Generous Cashback Offers Will End in russia in 2026

A significant change in trend has been observed in the russian market for bank loyalty programs: after several years of significant growth in the volume of payments to customers in the form of cashback and other incentives, credit organizations are forecasting a significant reduction in these expenses in 2026. This is due to the deterioration of the economic situation in russia against the background of the ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine.

In 2019, the total amount of cashback paid by russian banks was about 99 billion rubles, by 2021 it had grown to 141 billion rubles, and by 2024 it had already reached 400 billion rubles. This trend reflected fierce competition among credit institutions for customers, who increasingly valued attractive savings and cashback terms.

However, industry representatives point out that current economic challenges – including falling GDP, declining consumer demand, rising operating costs, and sanctions pressure – are making this strategy ineffective.

In this regard, credit institutions are preparing to revise their approaches to cashback and other forms of incentives. It is expected that in 2026, banks will limit the amount of payments. This may lead to changes in conditions for customers: a reduction in cashback levels for payments, a decrease in bonus offers, and introduction of stricter requirements for receiving them.

Therefore, 2026 may be a turning point for the loyalty program market in russia: the period of generous cashback rewards is gradually coming to an end, and banks are moving to more “restrained” models of customer incentives amid the economic downturn.