In January 2019, the share of non-cash payment in Russia reached  50% for the first time. Payment by "plastic" for the first time equaled  with cash payment indicators. At the end of 2018, the share of non-cash payment was 46%, in 2017 - only 40%. At the same time, the number of plastic cards in 2018 decreased from 271.7 million as of January 1 to 270.7 million as of October 1. The main driver of growth in the share of non-cash payments was not the increase in the number of users receiving salaries transferred to cards accounts, but an increase in the intensity of card use.

Most often cards for payment of purchases are used in Moscow, Tyumen, Ufa, St. Petersburg and Perm; cash dominates in Togliatti, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod and Volgograd. It is also noted that Russians began to use cards  more often (compared to 2018) when paying for gasoline, alcohol, drugs and food.

Sources: :// http://mbgazeta.ru