Despite the fact that many skeptics argued that it was impossible for Russia to quickly create its own payment system, it started working just 3 years after the start of the project. The project was completed in the shortest possible time thanks to the efforts of thousands of people involved in it. And now the Russian Federation may not depend on the Visa and MasterCard systems. The payment system "PRO100" has already issued more than a million cards. Moreover, existing Sberbank cards can also work in the system.
Why do we need the "PRO100" system?
The dependence of Russian banks on Visa and MasterCard payment systems was noted by the Central Bank back in 2013, when there were no problems with them yet. Domestic economists expressed concern that the management of such cards, of which there were more than 90% of the total in the country, is under the jurisdiction of foreign financial structures. Since then, work on the national payment system (NPS) has received much more attention than before. Although PS UEC (payment system "Universal Electronic Card") "PRO100" was registered asRussian operator back in 2012. At present, such cards, operating on the M/Chip technology (which is easily compatible with the generally accepted Mastercard standards when banking structures refine their software), can be used to pay in most retail outlets in Russia and domestic banks.
"Easy" and NPCs
It was believed that the "PRO100" payment system would eventually become a real national payment system. However, in April 2014, the Central Bank made a statement about the impossibility of this. So far, neither the Russian payment system "PRO100" nor any other domestic PS can become national for a fairly simple reason. All of them use programs licensed by MasterCard to operate. And although the release of chips for cards is made in the Russian Federation, applications for them are made abroad. This was done for the convenience of combining old standards with new ones. And indeed, the transition from Visa and MasterCard to PRO100 was quite easy, but it has not yet been turned into an NPS.
Possibilities of the "PRO100" card
The ability of a person who has a PRO100 card (Sberbank) includes:
- Withdrawing cash from more than 100,000 ATMs throughout Russia.
- Replenishment of bank accounts and payment for various services (including municipal and state, such as issuing a passport or obtaining a certificate) inapproximately 20,000 terminals.
- Instant payment for goods and services in the most popular Russian retail chains, including MediaMarkt, Euroset, Svyaznoy and Megafon. Also, the PRO100 card (Sberbank) makes it possible to pay for the purchase in more than 500 thousand organizations throughout Russia.
- Getting her salary, as well as payments or benefits.
- Top up phone and ISP services.
- Cashless payment of fares in public transport.
- Transfer money to other cards (in this system or others).
- Monitoring the child's school attendance and performance.
Payment for services using the payment system can also be made via the Internet (for example, on the Sberbank website, which provides the maximum range of options, including "Autopayment" and "Sberbank Online @ yn). In addition, the card, at the request of the owner, can be provided with an electronic signature, which allows you to expand the list of actions performed with its help. But already in an online store, in a domestic or foreign, the system will not allow you to make a payment. Moreover, you cannot use it to pay for a purchase or service abroad. the card will not work with terminals and ATMs of those financial institutions that are not connected to the PRO100 system.
Types of cards
There are several types of payment cards in the "PRO100" (Sberbank) system: debit (settlement), payroll (one of the varieties of which can be corporate),credit and pension (social). All of them are serviced by Sberbank of the Russian Federation and several other Russian banking structures. In order to accept the card, the bank must be one of the organizations participating in the PRO100 system.
Pro100 credit cards are not issued by all banks participating in the system, therefore, in order to guarantee their receipt, you should contact Sberbank or clarify the possibility and conditions for issuing them by other banks on the websites of these organizations.
How to get a card?
To get a standard universal card:
- contact Sberbank;
- submit all necessary documents (including passport, SNILS insurance certificate and compulsory medical insurance policy);
- fill out an application for a card and put a personal signature;
- get the card on the same day.
Card "PRO100" (Sberbank) may be issued by other participating banks, the terms of issuance may differ. You don't need to pay for it, and the validity period is 5 years.
Banks in the system
Today, the payment system "PRO100" of Sberbank includes (in addition to the main bank of the country) another 19 participants. And due to the fact that they own more than 2/3 of the total number of ATMs located on the territory of the Russian Federation, using the system is quite convenient.
Participants in the system: Bank of Moscow, AB Rossiya, Center-Invest, Moscow Industrial Bank, Khakass Municipalbank, Surgutneftegazbank, JSCB Almazergienbank, AVB Bank, Khanty-Mansiysk Bank, Northern Credit and several others. All of them do not charge a commission for receiving money through their ATMs. When withdrawing funds from the PRO100 card using a bank terminal that is not included in the system, a commission may be charged in the amount determined by the organization that issued the card.
"PRO100" in Crimea
Recently, the "PRO100" payment system has been operating in the Crimea, as well as in Sevastopol. The emission of the project in the region began in May 2014. And by 2015, the total number of cards exceeded half a million. At the same time, the system is so far the only and uncontested option for the peninsula, since as a result of US sanctions, MasterCard and Visa do not work here. You can withdraw money from the PRO100 card in Crimea using more than 350 ATMs, 240 bank branches and more than 1,500 terminals reprogrammed for the system.
Reviews about the "PRO100" system
After the "PRO100" payment system was introduced, a part of the Russian population had questions about the possibility of using it abroad. Users are also interested in other issues related to these cards.
To date, the only currency used by the PS (and in which, accordingly, you can keep money on the "PRO100" account) is the ruble. This means that with their help you can neither pay abroad, nor carry out any foreign exchange transactions. However, expertsdo not consider this feature of the card a big drawback. According to them, if desired, any Russian citizen traveling abroad can withdraw money from the account and exchange it here at a more favorable rate. Whereas, having left the country, one would have to transfer rubles to other currencies using less attractive offers from foreign banks and exchange offices.
And yet, the need to use other currencies is indicated by user reviews expressed about "PRO100". According to them, a system that is not compatible with the main world (and not just Russian) banking structures does not deserve attention.
So far, to implement plans that could satisfy users, there is not enough technical capabilities, infrastructure, or specialists capable of programming and debugging PRO100 equipment. And the system will first be introduced on the territory of Russia, provided with software, personnel and processing centers. This may take more than one year, and after completion, domestic technologies will not necessarily be compatible with foreign ones. Perhaps for this reason, some users, guided by the reviews of other customers or their own experience, will continue to use the MasterCard and Visa systems, which have not completely left the Russian Federation.
