Alfa-Bank Card: A Mixed Bag
add_circle Pros
- The Alfa-Card has free maintenance, which is a major plus.
- The cashback program is a nice touch, although it's not as generous as some other cards.
- The online banking system is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- The card is widely accepted, both in Russia and abroad.
- The customer service is generally reliable, although I've had some issues in the past.
remove_circle Cons
- The cashback categories are limited, which can make it difficult to maximize your rewards.
- The bank tries to push its own services, which can be annoying at times.
- The interest rates on the card are a bit higher than I'd like.
- The fees for certain transactions can add up quickly.
- The card's rewards program can be confusing to understand.
Gallery
Editor's Summary
I've been with Alfa-Bank for over 7 years, and I gotta say, their cards have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. My first card was the Next - youth card, which had a fixed cashback program, but it wasn't very rewarding. I eventually closed my account and switched to another bank. However, I returned to Alfa a few years later with their debit Alfa-Card, and while it's been decent, I still have some reservations.
Specifications
I've been with Alfa-Bank for over 7 years now. My first card was the Next - youth card. If I'm not mistaken, it had a fixed cashback that was chosen when I applied for the card. Mine was fast food and movies, and the cashback was awarded in points that could be converted to rubles. To be honest, I didn't earn much cashback on that card, and eventually it became pretty useless since another bank had a card with cashback on everything in real money. That's when I closed my account and card with Alfa and switched to another bank.
Youth card next
Fast forward a few years, and I returned to Alfa - this time with a debit Alfa-Card. I resisted getting it for a long time, but the advertising for this card was everywhere, and I finally gave in. I wasn't opposed to the bank or its products; I just had a few other cards with cashback, so I didn't see the need for another one.
Alfa card
When the card finally arrived, I was pleased to see that the front didn't have any personal info on it - none at all. I like to carry my card in a transparent phone case, so it's always within reach, and I didn't want to flash my personal details. I don't store any money on the card; I just transfer funds to it as needed from other accounts.
When I applied for the card the second time around, I ran into some issues with transferring money via SBP to my Alfa-Bank card. It turned out that the bank's system had duplicated my info: I'd gotten married, changed my last name, but my phone number remained the same. As a result, there were two people in the system with the same phone number. I reached out to customer support, and they sent me to a branch, but it was a long way from my place, and I couldn't leave my kid with anyone. In the end, I just gave up and found other ways to transfer money.
Problems with SBP transferIt's been a year or so (maybe even longer), and the bank sorted out the issue on their own, so now I can transfer money to my Alfa-Card without any problems. I didn't have to do anything else.
My impression of the Alfa-Card:
• Free maintenance. That's a plus, but all my other cards have free maintenance too.
• Cashback. I have a few cards from other banks, and I compare them every month to see which ones offer the best categories.
Honestly, the cashback categories used to be pretty cool, but now they're just a joke every month. The last time I got some decent categories was back in March - it was my birthday, March 8th, and I was buying some jewelry. I landed on the 'jewelry' category, and I got to choose between it and the super cashback wheel. In total, I got a 11% cashback, which was the best I've ever gotten.
Most of the time, the wheel just gives me useless stuff like Alfa-Market or Alfa-Afisha.
As for the categories where I get to choose, I'm not really impressed. It's rare that I get something decent. Sometimes I feel like the bank is just messing with me - like, 0.5% on all purchases (yeah, that's a thing) or 1.5% on groceries - that's just ridiculous. Other banks, like VTB, offer way better cashback rates - like 10% on pharmacies, not 5% like Alfa.
To be honest, I don't use this card that often. It's just a backup in case I need to make a purchase on the go. I don't use it for everyday purchases - it just sits there, unused, for months at a time. It's the kind of card I wouldn't even miss if I lost it.
Games
Alfa's always got some game going on with cash prizes. Sometimes I play just for fun. The only time I won was with the 'Alfa Mani' game - I think I won like 193 rubles. And then there was the time I won 100 rubles for 'petting a cat's belly' in another game. That's pretty much it. Usually, the prizes are just cashback on Alfa-Market and Alfa-Afisha - useless to me.
Reviews
In October-December 2024, Alfa Bank was paying out for reviews - 1000 rubles for the first review and 1500 for subsequent ones. I made almost 6000 rubles that way.
Support
I've had to reach out to support a few times, and they've always been super helpful - they respond quickly and get me sorted. No complaints about the support team whatsoever.
Communication with support
Verdict
I like the concept of the bank and how it's always evolving. They offer some interesting games, but the prizes for them are pretty underwhelming. And honestly, I'm getting a bit tired of them shoving unnecessary services like Alpha-Afisha and Alpha-Market down my throat everywhere I look. They don't even offer cashback for Yandex.Market, but they're all about promoting their own services - Travel, Afisha, and Market. As a result, they've cut back on the number of categories I can choose from.
I'm left with a 'choice' that's not really a choice at all. And to be honest, the categories they do offer are pretty lame, so I'm not really missing out on much. That's why, despite the bank being okay, my card is just collecting dust. I'm not paying for maintenance, and I've even turned off notifications so they don't charge me for those too.
