iPhone owners in Russia have long grown accustomed to the fact that you first need to find the app you need, and then convince yourself that it’s the right one. Banking clients, gas station services, loyalty programs — they all leave the App Store, only to return under names that mean nothing. Recently, a PSB Business app quietly appeared in the catalog, and now it’s the fuel network’s turn. The new app is called “Bak+Bonus”, the developer is listed as Artemij Kluchnikov, and inside — it’s the real Gazpromneft loyalty program. I downloaded it, logged in, and tested everything on my iPhone.
Gazpromneft is back in the App Store
How to Find the Gazpromneft App in the App Store
The name “Bak+Bonus” itself sounds like it could be an app for some regional chain of three gas stations. The description on the listing is also as generic as possible: you show a QR code at the register and earn bonuses, there’s registration, a balance, and purchase history. Not a word about Gazpromneft, no logo, no signature blue color. A typical app disguise that Russian companies have been resorting to for the third year running.
First banks did this, then marketplaces, and now it’s the fuel networks’ turn. Meanwhile, the gas stations themselves have long lived on the sidelines of other apps: some find it easier to look for gas through Yandex Zapravki, others search for a fuel pump on a map. A dedicated network client is needed for exactly one thing — bonuses.
It’s easy to verify: just install the app and try logging in. Which is exactly what I did. After authorization, there were no doubts left.
How to Install Bak+Bonus and Log Into Your Gazpromneft Account
The app downloads the usual way from the Russian App Store, without any regional tricks or account switching. It weighs 128.6 MB and requires iOS 15.0 or later, so it will even run on an old iPhone 6s. Support for Mac with Apple silicon and Apple Vision Pro is listed, but that’s more of an automatic label than a conscious decision by the developer.
Here’s what to do:
- Open the “Bak+Bonus” app page in the App Store and tap “Download.”
- Launch the app and enter the phone number linked to your Gazpromneft loyalty card.
- Wait for the confirmation code. Mine arrived not via SMS, but in MAKS — keep this in mind if you don’t have the messenger installed.
- Enter the code and wait for the profile to load. Your balance and card will sync automatically.
- Optionally, add the card to Wallet — the app supports this.
The app can be downloaded from the App Store
The code will arrive in MAKS. Too bad you can’t screenshot it
The code-via-MAKS detail is particularly interesting. This is no longer an isolated case but a trend: Russian services are gradually moving login verification from SMS to messenger. It’s cheaper, faster, and doesn’t depend on the carrier. But if you don’t have MAKS installed, login can hit a wall — there’s simply nowhere to deliver the code. I had to open the messenger to grab six digits.
After authorization, there’s no doubt: the interface, balance, refueling history — everything is tied to a real Gazpromneft account. The app works exactly as the official client did before it was removed from the catalog.
What Features Does the “Bak+Bonus” App Have
The functionality of “Bak+Bonus” is modest, and that’s users’ main complaint. Here’s what’s included:
Everything you’d expect from such an app is in place
- a virtual loyalty card with a QR code for the register;
- real-time bonus points balance;
- purchase and refueling history;
- adding the card to Apple Wallet;
- network promotions and offers.
What’s missing is paying for fuel directly from the app. That very feature for which many kept the official client on their home screen. Pull up to the pump, select the number, fill up, and drive away without leaving the car. That’s not here, and one of the App Store reviews says exactly this: the user writes that without payment, the app turns into a statistics viewer that you can already see on the receipt.
It’s a shame there’s no remote refueling option
Formally, he’s right. But this statistics is indeed more convenient to check on your phone than to pile up paper receipts in the glove box. And if the task is broader and you just need to find out where gas is available, the fuel map in the 2GIS app comes to the rescue. Two apps cover different needs, and that’s fine.
What’s concerning is the privacy section. The developer states that they collect contact information, identifiers, usage data, and even “sensitive data” for advertising and marketing purposes. The wording is as broad as possible, and the privacy policy itself is hosted on a third-party website rather than on Gazpromneft’s domain. Apple doesn’t verify such declarations, which it honestly states on the listing page. I haven’t found any official confirmation from the company itself, so treat it as an unofficial client with all that implies.
When Might “Bak+Bonus” Be Removed from the App Store
The “Bak+Bonus” story is a classic of the genre. A sanctioned company loses its developer account, the app flies out of the App Store, and after some time a “fresh” client surfaces in the catalog with a neutral name and an individual developer. This is how Sberbank, VTB, Alfa-Bank, and dozens of other services came back. The scheme works, but it doesn’t last long: Apple regularly purges such listings.
