The users of Yandex.Money (in Russian — Yandex.Dengi), one of Russia’s leading virtual currencies, can now buy content in the iTunes Store without registering a bank card.
Instead, they can buy a special PIN-code on Yandex.Money for a cost of 500 to 15,000 rubles ($16 to $476). The PIN can then be used in Apple’s online marketplace, which launched in Russia just six months ago.
“Our system helps Apple expand its offerings to the audience in Russia without bank cards, such as students, for example,” said Yandex.Money’s PR manager Asya Melkumova in an exchange with East-West Digital News.
“The offer is also for people who don’t like to expose their cards on the Internet,” she added, referring to the widespread reluctance among Russians to use their bank cards for online transactions.
Among the other alternatives to bank cards, Russian iTunes users may buy access PIN codes at Qiwi payment terminals as well as iTunes gift cards at such offline retailers as Svyaznoy, re:Store, Media Markt, and Euroset.
