How to pay for subscriptions to foreign media services

Russian users of foreign media services have lost another opportunity to pay for them from Russia. In February, the Central Bank revoked the banking license of Qiwi Bank. The credit institution allowed clients to replenish electronic wallets and virtual cards opened on foreign payment platforms almost without commission. According to Kommersant’s interlocutors, the system accounted for about 35% of all transactions for payment for departed foreign media services. Kommersant figured out how you can now use their services and pay for access.

Pirate game

Russian users lost the opportunity to officially pay for foreign video services, such as Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, almost immediately after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. This was primarily due to the disconnection of Russian banks from the foreign financial messaging service SWIFT. As banking market participants noted, messages within Russia accounted for 70–80% of all traffic (see “Kommersant” dated March 20, 2023). Payment systems Visa and Mastercard also suspended services to Russian users in 2022.

Thus, it became impossible to pay for subscriptions to the above-mentioned media services directly: online platforms did not accept transactions through the Mir payment system, and it was also impossible to pay through UnionPay. Therefore, now on the Internet you can find countless intermediary sites that offer to subscribe to defunct foreign online platforms. Basically, the user can select the denomination of the card for replenishment, pay for the purchase, and then receive a code via personal email with attached instructions for activating it. As a rule, the buyer must change the region of his existing account using a VPN to Turkish or Indonesian, and then join a “family” subscription.

You can also pay for a Netflix subscription on the MTS website – https://payment.mts.ru. After payment, the user receives a voucher corresponding to the replenishment value and instructions by email. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to do this directly through other mobile operators – VimpelCom, Tele2 and MegaFon.

But the user will not be able to watch Netflix and Amazon Prime without a VPN, and to avoid delays when watching movies or TV series on the service, you will also have to purchase a subscription to a good VPN.

Everything is complicated by the fact that these services are under close scrutiny from regulators. Thus, on March 1, a ban on the popularization of services for bypassing blocking came into force in Russia. Roskomnadzor will block instructions and download links for such programs, as well as messages that describe their advantages.

In the case of Apple TV+, the situation is simpler. You can purchase AppStore gift cards to pay for a subscription via Apple ID on marketplaces (Yandex Market and Wildberries) or through mobile operators (MTS and VimpelCom). The transaction amount will be debited from your personal mobile account.

But this is not the only way to access the content of departed foreign platforms. In the libraries of Russian video services – VK Video and RuTube – you can find almost all popular foreign news without additional tricks. For example, just recently RuTube added a special section with films nominated for an Oscar in 2023. At the same time, the management of both platforms states that they remove all unlicensed content from the platform within 24 hours after the official request of the copyright holders. They, represented by Universal, Disney, Sony, Warner and other Hollywood studios, stopped work in the country and began revoking licenses to show their films back in 2022.

Music beyond three seas

It is impossible to pay for Spotify without the participation of an intermediary or a foreign card, so you will have to resort to the services of online sellers. The only way to avoid this is to become the owner of a foreign bank card supported by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or to have relatives and friends outside the Russian Federation. In the latter case, your loved one can purchase a “family” streaming subscription and invite you to it. Then Premium will become available to you, regardless of the region in which the main user is located. That is, here you will have no problems finding a suitable VPN. But Spotify reserves the right to block such a subscription if the service has suspicions about the “family”.

Russian operators Beeline and Tele2 offer the service of topping up Spotify from a mobile account, but you will have to create a new American account for this (instructions can be found on the operator’s website). Topping up accounts in other countries – Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Poland, etc. – is impossible. This way, your old music library will be inaccessible.

You can top up your Apple Music account in the same way as Apple TV+. AppStore gift cards are sold on marketplaces, and payment through a mobile operator’s personal account is also possible. This function does not work for MegaFon and Tele2 subscribers, only for MTS and Beeline. It is also worth noting that the SIM card should not be issued at a postpaid or corporate rate, and there should be no additional restrictions on the number itself. For example, a ban on subscriptions and paid content.

The situation is different with Deezer. Unfortunately, you can only pay for it with a foreign card or through intermediary sites. This is due to the fact that the service was not as popular in the Russian Federation as Apple Music and Spotify, Kommersant’s interlocutors in music publishing houses believe.

Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music suspended work in Russia after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine in February 2022: major labels stopped concluding new contracts with Russian artists and limited the access of domestic streaming services to foreign new releases. Until the fall, only a few artists reported the removal of old songs from service catalogs, for example, the British rock band Pink Floyd and one of its leaders, David Gilmour. However, in October 2022, catalogs began to decline rapidly (see “Kommersant” dated October 4, 2022).

At the same time, new releases by foreign artists can now be found on the Sound streaming service. This is due to the fact that in August 2022, the service provided musicians with the opportunity to upload works directly to the audio service through their personal account (see “Kommersant” dated May 3, 2023). Kommersant’s interlocutors in the streaming services market admitted that pirates could use the tool: “New products are accompanied by all the necessary design, including covers.” These include the latest albums by Harry Styles (Sony Music), Cigarettes After Sex, Taylor Swift (Universal Music), Gorillaz (Warner Music) and others.

Video game Russification

As is the case with online cinemas and music streaming, you can top up your account on the online digital distribution service for computer games Steam through intermediaries, but there are also legal ways. For example, through VTB, but for this you need to become the owner of a bank card. The commission for replenishing your wallet will be about 15%. The second option is MTS, where the conversion commission will be up to 10%.

At the same time, replenishment through the Qiwi system is no longer available: in February, the Central Bank revoked the bank’s license.

It was clarified that the reason for the revocation of the license was violation of requirements in the field of combating the legalization of proceeds from crime and the financing of terrorism. “At the same time, replenishing via Qiwi was one of the most popular ways to bypass restrictions, and the commission was about 1%,” says Kommersant’s interlocutor in the video game market.

But activation keys will have to be purchased separately. They are sold in Buk, Zaka-Zaka or on Avito. On the latter platform, you should pay attention to customer reviews so as not to buy goods from scammers. In addition, if a buyer purchases a key to a game that is not available on Russian Steam, it is worth checking the following: the code must be marked Global or Region Free, that is, without regional restrictions. If there is no mark, you will not be able to activate the key.

MTS also allows you to top up your PlayStation Store balance, but only for American, Polish and Indian accounts. It is clarified that to register a new one you will need an email with the gmail.com domain. Topping up your Xbox balance is also available, but again only for an American account. Through Beeline, in addition to the above services, you can also pay for access to EA Play. MegaFon also allows you to top up your account balance in PUBG Mobile and Blizzard. But this again only applies to American accounts.

Yulia Yurasova