Opened a 3 million‑ruble deposit, got my account blocked – VTB’s “welcome” is rude staff, indifference, and zero customer care

\nHey there!

\nI’m not throwing in any screenshots of the app because after VTB’s shady move I shut the card and the account, deleted the app and didn’t snap any pictures. My second online account got blocked too.

\nHere’s what went down.

\n

\nOpening an account and getting a VTB debit card.

\nI’d never used VTB before, but my sister has been a salary client there for years and always called it reliable.

\nAbout a year ago, after hearing her rave, I decided to apply for a VTB debit card myself.

\nThe process was quick. I filled out a short form on the website, waited for an SMS saying the card was ready, then after work I drove to a branch to pick it up. You need a passport.

\nEven though it was the end of the day and the lobby was packed, there was still about an hour before closing, and I managed to get through.

\nA bank employee printed the account‑opening contract, handed me the card, and walked me through the online portal. All of that took me 15‑20 minutes.

\n

\nUsing the VTB debit card.

\nIn the first month, after I spent 1,000 RUB, I got a 1,500 RUB bonus. I remembered signing up through a promo link and had completely forgotten about it, so the cash surprise was nice.

\nI used the card for utilities in both my apartment and my mom’s, for our home office, and for shopping on marketplaces and in regular stores. It quickly became my go‑to card.

\nVTB won me over, so after a couple of months I opened a small term deposit there and let a little money earn interest.

\n

\nDepositing and withdrawing cash at VTB ATMs.

\nVTB doesn’t have partner banks where you can top up for free, so you have to use a VTB machine.

\nThere aren’t many in my city, and none are on my usual route. I’d often pile up cash and then, when I found a machine, drop it all in at once. Most of the time it worked flawlessly.

\nOne time I deposited about 5,000 RUB, got an instant SMS confirmation, and the money showed up right away.

\nLater that day I tried to add another 30,000 RUB. The ATM accepted the cash, I walked away, but I never got a confirmation SMS and the transaction didn’t appear in my online history. I waited a couple of days—nothing. On the third day, just as I was about to call customer support, I finally got an SMS confirming the deposit.

\n

\nYou can pull cash without a fee from ATMs belonging to three banks:

\nVTB

\nOtkritie

\nRNKB

\nIn my town, Otkritie ATMs are even scarcer than VTB’s, and RNKB has none. So I either used a VTB machine or transferred money to another bank’s card that had a convenient ATM.

\n

\nAbout the deposit:

\nMy husband and I had a big deposit in another bank, sitting in his name, earning the best rates available at the time.

Then the banks bumped up their deposit rates, and our term was about to end, so we started thinking about moving the money to a place with a better return.

Lots of banks dangled tempting offers, but because we were dealing with a hefty sum—3 million rubles—and we only wanted a term of up to three months, the sweet deals usually capped at a million rubles and were tied to nine‑month terms.

We didn’t want to split the cash and open several accounts across different banks.

That’s when I remembered VTB’s ads promising great conditions for new customers.

My husband doesn’t have a VTB debit card, but he does have a VTB account that even receives my salary from the partner company I work for as a sole proprietor.

Since I already had a VTB deposit and the best rates were reserved for newcomers, we decided to open a VTB deposit in his name.

My husband is currently serving in the war, but he left his phone—loaded with all the banking apps—with me, and he also gave me a notarized power of attorney.

First, I transferred the money from the other bank into my husband’s VTB account, then I logged into his VTB online cabinet using his login and password on his phone and set up a 3‑million‑ruble, three‑month deposit with interest capitalized at 17%.

The first month went smoothly. The interest hit on time, I checked the cabinet, everything looked fine. I didn’t touch the account at all—just logged in, confirmed it was all good, and logged out.

A month later, when the interest payout was due, the thought popped back into my head and I opened the cabinet again.

That’s when VTB threw me a nasty surprise.

Turns out they had blocked my husband’s online cabinet. I couldn’t get in, and I had no way of knowing whether our money was still there.

No SMS, no email—nothing. Apparently the bank got a weird feeling and decided to lock us out of our own funds.

I tried to transfer money from my card to my husband’s VTB account, first using his phone number, then his account number. Both attempts were rejected.

The next morning I gathered every document I had on hand—my passport, a copy of my husband’s passport, our marriage certificate, his mobilization paperwork, a note confirming he’s in the combat zone, and the notarized power of attorney—and headed to the nearest VTB branch. I was the only customer there.

