T-Bank Launches Offline Contactless Payments for iPhone Users
Russian banks bring offline contactless payments to iPhones after Apple Pay exit
T-Bank has introduced a new offline contactless payment feature for iPhone users, powered by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. The service allows customers to make payments even in areas with poor or no internet connectivity.
According to the bank's press service, the technology leverages BLE to enable offline transactions. The feature activates automatically during the first online payment, with the banking app generating a digital certificate and configuring security measures. Importantly, no card details are stored, transmitted, or used in the process—funds are deducted directly from the customer's account and transferred to the merchant instantly.
Internet access may only be required again if the system flags a transaction as potentially risky. In such cases, a network connection will be needed to update the certificate before offline payments can resume, the bank explained.
T-Bank's contactless payment service, T-Pay, was initially launched for iPhone users in autumn 2025 but required an active internet connection. Nikita Buklish, T-Pay's product director, noted that customers had frequently requested an offline payment option. He added that Android users have long had the ability to pay without an internet connection via their smartphones.
On August 25, 2025, Sberbank introduced its own contactless payment service, Vzuh, for iPhone users, also based on BLE within the SberBank Online app. While the service functions without constant internet access, it is currently limited to the bank's biometric payment terminals.
iPhone users lost access to contactless payments in 2022 when Apple disabled Apple Pay in Russia. Around the same time, Google Pay and Samsung Pay also ceased operations, though Android users retained access to alternatives like Mir Pay, SberPay, and the Faster Payments System (SBP).
