I've been living in a small town with a population of just under 80,000 people, and one of the downsides is that we don't have access to many of the amenities that bigger cities offer. That's why I'm so glad that T-bank's City service is available, even if the selection isn't huge.
I've been using it with great results, and I want to share my experience with you in this review. You can find this section in the T-bank app, at the bottom of the screen, in the middle.
T-bank City, reviewHere, you'll find different categories of products and services, and I'll show you what's available to us in our small town and tell you about what I've used, how much cashback I've earned.
One of the categories that I've found to be really useful is Supermarkets. I'd say it's the only category where we can get something. We've got a limited selection of stores to choose from - Magnit, Magnit Cosmetics, Lenta, and Pyaterochka.
In September, there was a 30% cashback offer on orders, and I took advantage of it several times. I often order from the Magnit app, but the discount is capped at 20%, and some items are already at their final price, so there's no discount on them. But when I order through T-bank, I get the full 30% cashback on the order total. The prices are the same as in the Magnit app, but keep in mind that they're mostly higher than in the stores. The difference can be quite noticeable, around 50-70 rubles per item.
I've made several orders, only buying what I need.
Supermarkets in T-bank City, reviewTo maximize cashback, I order items with discounts in Magnit and items marked as 'final price' in T-bank.Cashback arrives on the day of the statement, but it's immediately displayed on the card as to how much will be credited.
City in T-bank, reviewThis is way more straightforward than some other cashback deals out there. You know exactly what you're getting, and there are no surprises.One thing that's really nice is that delivery from Magnit and M.Video is free, but if you order from somewhere else, you'll have to pay for shipping. That's a bit of a bummer, if you ask me.
That being said, the cashback amount is pretty low, so I'm not sure if it's even worth using. Plus, if you order through the app, the price is higher, which kind of defeats the purpose of cashback.
Another category that I've tried is Fuel. I've also tried using the fuel cashback, and it works just like it does with supermarkets - they give you the cashback on your card. In September, they were offering 15% cashback on fuel, and one of the places on the list was our regular gas station.
So, we filled up with 45 liters of gas for 2818.1 rubles, and we got 423 rubles back as cashback on our card.
City in T-bank, reviewIt was super easy to get the cashback, too - I just had to click a few buttons in the app, and that was it. No need to attach my card or anything like that.My husband was a bit skeptical at first, thinking that since he'd never used his Gazprom card, he wouldn't get any cashback. But then he realized that 423 rubles is way better than 60 rubles, so we're going to stick with the T-bank cashback.
Of course, if the cashback amount covers the bonus, we'll go with the gas station that offers the bonus instead. But for now, T-bank is the way to go.
I haven't actually used the shopping cashback yet, but it looks like it could be pretty useful. For example, you can get 25% cashback on purchases up to 4000 rubles at Detsky Mir. And the prices are the same as they are on the Detsky Mir app, so it's a no-brainer.
But here's the thing - if you pay through the website, you get the cashback, but if you buy in-store, you only get the cashback if you're in a category that offers it. So, it's worth checking the app to see what's available before you make a purchase.
City in T-bank, reviewNow, let's talk about the not-so-great deals. I've seen instances where the initial price in-store is inflated, and they promise a cashback. But honestly, I'd recommend taking a closer look at this section.
I haven't used the tracking packages and scooters feature, to be honest, since I didn't need to.
I haven't been able to use the events feature, unfortunately, since we don't have any concerts, theater, exhibitions, or movies in our city. Maybe plan a trip to a bigger city in advance, though.
City in T-bank, reviewIn October, I got a 22% cashback in this category, so I might use it somewhere else in the future. Only if the cashback is more than the commission, of course. I once searched for circus tickets through T-bank, and it ended up being more expensive than buying directly from the circus website with a commission.
I haven't used the subscriptions feature, since I'm already subscribed to Yandex Plus and it covers everything I need.
City in T-bank, review➡️ Travel - Flights, Hotels, Insurance, Tours, Trains, Buses, Excursions. Again, I tried to use it, but the commission wasn't covered by the cashback, so I decided against it.
I haven't been able to find any useful deals in the beauty category, to be honest. We have a total of 4 salons to choose from, but most of them work the old-fashioned way - you book an appointment over the phone, pay in cash, and so on. The salons in the T-bank list aren't exactly cheap, but if you calculate it, the manicure would cost almost the same as where I usually go. The cashback is pretty small, and it's not worth risking getting subpar quality for just 100 rubles. But I guess it might be useful for someone.
City in T-bank, reviewI wouldn't dare go to the car maintenance category, especially considering the complexity of choosing a place for car maintenance and the cashback might not be worth it.
City in T-bank, reviewRestaurants are not available in our city.
We have car insurance in T-bank, but that's my husband's concern, and it's a topic for a separate review. To put it briefly - make sure to check the insurance documents. In our case, the driver's rights in the app were correct, but in the insurance document, they were old and invalid. I have no idea how they got them, but the good thing is that we discovered the mistake before someone in law enforcement decided to check it. We found it by accident, so make sure to check the documents thoroughly.
I'm not really into job listings, but if you are, there are only a few options available.
So, in all seriousness, I've been using Supermarkets and Fuel from the City in T-bank section, and possibly Shopping as well. These services often offer cashback, which can be redeemed for a significant amount on your purchases.
It's worth noting that there are cashback limits per month. The standard cards without subscriptions have a limit of 3000 rubles. Cards with subscriptions have a limit of 5000 rubles. Signing up for the Premium subscription costs 30,000 rubles.
I asked in the app's chat how much cashback I could get in the City section in a month, and they replied:
Hello, Maria!
I see you have a higher category 'Supermarkets in the City' in September.
With it, our service gives you a 2x bonus:
- 1% from the service always goes into the service limit (3,000 per calendar month for the 'Supermarkets' service);
- The remaining 29% goes into your regular purchase limit (3,000 per billing period).
Total cashback is 30% split into 2 limits :)
Nothing makes sense to me, but it's really interesting.
So, out of 1,000 rubles in cashback, 10 goes into the City service, and 990 into regular purchases, including cashback for chosen categories. And apparently, anything above these 3,000 will be added in the next period.
If you know you'll be making a lot of purchases and want to get more cashback, it's worth considering a Premium subscription – it's still a good deal.
I'm good with my current limit, but if needed, I'd definitely opt for a Premium subscription. This month, I might have to do it since I've already used half of my limit.
Getting cashback for purchases you'd make anyway is really nice.
Supermarkets in the City T-bank, reviewAs long as T-bank's system works smoothly and cashback is credited without issues, I'll definitely keep using it and recommend it to others.