SberCard debit card for foreign citizens from SberBank

You can get a debit card for free—the bank does not charge an additional issuance fee. However, card maintenance is subject to a fee. The cost is 150 RUB per month, or 40 RUB per month if you are a foreign citizen aged 14 to 22.

However, you can use the card for free if you meet at least one of the following conditions:

• make purchases totaling at least 5,000 RUB per month;
• receive your salary or social benefits on the card;
• pay for the SberPrime Start, SberPrime, or SberPrime+ subscription.

As an additional service, you can enable transaction alerts. The cost of notifications for deposits and withdrawals is 99 RUB per month, or 40 RUB per month if you receive a social benefit or pension on the card.

You can use this service for free if you subscribe to SberPrime Start, SberPrime, or SberPrime+.

You can top up your SberCard for foreign citizens using the following convenient methods:

• with cash at SberBank ATMs and cash desks;
• in cash at partner bank ATMs;
• via transfers from other banks by card number;
• via transfers from other banks by phone number through the FPS.

You can withdraw cash from the card for free at ATMs and cash desks of Sberbank, its subsidiaries, and other banks within the approved daily and monthly limits. Exceeding these limits incurs a fee of 1%, with a minimum of 150 RUB.

You can check your daily and monthly limits in your SberCard terms within your internet banking profile or mobile app.

You can send money without commission between your own accounts up to 30 000 000 RUB per month. You can also transfer funds for free to other Sberbank clients up to 50 000, 100 000, 500 000, or 1 000 000 RUB per month. In addition, you can send money without commission to clients of other banks by phone number via the Faster Payments System (SBP) up to 100 000 RUB per month. Exceeding this limit incurs a 0.5% fee, not exceeding 1 500 RUB.

The SberCard for foreign citizens operates under the same bonus program as the standard SberCard. Each month, you can choose from three to five elevated cashback categories—the number depends on whether you have a SberPrime subscription. Let's look at this in more detail.

Without subscription

Without any subscription, you can choose three enhanced cashback categories every month. SberBank accrues up to 5% of the amount for them. You can also get 0.5% for purchases outside of categories. The bank awards no more than 2,000 bonuses per month for them.

SberPrime Start

With the SberPrime Start subscription, you can choose four elevated cashback categories each month. The reward for them is also up to 5% of the purchase amount. You can also earn 1% on purchases outside these categories. The maximum cashback amount is 5 000 bonuses per month.

SberPrime

With the SberPrime subscription, you can choose five elevated cashback categories each month. The reward for them is also up to 5% of the purchase amount. You can also earn 1% on purchases outside these categories. You can receive up to 10 000 bonuses per month.

SberPrime+

With the SberPrime+ subscription, you can choose five elevated cashback categories each month. The reward for them is also up to 5% of the purchase amount. You can also earn 1% on purchases outside these categories. The bank awards up to 20 000 bonuses per month.

Also, regardless of having a subscription, you can get up to 70% in SberBank services.

The SberCard for foreign citizens does not provide interest on the account balance. However, if you have savings and want to earn a small passive income on them, we recommend opening a savings account with a yield of up to 16% per annum.

This interest rate applies for the first 3 months from the opening date, provided you have never previously opened savings accounts with interest on the daily balance or the “Daily %” savings account.

Starting from the 4th month from the opening date, the savings account yield will be only 10% per annum.

Pros:

• free card issuance and reissuance upon expiration;
• free use of the mobile app and online banking;
• free card maintenance subject to conditions;
• free card top-up with cash at Sberbank cash desks and branches, via card number transfer, and through the FPS;
• free cash withdrawals at Sberbank ATMs and cash desks, its subsidiaries, and other banks within limits;
• free transfers between your accounts up to 30,000,000 RUB per month, to other Sberbank clients up to 1,000,000 RUB per month, and to clients of other banks via the FPS up to 100,000 RUB per month;
• cashback accrual of up to 70% on purchases.

Cons:

• paid card maintenance if conditions are not met;
• high fees for cash withdrawals and transfers when limits are exceeded;
• no interest on the card balance.