Universal credit card from Asia-Pacific Bank

You can receive and use the card for free. As an additional service, you can enable notifications for deposits and withdrawals. The cost of this option is 89 RUB per month.

ATB offers a substantial credit limit — from 30,000 to 500,000 RUB. You can find out the available amount only upon signing the contract. This is because the credit limit depends on many factors: credit history, debt load, place of employment, salary level, and so on.

It is difficult to obtain a large credit limit immediately, especially if you are not a payroll client of ATB. If you are applying to the bank for the first time, you can receive no more than 100,000 RUB. 

In the future, you can increase the available amount. To do this, you need to consistently use the credit card and avoid missing mandatory payments.

The interest-free period for the Universal Card is up to 212 days. However, not everyone gets such a long grace period. Like the credit limit, the bank determines the interest-free period individually for each borrower.

If you do not have the funds to fully repay the credit card debt, you can make only the mandatory minimum payment. For the Universal Card, this amount is 3% of the debt plus accrued interest.

If you do not repay the debt in full, making mandatory payments is essential. This prevents overdue status and penalties on the debt amount. If you miss the mandatory minimum payments, the bank will charge fines and report the delinquencies to the Credit History Bureau.

The bank does not charge interest on purchases and cash withdrawals provided the debt is paid off before the end of the grace period. If you fail to close the debt by the end of the interest-free period, the overpayment is 35% per annum.

If you cannot repay the credit card debt in full, you must at least make the mandatory minimum payment. If you fail to do so, the bank will charge a penalty. The penalty rate is 20% per annum for each day of delay on the debt amount, starting from the day following the day the debt arose.

The advantage of this credit card is that you can withdraw up to 30,000 RUB monthly without commission. If you exceed this limit, you will pay an extra 4.9% of the amount plus 590 RUB. The same commission applies to transfers of credit funds.

At ATB, you can choose one of two bonus programs. In the first case, you earn 1.5% on all purchases under the "All Included" category. In the second case, the bank accrues 1% on purchases outside the selected category and 7% on purchases within one chosen category.

For the enhanced cashback category, you can choose: "Auto," "Home & Renovation," "Family," "Shopping," "Health," "Beauty & Sport," "Entertainment & Leisure."

However, to receive cashback in the enhanced category, you must meet one condition — spend at least 5,000 RUB per month on the card. The maximum reward you can earn is 5,000 bonus points. The bank credits these to a special bonus account within 10 business days. Bonuses can be transferred to the card account at a rate of 1 point = 1 RUB.

Requirements at ATB are quite strict. You can get a credit card if you meet the following criteria set by the financial institution:

• Russian citizenship;
• residing in a region where the bank has a branch, or having a good credit history;
• aged from 21 to 70 years old;
• with at least 3 months of employment at your current job;
• with regular pension or social payments, if you are a retiree;
• with at least 6 months of sole proprietorship experience;
• if you are a sole proprietor;
• with at least 6 months of registration as self-employed, if you are self-employed.

Only a Russian Federation citizen's passport is required to apply for the credit card. However, if you have a poor credit history or are requesting a large credit limit, you may also need documents confirming your income and place of employment.

Pros:

• free card issuance;
• free card maintenance;
• large credit limit — up to 500,000 RUB;
• long interest-free period — up to 212 days;
• no fees for cash withdrawals up to 30,000 RUB per month;
• opportunity to earn up to 7% cashback;
• ability to get a credit card with just a Russian Federation citizen's passport.

Cons:

• high commission for cash withdrawals and transfers of credit funds when limits are exceeded;
• the bank may request documents verifying your income and employment.