I explained the situation to the bank employee, and she calmly told me there was nothing she could do without my husband being present, even the power of attorney didn’t count.

Answering questions like whether our deposit money is safe, if interest will keep coming for the rest of the term, whether my salary will still land, where the deposit goes if my husband can’t get in touch with the bank before the term ends, and why the online account got blocked – my wife couldn’t even log in. She says she works under cameras.

After I got back from the bank and did a quick Google search, I found out this is actually pretty common at VTB. They block salary cards of people involved in the conflict without warning and demand that the card owner call the bank, or that the spouse bring a BANK POWER OF ATTORNEY. A notarized one doesn’t cut it. We’re lucky the salary doesn’t go into a VTB account.

I called the bank’s hot line just to get a reason for the account lock, but the agent flat‑out refused to tell me anything and was downright rude the whole time.

Apparently VTB can’t grasp that during wartime there’s barely any connection – maybe a few minutes every few weeks, and even then it’s full of drops and stutters. How are people supposed to chase down a bank under those conditions, listen to a robot and hold music while waiting for an operator? The bank doesn’t seem to care.

VTB just decided to lock the online account for no reason, gave no explanation, and left us scrambling to get our own money back. "All for the people," right?

When my husband finally got a chance to call, I told him what had happened and that he needed to call VTB.

He managed to get through, verified his identity, but they still couldn’t unlock his account over the phone. They said he has to show up in person with his passport – which means he has to get back to a place that even has a VTB branch.

For comparison, here’s what happened with another bank. My husband’s salary goes into a card from a different bank. We also had a savings account at Sberbank back then, and at the time banks still charged a commission for transfers over 100 k.

I moved 100 k from my husband’s salary card to his Sber savings account, and to avoid transfer fees I tried to withdraw the rest from an ATM and deposit it at Sber.

Then my sister suggested using the Sber app’s “top up card” feature, entering the other bank’s card details, and the payment would go through commission‑free. I’d never done that, but I trusted her and gave it a shot. The moment the other bank saw the attempted debit, it froze my husband’s card.

In that case I get why the card got blocked – it looked like a suspicious transfer, even though it was just moving money between my own accounts. The bank played it safe, and I’m fine with that.

I went to the salary‑paying bank with the same paperwork that VTB rejected, explained the situation, and they unlocked the card on the spot.

VTB, on the other hand, took advantage of the fact that the client is in a conflict zone and can’t appear in person, and simply kept the money. I can’t withdraw the 3 million rubles from the deposit, and I can’t even confirm whether that 3 million is still there.

In the best case, when the term of the deposit ends, the bank just rolls it over on terms only they know. Even better if the money is still there and the interest comes in full.

And if that doesn’t happen, what’s the point of moving our money from the old deposit just to hand VTB over more than 100 k rubles in interest and let them use our 3 million?

I’m a pretty loyal customer, and I get that there are a lot of scammers out there, so banks have good reasons to freeze a card or account. Usually they’ll text or call if they suspect a compromise, letting you know what’s up. In this case, if I hadn’t decided to log into the online portal, I’d have never known the card was blocked. The exact time and reason are nowhere to be found.

And again, why did the staff ignore me even though I had a notarized power of attorney in hand? What’s the point of that document then? It works for other banks, but not for VTB. Why does a call‑center agent feel entitled to talk to a customer so rudely?

Just an arrogant bank that doesn’t care about its customers!

Closing my VTB debit card and account.Naturally, after everything that happened, I didn’t want to stay a VTB customer any longer.

I ordered and received a debit card from another bank.

Then I logged into VTB’s online portal, closed my deposit, transferred all the money to the other bank, and finally shut down my debit card. By the way, you can’t close the account yourself online – you have to go into a branch with your passport.

Luck wasn’t on my side again – the branch was packed, about an hour and a half left before closing, and only two staff members on duty.

When my turn finally came, I told the teller I wanted to close the account so I wouldn’t be a VTB client any more. She asked if I’d already closed the card and whether ten days had passed. Turns out VTB’s policy requires a ten‑day waiting period after a debit card is shut down before you can close the account. You can’t do it sooner. Luckily, the ten days had already elapsed, so she printed the closure form, I signed it, and the account was shut within an hour of leaving the branch.

Bottom line:VTB was fine for me up until a point. After the bank forgot about customer focus and basic human decency, its true attitude toward clients showed, and I have nothing to do with them now. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone.

Thanks for reading my review.