iisakki: Hello,
In a week I move to Russia, and wondering under which currency I can pay for my games in GOG?
What is the current pricing of games in RUB? Are they priced cheaper than in EUR?
Would appreciate if someone can tell how to see prices in RUB - thanks! (My eyes are currently on Grim Fandango Remastered ;))
Starmaker: When you're in Russia (my condolences), you can pay either in USD or in RUB. Grim Fandango currently costs 589 RUB, or 8.59 USD, in Russia, and $13.99 everywhere else.
There are two elements to the GOG pricing system.
The first is regional currency. Each region has one or more currencies that you can use to pay when you're in it. USD and RUB are the options in Russia, and I assume USD and EUR are the options in Finland. You can switch currency by using a picker field at the bottom of the page. The prices in different currencies within one region are meant to be roughly equal. Because your bank uses an exchange rate different from GOG's (GOG's doesn't change daily), one price might be better than the other one. Still, many banks will fuck your shit up if you try to make a transborder payment in a currency different from that of your card (for payment purposes, GOG is in Cyprus) but won't do so if you're paying in your card's currency. So, usually, paying in your card's currency is a good idea, even if it looks a couple cents more expensive.
The second element is regional pricing. For some games, prices in certain countries are significantly lower. It is often the case in Russia, and it holds true for Grim Fandango in particular. So even if your Finland-issued card is in EUR and your Finnish bank will charge you a premium for buying games
in Cyprus with USD or RUB (when you're physically in Russia and unable to pay in EUR), the extra charge will be perhaps 30c, not $5.40, which is the price difference in your favor that you'll get for being physically present in Russia (again, my condolences).
The geolocation system is geo-ip-based; you don't need to change the location in your profile for it to work.
Open the page, write down the price, scroll down and change the currency, write down the other price, try to estimate which one will be effectively less considering the exchange rate and its tendencies (both will be
roughly $8.59), choose it, and make the payment.
Although this post is 9 years old, I still think it is relevant today as we're still facing regionally different pricing.
Fortunately, there are several ways these days to make currency exchange a little cheaper, from TransferWise to LeoPay and other options.
There is also a hugely expensive way if you have no other way. I was able to transfer funds to someone by sending funds to their MEGAFON subscription, which can in turn be used to fund Yandex Money, which is a payment option that can be used on-line in Russia when all your American or European ones won't be accepted because it's not a Russian credit card and whatnot.
However, either Yandex or MegaFon will ROB you - the percentage incurred is totally INSANE.
Still, that taken into account, the purchase in Russia will still be cheaper inspite of these added costs.
I have friends and relatives all over the world from EU to Russia to other continents, and I can confirm in 2019 it's no picnic living there. I'd try and avoid if possible, even when well paid and working for a non-Russian company in Russia.
Until Russia starts to seriously address its corruption issues and starts actually spending tax payer's money on something other than its leadership's 20 palaces and the military and their oligarch relatives, it will always be an uphill battle for anyone trying to make an honest living.
