Spain / Money rules

Spain money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Choose euros, not dollars, every single timeCard readers and cash machines will both offer to switch you into dollars. Accept, and you lose 3 to 8 percent your own bank would never have charged.Paying by card in Spain
2. 2The kiosk machines are the dear way to get cashThe standalone units in tourist streets, stations and airports carry no bank name and a fee of their own, which lands even after you have refused the dollar conversion. Draw from a machine at a bank branch.Getting euros without the fee
3. 3Tipping is light here, and it should be cashRounding up or leaving 5 to 10 percent for good service is already generous, and nothing like the US percentage. Spanish terminals often have no tip prompt at all, and cash reaches the staff directly.What a propina is worth
4. 4No service charge, and no cover charge eitherSpain does not usually add either, and there is no Italian-style coperto for sitting down. The listed price has the tax in it already, so the number on the menu is generally the number you pay.Reading a Spanish bill
5. 5Only two regions charge a tourist taxCatalonia and the Balearics do, per person per night. Madrid, Andalucia and Valencia do not. Where it applies it is almost never in the total you booked, so expect it at the desk, sometimes in cash.Where the tourist tax applies
6. 6There is no minimum spend on the tax refundSpain scrapped it, so any purchase leaving unused can be claimed, which is unusually generous by EU standards. Validate at a DIVA kiosk before you fly, and at your last EU stop rather than here if you connect.How the IVA refund works
7. 7Renting a car? The permit is genuinely enforcedSpain requires non-EU drivers to carry an International Driving Permit alongside the license from home, and the big chains will refuse the keys without it. Get one before you leave; you cannot buy it there.The permit and the fuel trick
8. 8Madrid airport is a fixed fare. Barcelona is notAn official taxi from Barajas to anywhere inside the ring road charges a set rate whatever the traffic. Barcelona is the odd one out for apps: local rules mean a ride has to be booked ahead rather than summoned.Airport fares and ride apps

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the Spain guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/spain/rules