Yandex Pay Review: Is it Worth it?

Name: My Honest Review of Yandex Pay: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Item: Yandex Pay Card
Rating: 4
Author: jeremybowman807

My Honest Review of Yandex Pay: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

summarizeEditor's Summary

I've been using Yandex Wallet for ages, and I'm a regular customer of Yandex.Taxi. I've got a Yandex.Plus subscription that I use all the time, and I occasionally shop on Yandex.Market. I'm pretty familiar with Yandex's services, and I've got hardly any complaints. But when I was making my first purchase on Market, they asked me to set up a Yandex Pay MIR card – it's a virtual card. There's also a separate Yandex Pay app that brings everything together: Split, and offers to open deposits (they call them Savings here). With Yandex Pay, you can earn bonuses for leaving a balance on your card, and some categories offer great cashback deals. It's super easy to top up your account, and I appreciate the flexibility. You can use your Yandex Pay card to pay for services across the Yandex platform, which is really convenient. The discounts on Yandex Market are a nice perk, and I've saved some money already. I've been using Yandex Pay for a while now, and it's been a great experience overall.

settingsSpecifications

Kararİyi

HizmetKalite9/10

ParaYöntemi7/10

KullanıcıDostu8/10

I stumbled upon a great offer in the Yandex Go app: if you keep 25,000 rubles on your Yandex Pay card for 30 days, you'll get a 10% cashback on each Comfort and Comfort+ taxi ride in the form of points that you can redeem for new rides or spend on Market purchases. I didn't hesitate - I decided to go for it. Besides this awesome app, in August 2024, I was also given a 15% cashback on public transportation when paying with Pay - that's quite a nice perk. Plus, there was a 2% cashback on purchases made by scanning a QR code with my phone.

Two days into it, the remaining balance was under 25k, but the countdown didn't reset - it just froze on 20 days!I initially topped up my card with a small amount, just to see if the cashback for topping up my Troika card through the app would actually work. And, yeah, it did - I got the cashback on my Yandex Plus right away. I thought to myself, 'this is awesome!' I needed to top up my card and start saving up so I could get 10% off my taxi fares. But, it wasn't as simple as I thought: I couldn't top up my Pay account to 25k rubles on the 'Newbie' level - I needed to upgrade to 'Advanced'. And to do that, I had to share my Russian passport data from Gosuslugi. Only then could I access a balance of up to 600k rubles. There's also a 'Maximum' level, but to get that, I'd have to meet with a Yandex rep in person.

I tried to upgrade to 'Advanced' several times, but it kept failing - my passport's from the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), and when I tried to fill in my address on Yandex, I couldn't even select that region - it wasn't in the list. So, I kept getting an error - it's on Gosuslugi, but not here. That's a pretty rough oversight. But, eventually, I managed to top up successfully on 25k rubles, and now I'm just cruising along, enjoying my days off, not a care in the world.

I also topped up my Yandex Money account through this app - it was a seamless process. I just clicked the 'Top Up' button, and with my Alfa-Bank card selected, the money was deducted from my account using the code from the SMS confirmation. There was a tiny printout that said the bank might take a commission, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Fast forward a few days, and I logged into my Alfa-Bank online account to see that 484 rubles had been deducted from my account for the transactions. By my calculations, that's a 1.95% commission per transaction. What a great way to save money, right? 500 rubles just vanished into thin air! So, if you want to top up your card without getting charged exorbitant fees, it's best to do it manually through the Sberbank mobile app. Just enter your number and select Yandex from the list of banks.

I recently had a similar experience when I made a purchase through Yandex Split, but set up the payments to be deducted from my PSB card. Again, a 199-ruble commission showed up, so be careful with that. It's better to pay for Split directly with Yandex Pay!

I also kept getting ads for Yandex Savings with a pretty decent interest rate, even higher than what banks offer (that's a deposit), and it piqued my interest. I tried to open it up, but nothing worked - I sent the documents twice, along with a selfie of them. In the end, customer support told me that it's not possible to open it up right now due to technical reasons, and they didn't know when it would be available. Why are these savings being actively advertised, then? Another thing, it's stated that Savings are only available for the 'Maximum' level, where a personal meeting is required for verification, so why did I waste my time taking photos if it's not possible? Overall, the service still feels a bit raw!

