Russian tourists gain access to QR code payments in more countries

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said on Tuesday that Russian tourists can now pay for purchases via QR codes in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Türkiye, Egypt, as well as several destinations within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Since April last year, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the National Payment Card System have been developing cross-border QR code payments as a replacement for Visa and Mastercard, which are widely used in countries popular among Russian travellers, ATOR said in a news release.

According to the association, the QR code payment system is more stable and familiar to users in CIS countries.

"Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus support QR code payments through Russian banking apps, and in some cases, the process is virtually identical to domestic payments within Russia," ATOR said.