Moscow’s Payment Glitch Turns Metro Turns into Free‑Ride Zone

A glitch in Moscow’s payment network caused shoppers, commuters and zoo visitors to face unexpected cash‑only rules. The problem surfaced on Friday, when the city’s metro turnstiles began allowing people to board without a ticket. Some stores and gas stations also stopped accepting card payments for about an hour, prompting customers to hand over cash instead. Reports point to issues with the country’s largest bank, Sberbank, and problems using QR‑code payments.The central bank did not comment on the incident, while Sberbank said it had fixed the problem but offered no details about what triggered it. A zoo in Belgorod announced that its card‑payment system was down, asking visitors to pay with cash for entry. The glitch hit a city that serves 22 million residents, making the disruption feel especially widespread. The incident highlights how fragile digital payment systems can be when a single point of failure affects many services at once. It also reminds people that having cash on hand can still be useful, even in a highly connected city.