Charged in Rubles? Here Is How Your Foreign Card Rate Is Set

You find the perfect bouquet, you enter your card details, and then a small question appears in the back of your mind: what exchange rate will actually hit my statement? It is a fair concern, and it deserves a straight answer before you place the order — not after the bank notification arrives. The short version is that Turboflora charges in Russian rubles, and the conversion to your home currency is handled entirely by your card network and your bank, not by us. The longer version explains exactly who sets what, when the rate is locked in, and what you can do to avoid surprises.

The Shop Prices in Rubles — That Part Is Simple

Every bouquet, every arrangement, every same-day delivery fee listed on turboflora.com is priced in Russian rubles. That is the currency we operate in, the currency our payment processor settles in, and the currency that appears on the checkout screen. There is no hidden second price in euros or dollars lurking in the background.

When you reach the payment page and enter your foreign card number, you are authorising a ruble transaction. The amount in rubles is fixed at that moment. What is not fixed yet is how many euros, dollars, pounds, or any other currency that ruble amount will translate into on your bank statement — because that calculation happens outside our system entirely.

Think of it this way: Turboflora hands a ruble invoice to the card network, and the card network takes it from there. We do not touch the conversion, we do not set a rate, and we do not receive anything in your home currency. The ruble amount we receive is the same regardless of where in the world your card was issued.

This matters because it means you should not expect to see a Turboflora-set exchange rate anywhere during checkout. If you are comparing what you paid in rubles against what appeared on your statement and the numbers look different, the difference was introduced by your bank or card scheme, not by us. Knowing this upfront saves a lot of confusion later.

Bouquets we can deliver

Bouquet of 1 yellow sunflowers

$12

Bouquet of 3 gerberas mix

$20

Bouquet of 3 red gerberas

$20

Bouquet of 3 white matthiola

$22

Who Actually Sets the Conversion Rate

The rate that converts your ruble charge into your home currency is determined by the card network — Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay — and then potentially adjusted by your own issuing bank on top of that. These are two separate layers, and both can affect the final figure on your statement.

Visa and Mastercard each publish their own daily interbank-based rates. These rates shift throughout the day and are generally close to the mid-market rate you would find on a currency data site, though not identical to it. The rate applied to your transaction is typically the one in effect on the day the transaction is settled, which may be a day or two after you placed the order.

Your issuing bank is the second layer. Many banks add a foreign transaction fee on top of the card network rate. This fee is usually between one and three percent and is stated in your card's terms and conditions. Some premium travel cards waive it entirely. This fee is charged by your bank, not by Turboflora and not by the card network — it is purely a relationship between you and the institution that issued your card.

The practical result is that two people ordering the same bouquet on the same day with cards from different banks can see slightly different amounts on their statements. Both ruble charges were identical. The difference comes from the rates and fees each bank applies. Checking your card's foreign transaction fee policy before ordering is the single most useful thing you can do.

When the Rate Is Actually Applied to Your Transaction

There is a timing detail that catches many people off guard: the exchange rate is not locked in at the moment you click the pay button. It is applied when the transaction is settled, and settlement usually happens one to two business days after authorisation.

Here is what that means in practice. When you pay for your bouquet, your bank places a hold on your account for an estimated amount in your home currency, calculated using the rate available at that instant. That hold is not the final charge. The actual debit comes later, once the ruble transaction clears through the payment system, and it uses the rate in effect at settlement time.

In most cases the difference between the authorisation estimate and the settled amount is very small — currency rates between stable currencies rarely move dramatically over one or two days. But if you are ordering during a period of market volatility, the gap can be more noticeable.

For orders placed late on a Friday, settlement may not happen until Monday, which extends the window slightly. Again, this is standard card network behaviour and applies to any purchase made in a foreign currency anywhere in the world, not something specific to Russian flower shops or to Turboflora.

If you want to minimise exposure to rate movement, paying with a card that settles quickly and has low foreign transaction fees is the best approach. Some fintech cards settle the same business day, which narrows the window considerably. Your bank's customer service line can tell you how quickly your specific card settles foreign currency transactions.

Dynamic Currency Conversion and Why We Do Not Use It

You may have encountered a feature at some international checkouts called dynamic currency conversion, often abbreviated as DCC. This is when a merchant or payment terminal offers to convert the charge into your home currency right there at the point of sale, showing you the amount in euros or dollars instead of rubles. It sounds convenient, but it almost always comes with a worse exchange rate than the one your card network would apply.

Turboflora does not use dynamic currency conversion. Our checkout charges in rubles, full stop. We made this choice deliberately because DCC typically benefits the merchant or the payment processor at the customer's expense, and we do not think that is a fair trade for the people sending flowers to someone they care about.

