cash withdrawals made by its cardholders. Several ATM operators are active in the Netherlands: Geldmaat (on behalf of the banks), and the non-bank operators Euronet, YourCash, GWK Travelex and In2Retail.

Companies may have issued business payment cards to employees, such as lorry drivers. If those companies can no longer, or no longer wish to, top up the balance on those cards, their employees may eventually be unable to pay or withdraw cash using their employer’s payment cards.

Acceptance of Dutch payment cards in Russia and Belarus

Leading credit and debit card brands have announced that they have disconnected several Russian banks and other payment service providers from their payment networks for an indefinite period . As a result, Dutch payment cards issued under these brands can no longer be used in many places in Russia, including for cash withdrawals. The same applies to cards issued under these brands in other EU countries.

Authorities and payment service providers in Russia and Belarus may impose restrictions on card payments by foreign visitors. Anyone planning to travel to either country should therefore check in advance for any local restrictions on the use of their payment cards, starting with their own bank in the Netherlands.

Also read our latest information on account-to-account payments to and from Russia and Belarus…