Hello everyone!

I'm super excited to share with you my experience with the Ak Bars Bank's incredible generosity. And I'm not being sarcastic - I've never seen such amazing, albeit temporary, conditions from any other bank, and I've been around the block a few times!

I stumbled upon this bank and its super-generous offer by chance - I'm not even sure where I saw the ad, but it caught my eye with the promise of a 10% cashback on everything. I thought to myself, 'This is too good to be true,' but I decided to investigate further. And guess what? It's actually true!

Ak Bars Bank review💸 GENERAL INFO 💸

PAO 'Ak Bars' Bank' is a Russian joint-stock commercial bank with its head office in Kazan. The bank has all the necessary banking licenses and offers over 100 types of banking services to corporate and individual clients.

Ak Bars Bank reviewThe bank has a presence in many Russian cities, but not all of them. For example, in the Rostov region, it's nowhere to be found - although the map shows that there used to be two branches in Rostov-on-Don.The bank is represented in 66 cities and 66 other populated areas.

I live in St. Petersburg, and the bank has a presence here - I was able to order a card either by courier or in person. I chose the latter, as waiting for couriers can be a real nerve-wracker. Beforehand, I downloaded the app so I wouldn't have to deal with the internet issues in the branch (you never know what kind of internet they'll have).

Ak Bars Bank Review I didn't have any issues getting my MIR debit card, although I did have to wait in line at the branch, and the girl who helped me was a trainee who was really trying, but didn't know the answers to half my questions and kept asking her more experienced colleague for help. Honestly, I didn't really like the branch I went to, which was near the Akademicheskaya metro station - it was cramped, with nowhere to sit, and standing in line for 30 minutes was a real drag. I mean, come on, who doesn't love a good couch? Check out how to apply for the card on their official website. I also considered the Auruum card, which pays out in gold, but I decided to go with the standard card, which pays out in cash.

Now, about the card's fine print - for example, the 10% cashback is only applied to the minimum balance if you have more than 30,000 rubles on the card. So, you need to put the money in all at once, on the day the card is activated, and before 7pm - the bank didn't even bother to warn me about this, I had to find out from a comment on VK. And even then, the payment might take a while to process, so it's best to put the money in in the morning or early afternoon. I put it in at 4pm, and the payment went through, and the 10% cashback was applied to the whole amount.

Card Conditions

There are a few different cards in the bank, and each has its own set of conditions. I have the white card, which is the most popular MIR debit card right now, with a positive message on it - smile

Cashback 10% in rubles

10% annual interest on the balance from 30,000 to 100,000 rubles, 3% on balances below 30,000 rubles, 2% on balances above 100,000 rubles

Free maintenance always and without conditions

Card validity period - 3 years

Conditions are pretty sweet, but they're limited-time. So, it's not a permanent thing. 10% cashback is only applied for the first 3 calendar months of using the card. Initially, the offer was until the end of December 2022, but now it's been extended until February 28, 2023. Maybe they'll extend it again, so you still have a chance here - full rules for document enthusiasts.Payment system here is MIR, which was also a crucial factor for me, as I love paying with my phone. After disabling Google Pay, I've almost completely switched to MIR.

Another nice bonus is that you can withdraw cash at any Russian ATM without commission! This is especially relevant, considering that Ak Bars ATMs are not exactly widespread.

Withdrawal limits are as follows:

Daily limit at bank and third-party ATMs: 150,000 ₽

Monthly limit at bank and third-party ATMs: 750,000 ₽

Daily limit at bank and third-party cash desks: 150,000 ₽

Monthly limit at bank and third-party cash desks: 750,000 ₽

However, if you use third-party cash desks, a commission is already applied.

The rest of the conditions are pretty standard, so it's a good idea to disable SMS notifications right away to avoid overpaying.

Internet banking: Free

Card operations notifications: 30 ₽ or 59 ₽ per month. The first month is free.

💸 MY IMPRESSIONS 💸

Overall, the conditions are great, you should get this card 😂. However, there's one catch - when the entire cashback fund is depleted, the program might be terminated early. But, judging by the fact that they're extending it instead, it's unlikely to happen.

