If you’re planning a trip to Russia, you might have noticed that finding flights and especially buying tickets with a foreign card isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Since 2022, many platforms have stopped showing routes to Russia, and the official websites of Russian airlines no longer accept Visa or Mastercard issued outside the country.
But don’t worry, because there are safe and effective ways to purchase your flights to Russia using a foreign card. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process step by step, combining the Russian search engine Aviasales (to find the best price and route) with platforms that do accept international payments, like Trip or Kupi. This is the method many travelers are using right now, and it works very well.
Why Skyscanner and Momondo No Longer Work
Let’s start with the basics: search engines like Skyscanner, Momondo, or Kayak no longer show flights to Russia. They’ve simply blocked these destinations for political or technical reasons. So if you search for “Madrid – Moscow” or “Paris – St. Petersburg” on those sites, you’ll see “no results.”
This doesn’t mean there are no flights. It means those search engines have decided not to show them, even though the routes exist and operate normally.
So, what can you use instead?
Aviasales: The Russian Search Engine That Does Show Flights to Russia
The best option right now is Aviasales. It’s the Russian equivalent of Skyscanner, and the good news is that it does show flights to and from Russia, including domestic flights and connections with both Russian and foreign airlines.
Aviasales doesn’t sell tickets directly, but it allows you to compare prices from many agencies and airlines in one place. It works very well for both international flights (for example, from your country to Moscow or St. Petersburg) and domestic flights within Russia (like Moscow – Sochi or Kazan – St. Petersburg).
The best part is that you can use their site in different languages (English, Spanish, Russian), switch the currency to euros or dollars, and search with ease. When you find a flight you’re interested in, Aviasales redirects you to a platform where you can actually buy it.
And here’s the next step.
Where to Buy the Ticket if You Have a Foreign Card
Once you find the flight on Aviasales, you’ll likely be offered several options to purchase it. Some will be Russian companies that don’t accept international cards, but others do. The two most reliable and recommended right now are:
1. Trip
Trip is an online travel agency based in Asia (interestingly owned by the same group as Skyscanner). The best thing about Trip is that it allows you to book flights operated by both foreign and Russian airlines, and it does accept payments with foreign Visa and Mastercard, as well as PayPal in many cases.
For example, if you’re looking for a flight to Moscow on Aviasales, the route might include a stopover in Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, or in Belgrade with Air Serbia. Trip often offers these tickets, and you can purchase them directly from their platform without hassle.
It’s also very useful if you’re looking for flights within Russia: you can book routes operated by Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, or Pobeda, without needing to go through their official sites, which don’t accept foreign cards.
2. Kupi
Less known outside of Russia, Kupi is also a platform that allows you to buy flights directly (both international and domestic). Its advantage is that it works with many Russian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern airlines, and accepts foreign cards without issues.
It operates like a traditional online agency: you search for the flight, select dates and passengers, and pay directly. It’s especially useful if you already know which flight you want and don’t need to compare many options.
Which Airlines Are Currently Flying to Russia?
There are no direct flights from Western Europe to Russia anymore, but there are many routes available with a stopover. Here are some of the airlines that are still flying to Russia and can be easily found on Aviasales:
- Turkish Airlines and Pegasus (stopover in Istanbul)
- Air Serbia (stopover in Belgrade)
- Emirates, FlyDubai, and Etihad (stopover in Dubai or Abu Dhabi)
- Qatar Airways (stopover in Doha)
- EgyptAir (stopover in Cairo)
- Uzbekistan Airways, Air Astana, Azerbaijan Airlines, and other airlines from Central Asia and the Caucasus
All these companies accept foreign cards on their websites, but sometimes it’s more convenient to book through Trip if you want everything in one platform or if you’re combining airlines.
In Summary
Today, the best way to book flights to Russia with a foreign card is this:
- Use Aviasales to search and compare routes and prices.
- Book the ticket on Trip or Kupi, which accept your card and sell both international and domestic flights in Russia. These options are also ideal if you need to link multiple flights and want to purchase all tickets together on one platform, without worrying about payment methods or airline compatibility.
