Why I'm Still Loving SberPrime Despite the Price Hike
Hello everyone!
New Year's started with the usual price hikes - on the internet, mobile services, utilities, and various services. It's no surprise that prices for essential products and goods keep going up.
Sber wasn't immune to this trend. In 2025, the subscription price increased in mid-March (from 199 to 299 rubles), and in 2026, it went up to 399 rubles starting January 16th.
I pay my subscription at the end of the month, so I'll be shelling out the higher price by the end of January.
It's all pretty unpleasant, to be honest - the cost increase is a whopping 33% over the year. Official inflation rates are way lower, right? Oh well, let's not dwell on the negative.
Despite the price hike, I still think SberPrime is worth the cost. Let me break it down for you.
First and foremost, I love the discount on my mobile plan. I have two SIM cards - Beeline and Sbermobil. Beeline's tariff is pretty pricey, and to make matters worse, the minutes are limited. With the current situation with calls, especially in messengers, it's a necessary evil.
On the other hand, I have an unlimited calling plan on Sbermobil, but it only works if I'm subscribed to SberPrime. Plus, since I'm a salaried client of Sber, I get a discount on my mobile plan. In the end, I pay just 175 rubles a month for 10 GB of internet and unlimited calls across Russia. By the way, Beeline's worse conditions cost me several times more.
The mobile data is just the tip of the iceberg - my SberPrime subscription pays for itself in a big way.
For me, the second most important thing is the rewards I get from SberSpasibo. Some people might not like them, but I actually find them pretty useful. I can use them in the stores I already shop at – it's just plain old convenience. Whether it's Samokat, Burger King, or MegaMarket, I always find a way to spend them.
With SberPrime, you get to choose from five categories instead of four each month, and you earn 1% SberSpasibo on all purchases, not just 0.5%. Of course, there are some catches – for example, you don't earn rewards on purchases under 100 rubles, except for the 'Urban Transport' category.
Not every month offers great categories, but I usually find at least three out of five that I need.
By the end of 2025, I had earned 4037 SberSpasibo. I didn't earn a lot, but I don't just use Sber for everything – although it's my go-to most of the time. Still, I didn't make any big purchases, so these rewards are mostly from my regular spending.
My third favorite thing about SberPrime is the free notifications for all my cards. Considering that regular notifications for each card cost 99 rubles, having two cards already makes you pay half the subscription for notifications – but without any of the benefits. If you have more cards, it's even worse.
Another great thing about SberPrime is that it comes with a free subscription to the Okko online cinema. Last year, a separate subscription to Okko would have cost me 299 rubles, which is the same as the SberPrime subscription. But SberPrime has a whole lot more perks on top of that.
Okko is a great platform, by the way - they've got a ton of interesting series coming out, premieres, new releases, and all that good stuff.
I didn't spend an awful lot of time on Okko, but I did watch all the interesting movies and series I wanted to see, and I even wrote reviews for some of them - and, as a bonus, I even earned some money from it.
The fifth perk of SberPrime is a +1% interest rate on my savings account. The amount I have saved is modest, but it's still nice to get a bit more interest.
One of the other great things about SberPrime is that I can share my subscription with three people without paying extra - I've shared it with my sister, for instance.
And, of course, I also use Samokat a couple of times a month, and with SberPrime, I get more bonuses there, too - I can even spend up to 99% of them.
Those are the main perks of SberPrime that I can think of. I don't really use the other features.
For me, these are pretty compelling reasons to subscribe to SberPrime.
I calculated how much I saved with the Sber subscription in 2025.
I've broken down the details of their calculation below.
That works out to around 1500 rubles saved per month on average, paying 299 rubles. Not bad, if I do say so myself. Of course, I haven't used all the services listed - I haven't been to any business lounges, for instance. But even by the most conservative estimates, the subscription pays for itself twice over.
Incidentally, the annual price hasn't changed and is still 2990 rubles. That's 250 rubles per month, not 400. So, I'm definitely considering signing up for the subscription for a year - it's a lot more cost-effective, especially with the monthly payment hike.
Who benefits most from Sberprime? It's obvious that the more you spend, the more you'll benefit - even with the bonus rewards, it's already worth it. Plus, anyone who uses services like Okko, Sber's mobile network, and the like will get a lot of value out of it. But if you don't use those services and don't spend much on your Sber cards, then the subscription isn't worth it, especially at 400 rubles per month.
My income is pretty modest, but since I use Sber cards and services, and most importantly, Sbermobil, the benefits are clear to me. So, I'll keep paying for the subscription, but I think the 33% price hike is a bit steep.
I'm happy with my SberPrime subscription, and I think it's a great value for the money. Sure, the price hike is a bit of a bummer, but the benefits I get from the subscription far outweigh the cost. I'd definitely recommend SberPrime to anyone who uses Sber services and wants to save some money.
Of course, it's worth noting that the subscription isn't perfect, and there are some limitations to the rewards and benefits. But for me, the pros far outweigh the cons, and I'm happy to pay the price for the convenience and savings I get from SberPrime.
So, if you're considering signing up for SberPrime, I'd say go for it. It's a great way to save some money and get some extra perks on top of that. Just be aware of the price hike and the limitations of the subscription, and you'll be all set.