You can get a maximum of 6,000 ₽ in cashback - 2,000 ₽ per promotional month. So, spending more than 20,000 ₽ on this card doesn't make sense. Plus, cashback is even applied to utility bills! For me, this is a huge success, as I've only managed to get up to 5% from Home Credit when I got a utility bill in a higher category, and 4% when paying with St. Petersburg Unified Card. This is still pretty good, but 10% is definitely better.

I've been using the card since mid-October, so I've already received my first cashback 'paycheck'. The money is credited by the 15th of the following month. So, the cashback for October arrives by the 15th of November, and so on.

PNB is credited on the 30th or 31st, or sometimes on the 1st – I'm still not entirely sure. That's where I ran into a problem – my PNB for November isn't showing up in the transaction list, although it did show up in my income for October. I reached out to support, and they sent me a statement showing the credit, but I still can't shake the feeling that something's off, especially since I didn't remember the exact amount on my card and can't confirm whether it was credited or not. I'm pretty sure it was, but it still feels weird.

My only real complaint is with the support team. I usually write to the chat when I encounter an issue, and it's like navigating a never-ending maze. First, it's the robot that, of course, doesn't understand your question (I mean, you'd think bots are supposed to make life easier for customers, but in reality, they just cause frustration with their unwavering 'intelligence' that can then be directed at the poor operator), and then it's the operators, who are easily mistaken for bots.

Ak Bars Bank reviewOh, and of course, there are the endless pre-approved credit cards and loans that keep popping up in my personal account. I hide them, hide them, but they just keep coming back. But that's a problem many banks have, and I even had a bank that refused to give me a debit card without a credit card.

Ak Bars Bank reviewThe Ak Bars app itself is pretty user-friendly – you can see your income and expenses, and they're all categorized.

Ak Bars Bank reviewI specifically set my expenses to 20,000, but I forgot that transactions can take up to two days to process. So, my cashback ended up being a bit less than 2,000, but it was still awesome. Noted as income :)Ak Bars Bank reviewYou can also pay various services and transfer money from there. SBP is connected by default, which is super convenient.

Ak Bars Bank Review So, I can transfer money without any fees and to other bank cards. For me, that's a big deal, since I'm always transferring money from card to card and paying for things like manicures and eyebrows with transfers.The card design is really nice - it's sleek and pretty.

Ak Bars Bank Review But, I'm not a fan of having all the info on one side. I'm one of those people who sometimes pays for things online in the metro, and it's not exactly convenient to have all my info on display. I much prefer the format where the CVC/CVV number is on the back. Ak Bars Bank ReviewOnce my 3-month cashback promo is over, the Sliki loyalty program will kick in. I'm not really sure what to expect (I'm not sure if I'll even be using this card as my main one), but I've already got 500 points just for taking a survey. That's a nice perk 😊

I'm not sure what's going to happen with the 10% cashback on the rest once the promo ends, so I'll just keep enjoying the bank's generosity for now. The conditions are pretty sweet, even better than some of the deposit deals I've seen. Of course, you do have to spend between 30,000 and 100,000 to get the full 10% cashback, but still, it's a great deal. Plus, there are bonuses through the Refer a Friend program (if you're interested, hit me up and I'll send you a referral link).

I'm really happy with my Ak Bars Bank MIR card - even though the conditions are temporary, it feels like a wild ride of generosity. So, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to jump on the bandwagon 😊

➕ Pros:

10% cashback10% cashback on all purchases for the first 3 monthsCashback is applied to any amount (even if you spent 5 rubles, you'll get 50 kopeks back, no rounding down)Free cash withdrawals at any ATM in RussiaCard design is pretty sweetMIR payment system - you can pay with your phone➖ As for the cons, I'd say:

Support that's clueless about half the questions and takes hours to respond (like when I asked if the cashback fund was still active, some staff just refused to answer)The cashback terms are super confusing, and they don't even warn you - I've read stories about people getting their cashback up to 19:00, but the transaction wouldn't process in time, so they didn't get the higher rate for the rest. Plus, there's still a chance the cashback fund will run out, and some people won't get their cashback at allThe 'no-queue' department has queues, thoughI'm still pretty happy with everything else, and I'd recommend Ak Bars Bank for the best conditions on the market - at least, for now

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks for reading!

See you around 😉

Check out my other reviews on banks, credit cards, and all things finance - here