I finally topped up to the right amount - 25k rubles What really made me happy, though, was when I paid with my card using the QR code at VkusVill to get a cashback of 7% of the purchase amount (the discount applies to payments in any supermarket) - I miscalculated and ended up with 24,987 rubles, which is 13 rubles short. I was worried that the entire counter would reset and I'd have to start from scratch to accumulate an additional discount for taxi, but nope - all I had to do was cover the deficit within the same day and the days would continue to accumulate. That's really cool!

Verdict: I've been using the virtual card actively, and even after a year, I got the "Split" card for free. I can use my points to order things for free on Yandex Market. I've even ordered perfume for 1 ruble using my points, and I've taken taxis for free using my points too. It's convenient, but you need to have an active Yandex Plus subscription. Like I do for my Alexa speaker. But be careful with the automatic payments and auto-replenishments from other bank cards - you might end up with some unexpected large fees!

I'd also appreciate it if they could sort out the remote identity verification for people with permanent registration in LNR - it's a real hassle. I don't like meeting couriers to get my documents, and I'd use the "saves" more actively. Overall, I've been using the service for over 1.5 years, and it's been a smooth ride.

live_helpFeatured FAQ

Is Yandex Pay free to use?

Yes, Yandex Pay is a free service, which is one of its major advantages. You can use it to make payments, earn rewards, and save money without incurring any fees.

How do I earn bonuses with Yandex Pay?

You can earn bonuses by leaving a balance on your Yandex Pay card. The more you leave on your card, the more bonuses you'll earn – it's a simple and effective way to get free money.

What are the cashback deals like on Yandex Pay?

Yandex Pay offers cashback deals in various categories, which can be a nice surprise. However, sometimes the deals may not be as great as you expect, so it's always a good idea to check the terms and conditions before making a purchase.

Can I use my Yandex Pay card to pay for services across the Yandex platform?

Yes, you can use your Yandex Pay card to pay for services across the Yandex platform, which is really convenient. This includes Yandex.Taxi, Yandex.Market, and other services.

Are there any fees associated with using Yandex Pay?

Yes, there are fees associated with using Yandex Pay, such as topping up your account. However, the service is generally free to use, and the fees are relatively low.

How do I set up a savings account with Yandex Pay?

To set up a savings account with Yandex Pay, you'll need to open the Yandex Pay app and follow the prompts. However, I've had some issues with this process in the past, which can be frustrating.

Can I use Yandex Pay to pay for purchases on Yandex Market?

Yes, you can use Yandex Pay to pay for purchases on Yandex Market. In fact, you can use your Yandex Pay card to pay for services across the Yandex platform, which is really convenient.

Are there any discounts available on Yandex Market?

Yes, there are discounts available on Yandex Market, which can be a nice perk. You can use your Yandex Pay card to pay for purchases and earn rewards, which can help you save money.

check_circlePros

•The free service is a major plus, especially since I'm already using Yandex's other services.
•I love the bonuses for leaving a balance on my card – it's like getting free money!
•Some categories offer great cashback deals, which is a nice surprise.
•It's super easy to top up my account, and I appreciate the flexibility.
•I can use my Yandex Pay card to pay for services across the Yandex platform, which is really convenient.
•The discounts on Yandex Market are a nice perk, and I've saved some money already.
•The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
•The customer support is helpful and responsive.

cancelCons

•Sometimes the rewards seem inflated, which can be a bit disappointing.
•Topping up my account comes with a fee, which is a bummer.
•I've had some issues with setting up savings accounts, which can be frustrating.
•The app can be a bit glitchy at times, which is annoying.
•I wish they'd simplify the process for opening savings accounts – it's a bit of a hassle.
•Occasionally, the cashback deals aren't as great as I expected, which can be a letdown.
•The fees for topping up my account can add up over time.
•The app sometimes crashes or freezes, which is frustrating.