What Currency You Are Charged in When Ordering Flowers from Abroad
Every week we take orders from customers sitting in Berlin, Dubai, New York or Tokyo who want roses or peonies delivered to someone in Saint Petersburg within the hour. The single question that comes up most reliably, right before checkout, is this: will my bank statement show rubles, euros or dollars? The answer is straightforward once you understand how Russian payment processing works, and knowing it in advance saves you from a surprised face when the notification arrives on your phone.
The Charge Always Appears in Russian Rubles
When you place an order on 5cv.ru from any country outside Russia, the payment gateway processes your transaction in Russian rubles. That is the only settlement currency available to a Russian merchant under current banking regulations. Your card is not charged in euros or dollars at the source — the ruble amount is fixed at the moment you confirm your order, and that exact ruble figure is what travels from the payment processor toward your bank. What your bank then does with that ruble figure is a separate step entirely, and it is where most of the confusion begins for foreign cardholders. The ruble amount itself will not change after you click confirm. If a bouquet of garden roses — say, a mixed arrangement of David Austin varieties like Juliet or Keira — is priced at a certain ruble figure, that figure is locked. No rounding, no surcharge added by the shop. The conversion into your home currency happens entirely on your bank's side, not ours. This distinction matters because it means we cannot tell you the exact dollar or euro amount you will see on your statement — only your bank can do that, because only your bank applies the exchange rate. What we can confirm is the ruble total before you pay, and we show it clearly on the checkout page with no hidden line items.
Bouquets we can deliver
How Your Bank Converts the Ruble Charge
Once the ruble charge leaves the payment processor, your card network — Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay or Mir — converts it into your card's billing currency using the interbank rate active on the settlement date. Settlement date and transaction date are not always the same day. Authorization can happen the moment you pay, but the actual debit sometimes posts one to three business days later, by which point the ruble exchange rate may have shifted. This is standard behavior for any cross-border card transaction anywhere in the world, not something specific to flower orders or to Russia. If your card is denominated in euros, the conversion goes rubles to euros directly. If it is a US dollar card, the conversion is rubles to dollars. Some cards add a foreign transaction fee on top of the converted amount — typically between one and three percent — and that fee is set by your card issuer, not by us. Cards marketed as travel cards or multi-currency cards sometimes skip that fee entirely, which is worth checking with your bank before ordering. The practical takeaway: the ruble amount we show you at checkout is the real and final amount we receive. Everything beyond that — the rate, the fee, the final figure in your currency — is determined by your bank and card network, and those are institutions we have no influence over whatsoever.
Why the Rate You See Online May Differ from Your Statement
A common mistake is to open a currency converter website, multiply the ruble price by the current rate, and expect that exact figure to appear on the bank statement. It almost never matches precisely, and there are several reasons for that. First, public converter tools like Google or XE show mid-market rates, which are the midpoint between buy and sell rates. Banks and card networks apply their own rates, which include a small spread — the difference between what they buy and sell currency for. Second, as mentioned, the rate used is the one active on settlement day, not the moment you searched. Third, your bank may apply a foreign transaction fee after conversion, which adds another layer. For orders placed in the morning Saint Petersburg time — which is UTC plus three — the bouquet is typically assembled and delivered within one to two hours. Ranunculus, for example, need to go out quickly once cut, especially in summer when temperatures in the delivery van must stay below eighteen degrees Celsius to keep the petals tight. The payment settles on its own timeline independent of the delivery. By the time your tulips or spray roses arrive at the door, the authorization may still be pending on your card. Do not be alarmed if you see a pending charge for a day or two — it resolves to a final posted amount once the card network completes settlement.
Cards That Work and Cards That Sometimes Do Not
Not every foreign card processes smoothly against a Russian merchant, and this is worth knowing before you get to checkout. Visa and Mastercard issued outside Russia have faced intermittent processing issues since 2022 due to sanctions-related disconnections. In practice, many European and American Visa and Mastercard cards still work through certain payment corridors, but the success rate is not guaranteed. UnionPay cards issued outside Russia have generally processed more reliably through this period. Cards issued by banks in countries that maintain active correspondent banking relationships with Russian financial institutions tend to work more consistently — this includes many cards from the UAE, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Armenia and several Asian markets. If your card declines, the most practical solution is to try a different card or contact us directly so we can discuss alternative payment arrangements. We accept payment through several gateways, and what fails on one may succeed on another. It is also worth turning off any travel security blocks your bank may have placed on cross-border transactions — many banks flag Russian merchant charges automatically and require you to authorize them via the bank's app. Do this before ordering if you know your bank is strict about international transactions. A tulip arrangement or a box of peonies will not wait while you call your bank's fraud line.