If you ever see a checkout screen — on any website, not just ours — offering to show you the price in your home currency with a rate already applied, it is worth declining and letting your card network handle the conversion instead. The card network rate is almost always more favourable.

The absence of DCC at Turboflora means you will see rubles on the checkout page and your home currency on your bank statement, with the conversion handled transparently by Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay according to their published rates. There is no markup added by us at the conversion stage. What you pay in rubles is exactly what we receive in rubles.

Cards That Work Well for Ruble Transactions

Not every card handles foreign currency transactions the same way, and if you order flowers from Russia regularly — perhaps you have family there, or you like to send bouquets for Russian holidays like the eighth of March, which is a very significant celebration here — it is worth knowing which card types tend to be most efficient.

Travel-focused credit and debit cards from fintech providers often have no foreign transaction fees and use rates very close to the interbank mid-market rate. Cards from traditional banks frequently add a foreign transaction fee of one to three percent. Over a single order the difference is modest, but it is real money.

Visa and Mastercard are both widely accepted by our payment processor. UnionPay cards also work. American Express acceptance can vary depending on the specific processor configuration, so if you have any uncertainty, using a Visa or Mastercard is the safest choice for a smooth checkout experience.

If your card is issued in a less common currency — not euros, dollars, or pounds — the conversion may route through an intermediate currency, sometimes US dollars, before reaching your home currency. This double conversion can introduce a slightly wider spread. It is rare and usually small, but it is worth being aware of if your statement currency is, say, a Southeast Asian or Middle Eastern currency.

The simplest rule: use the card with the lowest foreign transaction fee and the most transparent rate policy. Your card's app or website should show you the rate applied once the transaction settles.

What to Do If the Charged Amount Looks Unexpected

If the amount on your bank statement looks different from what you expected based on the ruble price at checkout, the first step is to check the exchange rate that was applied. Most banking apps now show the rate used for each foreign currency transaction. Compare it against the Visa or Mastercard published rate for that settlement date — both networks publish historical rates on their websites.

If the rate your bank used matches the card network rate, then the full difference is accounted for by normal currency movement between authorisation and settlement, plus any foreign transaction fee your bank charges. This is not an error; it is how international card transactions work everywhere.

If the rate looks significantly worse than the published card network rate, the most likely explanation is a foreign transaction fee or a currency conversion fee that your bank applies on top. These fees should be disclosed in your card agreement. A call to your bank's customer service line will confirm exactly what fees were applied.

In the rare event that you believe a duplicate charge occurred or the ruble amount itself was wrong, contact Turboflora directly with your order number and we will pull the transaction record immediately. We can confirm the exact ruble amount we submitted to the payment processor. That gives you the reference point to work backwards from when speaking with your bank.

Keep in mind that a pending charge and a settled charge can look different in your app. The pending amount uses an estimated rate; the settled amount uses the real rate. Waiting for the transaction to fully settle before comparing figures avoids unnecessary confusion.

Ordering Across Borders for Someone Special in Russia

Sending flowers from abroad to someone in Russia is a genuinely thoughtful gesture, and the currency mechanics should not get in the way of that. Once you understand that the ruble price is fixed, the conversion is handled by your card network, and any fee is your bank's, the whole process feels much more manageable.

The flowers themselves are worth thinking about in terms of timing and care, because what you choose affects how the bouquet arrives. Roses hold well in transit when cut properly and kept cool — our delivery vehicles maintain appropriate temperatures so stems arrive firm and fresh. Peonies, which are enormously popular in Russia, are seasonal and particularly lush in late spring. Tulips, a favourite for the eighth of March, are delicate and best ordered for same-day delivery rather than scheduled for a future date.

If you are sending a bouquet as a surprise, the ruble amount you pay is a one-time decision. The joy the recipient feels when the bouquet arrives — especially if it is a meaningful occasion like a birthday, an anniversary, or a Russian holiday — is the part that lasts. The exchange rate is a small practical detail sitting between your intention and that moment.

Turboflora delivers across Russia within one to two hours of order placement, which means the gap between your decision and the recipient's reaction is very short. You can be on the other side of the world and still send something that feels immediate and personal. Getting comfortable with the payment mechanics is simply the last small step before that happens.

The ruble price you see at checkout is exactly what Turboflora charges. Everything beyond that — the conversion to your home currency, the rate applied, and any additional fees — is determined by your card network and your issuing bank according to their own policies. Understanding those two layers means you can choose the right card, set a realistic expectation for your statement, and focus on the part that actually matters: the flowers arriving beautifully at the right door at the right moment. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.