Money advice - Moscow

Whereas most Westerners prefer to rely on their flexible friend for payments and feel ill-at-ease with a wallet chock-full of notes, Russians feel quite the opposite. As you will see from the information below, there are a number of ways to carry money in Russia but the surest (if not the safest) is to always have a decent amount of hard cash on you - if not Roubles then American Dollars.
ATMS (Cash Machines)

Excepting the proviso above, ATMs are your best bet in Russia as they are pretty much anywhere in the world. They offer the best exchange rates - all major cards accepted - and fast and safe access to your cash. Use common sense when withdrawing money, especially if you're wearing your branded Western clothes that scream 'come and mug me, I'm a rich tourist'.

Credit Cards

The use of credit cards is not as widespread as in Western Europe, but they are rapidly gaining in popularity. Accepted in hotels, most restaurants and all international stores.

Cheques

Leave your chequebook at home!

Bureaux de Change

Varying rates. Avoid the bureaux de change on the tourist trails, and watch out for heavy commission/poor rates.