Using cash machines and cards safely in Spain

Key rules

• Odd machine: If anything looks wrong, cancel, walk away and tell your bank.
• Trapped card: Block the card straight away through your bank's 24-hour line or app, and get the block confirmed.
• Strangers: Never accept help from strangers at a machine, and never re-enter your PIN.
• Disputes: Tell the bank about unauthorised payments in writing, without delay and within 13 months at the latest.

Check the machine before you use it

If something looks wrong, don't use the machine. Cancel and walk away. Then tell your bank.

Signs of tampering:

• A card slot that looks loose, bulky, misaligned or a different colour from the rest of the machine.
• A keypad that is raised or feels thick.
• A hidden camera or an extra panel above the keypad.
• Glue or adhesive marks.
• Strangers standing too close.

A card trap can be a thin strip or a device inside the slot, so you may not see it. Pull on the card reader and wiggle it. It should not move.

Protect your PIN

• Cover the keypad with your hand every time you type your PIN.
• Use machines inside bank branches, or in well-lit, busy places.
• Watch for people hovering. Do not accept help from strangers.

Set up your bank app

Turn on alerts and set card limits. Contactless payments have a maximum amount without a PIN. You can lower that limit or switch contactless off in the app. Check your statements often.

If your card is trapped or compromised

Do these in order:

1. Stay at the machine if you can. Refuse help from strangers. Do not type your PIN again.
2. Call your bank's 24-hour card-blocking line, or block the card in the app. Ask the bank to confirm the block.
3. If the machine is inside a branch, tell the staff.
4. Report it to the police and file a denuncia. Keep a copy. Use the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil. In Catalonia use the Mossos, and in the Basque Country the Ertzaintza.
5. Check your account movements. Dispute any payment you did not make, in writing, as soon as you see it. Ask for a replacement card.

Do not wait to dispute. You should tell the bank without undue delay, and 13 months from the payment is the last chance.

The checklist, timeline and questions below cover the same steps in short form.

Timeline and deadlines

• Stay at the machine if you can and refuse help from strangers: the moment the card is trapped

• Call your bank's 24-hour card-blocking line or block the card in the app, and ask the bank to confirm the block: immediately

• Tell the branch staff if the machine is inside a bank branch: right away, while you are there

• Report to the police and file a denuncia, then keep a copy: as soon as you have blocked the card

• Check your account movements and dispute unauthorised payments in writing, and ask for a replacement card: promptly after blocking the card

• Last chance to notify the bank of unauthorised payments: within 13 months at the latest Deadline: 13 months after the debit date.

Checklist

• Pull on the card reader and wiggle it to check it is firmly fixed.

• Step away and cancel if anything looks odd or strangers stand too close, then tell the bank.

• Lower the contactless limit or disable contactless in your bank app.

• Check your statements often for payments you did not make.

• Call your bank's 24-hour card-blocking line at once if your card is trapped, and do not enter your PIN again.

• File a denuncia with the police, keep a copy, and ask your bank for a replacement card.

Frequently asked questions

Can I lower the contactless limit on my card?

Yes, you can lower the contactless limit or switch contactless off in your bank's app. Contactless payments below a set amount need no PIN, so a lower limit caps what a thief can spend if the card is stolen or copied.

Should I accept help from a stranger when my card is stuck?

No, never accept help from a stranger when your card is stuck, because they may be the one who set the trap. Stay at the machine if you can and call your bank's card-blocking line straight away.

Which police do I report a trapped card to?

You can file a denuncia (a formal police report) with the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil.

How long do I have to dispute a payment I did not make?

You must tell your bank without undue delay and within 13 months at the latest. Put the dispute in writing and ask for a replacement card at the same time.