Debit, credit and prepaid cards in Spain

Terms used

• Pago aplazado — Pago aplazado is the usual credit card mode where purchases build up and are charged to your account in one go each month.
• Tarjeta revolving — A tarjeta revolving lets you repay a fixed amount monthly while the rest carries high interest.
• TAE — The TAE is the annual percentage cost of a loan or credit, including interest.
• Folleto de tarifas — The folleto de tarifas is the bank's published list of fees and charges.

Key rules

• Debit: Debit is the standard card and usually comes with your account.
• Credit settlement: Most Spanish credit cards are debited in full from your account once a month, normally without interest.
• Revolving: A revolving option charges high interest on the unpaid balance, so check your contract.
• Fees: Annual fees differ by bank and are often waived if you receive a salary or pension.

Which card will you get?

Debit is the standard card in Spain. Most current accounts come with a debit card by default, and it is the everyday card for most purchases. Credit cards are usually optional. Banks often promote them with rewards or fee waivers.

How Spanish credit cards charge you

Most Spanish credit cards work on monthly settlement. Your purchases add up over the billing period. On a set date, the bank takes the full total from your linked current account, normally with no interest. This is often called "pago aplazado" or "a fin de mes".

Many banks also offer a revolving or instalment option ("tarjeta revolving", or "fraccionado"). You pay a fixed amount or percentage each month, and the rest builds up interest at a high rate. Banks sometimes switch this on by default or push it through offers, so read the contract. Revolving is the less common mode, but it is common on retail and consumer-finance cards.

Two habits keep you safe:

• Choose full monthly settlement, or switch the revolving option off.
• Keep enough money in the linked account on the debit date.

Revolving cards cost much more than other consumer credit. The Banco de España publishes monthly average interest rates (TAE) for credit-card and revolving credit, so you can compare your card's rate with them. Spanish courts can annul interest that is far above that average.

What cards cost

Debit cards are often free, or cost roughly 0 to 30 euros a year. Credit cards cost roughly 0 to 60 euros a year. Premium or gold cards start at about 60 euros and can reach several hundred. Online banks and neobanks often charge nothing.

Many banks waive the fee if you:

• receive a salary or pension into the account,
• hold a minimum number of direct debits, or
• reach a minimum annual card spend.

The fee often applies in the first year unless it is waived. Look up the exact amount in the bank's fee schedule ("folleto de tarifas") before you accept a card.

Prepaid cards

A prepaid card holds money you load in advance. People use them for online shopping, controlled spending, gifts, travel, teen or student use, or when they have no bank account. Load and balance limits are usually low because of anti-money-laundering rules. Issuers may charge issue, reload, inactivity or ATM fees. Neobank and fintech cards are often used instead.

The checklist below walks you through what to ask your bank. The quick answers cover Bizum and contactless payments.

Checklist

• Ask your bank whether your credit card is charged in full once a month to your account or set to pay in instalments.

• Switch off the revolving or instalment option, or choose full monthly settlement, if you want to avoid interest.

• Check the debit date for your credit card and keep enough money in the linked account on that day.

• Ask whether the fee is waived if you receive a salary or pension, hold a minimum number of direct debits, or reach a minimum yearly card spend.

• Compare the interest rate (TAE) on any revolving card with the monthly average published by the Banco de España, Spain's central bank, before you sign.

• Ask the issuer about load limits, balance limits and issue, reload, inactivity and ATM fees before you buy a prepaid card.

Cards and Bizum: quick answers

Can I use Bizum when I am abroad?

Yes, Bizum works abroad as long as your bank app works and you use the Spanish phone number registered with your bank. The account must be Spanish. Payments to foreign phone numbers or foreign accounts are generally not possible.

Why does my card sometimes ask for a PIN on a contactless payment?

Your card asks for the PIN to limit fraud, once the total since your last PIN reaches 150 euros or after five contactless payments in a row. A shop or a flagged transaction can also trigger it. Entering the PIN resets the count.

Can I get a Bizum payment back after sending it?

No, you cannot cancel a Bizum once it is sent, so the first step is asking the recipient to send the money back by a new Bizum. If they refuse, contact your bank straight away and report it. Payments you authorised yourself, even through a scam, are not refunded automatically, so also report scams to the police and complain to the Banco de España, Spain's central bank, if your bank does not help.