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Aeroflot to Accept Digital Rubles for Ticket Purchases Starting September 2026

From September 1 2026 Aeroflot will begin accepting digital rubles as a payment method for airline tickets both on its website and in company sales offices. Customers choosing the new option online will see a QR code generated by the site that must be scanned in a participating bank application. The payment is then confirmed from the digital wallet hosted on the Bank of Russia platform and an electronic ticket plus receipt are issued automatically. The same QR-based flow will be used at physical ticket counters where the code appears on the terminal. Ordinary bank cards and other payment methods remain fully available and no physical digital cash is required. On the same date MTS will start accepting digital rubles through MTS Pay while Rostelecom and Megafon are also preparing their systems. Russian authorities have clarified that the digital ruble is the third official form of the national currency alongside cash and non-cash funds rather than a cryptocurrency.

AntiMalwareTranslated from Russian

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Aeroflot will begin accepting digital rubles for the purchase of airline tickets starting 1 September 2026. The new payment option will be available both on the carrier’s website and at its own sales offices across Russia.

When buying a ticket online, passengers will be offered the choice “Digital ruble”. The site will then generate a QR code that must be scanned inside a bank application supporting the new form of currency. After confirmation, funds are debited from the digital wallet on the Bank of Russia platform and the ticket is issued with an electronic receipt sent to the customer’s email.

The process closely resembles payments made through the Fast Payments System (SBP) and does not require passengers to carry any physical form of digital cash to the airport. At Aeroflot ticket offices the same QR-code mechanism will appear on the cashier terminal for the customer to scan and authorise.

To use the service travellers must open a digital wallet with a bank already connected to the Bank of Russia digital-ruble platform. Existing bank cards and other payment methods will continue to be accepted without change.

On the same date MTS will begin accepting digital rubles for services linked to MTS Pay. Rostelecom and Megafon have also confirmed they are preparing their systems for the new currency. Authorities have reiterated that the digital ruble is not a cryptocurrency but the third official form of the Russian national currency alongside cash and non-cash money.

Bank of RussiaAeroflotRostelecomMTSMegafon
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