I Switched to Tinkoff Fuel and I'm Never Going Back

My Experience with Gas Stations

I live in a Moscow suburb and have been filling up at the nearest Gas Station, run by Gazpromneft, for years.

Gazpromneft Gas Station

Recently, it switched to a self-service mode, which I find super convenient. Plus, the fuel is a bit cheaper.

I have a Gazpromneft card that rewards me with points when I pay with my bank card. I can use these points to pay for fuel.

When Tinkoff Bank started pushing their new service, "Tinkoff Fuel", I wasn't really interested. I mean, I already had a card that worked just fine.

But the offers kept getting better. They increased the bonus from 2% to 10%, and during the "Cashback Day" promotion, it even reached 13%.

So, a year ago, I decided to give it a try. And now I'm hooked. I've emptied my bonus card and stopped using it. Now, I only fill up through the Tinkoff app.

Which Gas Stations Can I Fill Up at Using the App?

Unfortunately, not all gas stations are partners with Tinkoff. So, you'll need to check the list. Recently, Lukoil joined the list:

Tinkoff Fuel Service

And these ones too:

Tinkoff Fuel Service

The list might change, but in the app, you can find a map showing the available gas stations near your location.

But let me explain how it works.

How the Tinkoff Fuel Service Works

First, I just open the app and take a look:

I open the Tinkoff Bank app on my phone.The blue icon for the service is in the CITY section.You can get there by tapping on "City" at the bottom of the screen:

Tinkoff Bank App

Or, if you're on the main page, you can just type "top" in the search bar:

Tinkoff Bank App

And the service will pop up.

Normally, you get a 2% cashback on fuel, which is already better than 1%.

Tinkoff often offers to choose Fuel in categories with increased cashback and sets royal 7%:

Tinkoff Bank app

They also often run promotions, and cashback can be as high as 10 or even 13%.

Let's move on.

As soon as we tapped the icon, the map opened.On it - the nearest gas station to you:

Tinkoff Fuel service

If you zoom out, you'll see multiple gas stations in your area:

Tinkoff Fuel service

We've checked that everything works, now we can head out to fill up.

FUELING AT A GAS STATION

We arrive at the gas station, park next to an empty pump, open the app, and then the service.We see ourselves on the map as a blue location circle. We tap on it. A message appears:

Tinkoff Fuel service

We follow the on-screen instructions, select, confirm.We look at the pump number. Mine's 4:

Gazpromneft gas station

We select it from the list:

Tinkoff Fuel service

We decide how many liters to fill up.The initial amount will be deducted, but don't worry if you make a mistake.

ANY EXCESS WILL BE RECALCULATED AND REFUNDED TO YOUR CARD INSTANTLY.

I usually fill up the tank, but this time I decided to fill up 40 liters:

Tinkoff Fuel service

We pay. If you have multiple cards, you're asked to choose which one to use:

Tinkoff Fuel Service

Right after payment, the next command appears:

Tinkoff Fuel Service

My husband usually does this, I just sit in the car and press the yellow screen buttons.

When the nozzle is inserted into the tank and the trigger is pressed, you can tap 'Nozzle in tank'Yellow circle appears, spinning until the refueling is complete:

Tinkoff Fuel Service

Last menu item: 'Let's go'

Tinkoff Fuel Service

Hang up the nozzle:

Gazpromneft Gas Station

Refueling is complete. An operation to purchase appears in the Events list:

Tinkoff Bank App

What I like about the service:

Good cashbackNo need to use the terminal or go to the cashier.

ISSUES WITH PAYMENT

I've never had any issues with payment while refueling within the city limits.

Even my husband, who's not exactly a fan of all these new-fangled things, got the hang of the service and went to refuel without me. No problems.

HOWEVER!!!

The internet is the internet, and a glitch can happen. Be prepared for it.

I was warned by my friend.

She and her husband go to their dacha in the Yaroslavl region every weekend. Of course, they go through a lot of gas, and they constantly use the Tinkoff service to save some money.