What to Check Before You Confirm the Order
Before hitting the final confirm button, run through a short checklist that will save you questions later. First, note the ruble total shown at checkout — screenshot it if you want a record. That is the amount we will receive and the amount your card network will convert. Second, check whether your card charges a foreign transaction fee. Log into your bank's app or check the card's fee schedule online — this takes two minutes and gives you a realistic sense of what the converted total will look like. Third, if your card has a spending limit or a single-transaction cap, verify the ruble amount falls within it. Exchange rate fluctuations mean a bouquet that was comfortably under your limit last week might brush against it today. Fourth, make sure the billing address you enter matches what your bank has on file — mismatches are a common cause of declines on international transactions. Fifth, confirm the delivery address in Saint Petersburg is complete: street, building number, apartment number and the recipient's phone. Our drivers call ahead before arriving, and if the number is wrong or incomplete, the lisianthus or the garden spray roses sit in the van while we try to reach someone. A clear address is as important as a working card.
Refunds and How They Return to a Foreign Card
Refunds on flower orders are relatively rare because fresh flowers are a perishable product prepared specifically for your order — stems are cut, conditioning water is added, and assembly begins as soon as the order is confirmed. If a refund does become necessary due to an error on our side, the ruble amount is returned to your card through the same payment gateway. Your bank then converts that ruble refund back into your billing currency at the rate active on the refund settlement date, which will almost certainly differ from the rate on the original charge date. This means the refunded amount in your currency may be slightly more or slightly less than what you originally paid in your currency, even though the ruble figures are identical. This is a universal feature of cross-border refunds and applies to any merchant in any country, not just Russia. Timing for refunds to appear on foreign cards typically runs between five and ten business days after we initiate the return, though some banks take longer. If you have waited ten business days and see nothing, the right move is to contact your bank with the ruble transaction reference, which we can provide. Perishable goods like cut flowers — whether freesia, which travels well, or garden roses, which are more sensitive — are prepared fresh, so we ask customers to double-check delivery details before ordering rather than relying on a refund process afterward.
Ordering flowers from abroad to be delivered in Saint Petersburg is something we do every day, and the currency question is one of the most practical ones you can ask before checkout. The short version: we charge in rubles, your bank converts, and the final figure in your currency depends on your card network's rate and your bank's fee structure. Knowing that in advance means no surprises on your statement and no delay while you sort out a declined card — which matters when a box of fresh peonies or a hand-tied arrangement of David Austin roses needs to be at the door within the hour. We deliver bouquets across Russia in 1–2 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Will I see a ruble amount or my local currency on the payment page?
The checkout page on 5cv.ru displays prices in Russian rubles. Your bank receives the ruble figure and converts it to your card's billing currency — euros, dollars, dirhams or otherwise — using its own exchange rate. We have no control over that conversion and cannot display your local currency equivalent at checkout.
Can I pay with a European Visa or Mastercard?
Some European Visa and Mastercard cards still process successfully, but it is not guaranteed due to sanctions-related banking changes since 2022. UnionPay and cards issued in the UAE, Turkey or Kazakhstan tend to work more reliably. If your card declines, try a second card or contact us to discuss alternatives before your delivery window closes.
My bank shows a pending charge that looks different from what I expected. Is that normal?
Yes. The pending amount your bank displays may use a preliminary rate that differs slightly from the final settled amount. Once the transaction posts — usually one to three business days later — the figure reflects the actual rate applied on settlement day. The ruble amount we charged does not change; only the conversion timing varies.
Does Five Flowers add any currency conversion fee on top of the ruble price?
No. We charge exactly the ruble amount shown at checkout, with no currency surcharge added by the shop. Any foreign transaction fee you see comes from your card issuer. Check your card's fee schedule — travel cards often waive this fee, which can save one to three percent on the total.
How long does a refund take to appear on a foreign card?
After we initiate a ruble refund, most foreign cards show the credit within five to ten business days. The refunded amount in your currency may differ slightly from the original charge because your bank applies the exchange rate current on the refund date, not the original purchase date. Contact us for the transaction reference if nothing appears after ten days.
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