Russia begins to refuse credit cards in worsening global financial crisis (Charlotte Bailey)

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Oct. 27, 2008 (Telegraph) -- Several Moscow city centre restaurants are now refusing to accept cards in a move not seen since Russia's last financial crisis almost a decade ago.

Some automated teller machines at Sberbank, the country's biggest state-owned bank, have also stopped accepting cards from other banks.

Several electronics and mobile phone stores said they no longer accepted credit card purchases.

Over the weekend, Aeroflot, the biggest Russian airline, announced it had stopped taking credit cards payments for flights except from a handful of banks.