One day, a terrible thing happened to them.

THE POLICE CHASE (my friend's story)

It happened in June 2023, on the way to the dacha.

We'd long since passed through the Moscow region when my husband decided to fill up the car. We pulled into the nearest gas station on the highway. I, as usual, used the Tinkoff service. The payment went through, and we were good to go. I put my phone in my bag and didn't see the SMS about the operation being cancelled. The money for the gas had been returned to my account.

When we arrived at the dacha, we were unpacking our stuff. AND THEN, MY HUSBAND GOT A CALL ON HIS PHONE:

- Hello. This is Lieutenant Petrov from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Yaroslavl Oblast. Are you the owner of the vehicle with this license plate number and surname?

- Yeah, what's up?

- You left the gas station without paying for the fuel. This was recorded by the security cameras.

I'd say my husband was shocked – he's a law-abiding citizen who's never ridden without a ticket, and suddenly he's accused of stealing gas. He was speechless!

I had to intervene in the conversation.

I guess the lieutenant wasn't too thrilled about having to come all the way out to our rural village to write up a report.

He just gave me the operator's phone number from the gas station and let us handle it ourselves.

The girl on the phone understood what was going on, even though it was a first for her. She asked me to transfer the amount to her card, since otherwise it would be deducted from her salary.

So, that's exactly what I did. The issue was resolved, but the unpleasant feeling lingered.

_____________

I'm glad my friend told me about this incident.

Not more than a month later, THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO US.

FAILED PAYMENT. TINKOFF'S SOLUTION IN FAVOR OF THE CUSTOMER (ME)

We were driving to visit friends. Passing through Tver, we decided to fill up the tank.

Everything went smoothly.

I chose 'Full tank':

Tinkoff Fuel ServiceWith this payment method, the program reserves the amount equal to the cost of 45 liters of gasoline from my card.

In our case, that's 2441.25.

As a rule, the tank holds less.

After refueling, the difference is immediately returned to my account.

The service worked, and the SMS notification went through. But then it duplicated:

Tinkoff Bank AppThe amount was fully debited and fully returned 2 times.

I immediately realized – that's it, that's the same thing.

I didn't wait for the involvement of law enforcement and went to the cashier to pay for the purchase with my Tinkoff card.

I was credited with a 1% cashback:

" } Tinkoff Bank AppBut unlike my friend, who didn't bother to sort out the bank and found more exciting activities on her dacha, I called Tinkoff and reported the incident.

I was apologized to, and the difference in cashback was returned to my account as a separate transaction.

And pretty quickly, too.

We filled up at 11:03, and the cashback arrived at 14:44.

Tinkoff Bank App

And hey, 96 rubles aren't going to hurt. I can buy a couple of decent beers at K&B with that, like this Barenheim Reserve:

Barenheim Reserve

________________

Friends, problems can arise anywhere, not just with Tinkoff Topливо's service.

What's important is not to panic, not to yell, but to try to resolve the issue.

Tinkoff Bank is willing to listen to its clients. Of course, I can't speak for everyone, but they've definitely come through for me – not for the first time, I hope, and not for the last.

Here's my review of the bank's products.

I got a full refund on the cashback, even though I didn't receive it due to my own carelessness:

Tinkoff Travel

I've been using this service to get a visa, and it's been a lifesaver:

AO "Tinkoff Insurance"

And this one just makes me laugh:

Tinkoff Investments

____________

I'm updating this review, 21.04.25

Friends, this review was written in 2023.

It's now 2025, and I'm still actively using the service – no issues so far.

But, as usual with bank products, the conditions keep changing, and not for the better.

The high cashback percentage is given out less often, but they've introduced a small commission.

I'm not sure how it's calculated yet, but with 20 liters, it's around 20 rubles.

But then there are the occasional pleasant surprises. They'll give you cashback of 12-30% on Gazprom Neft for a few days.

You get a push notification.

I've used it a few times already.

So, the rules of the game are constantly changing – keep an eye out for the offers.