Contactless Payment Portugal and Spain

I used Apple Pay for most purchases in Lisbon right before the pandemic. In 2019, Apple Pay was also my primary method of payment while in San Sebastián, Spain. Cash transactions was (still is?) always an option though. When I hit this area, I still like to have some Euros on me for the occasional shop or market that doesn’t accept CC’s.

We have been in Spain for five weeks and have only needed cash twice - once on a bus and once in a taxi. Everyone else has been very happy for me to pay by card. We have been using a Mastercard debit card as our bank offers fee free use internationally and good exchange rates.

I have used Apple Pay a couple of times but prefer using my card.

Like AussieNomad, on our last trip to Spain we only came across three cash only cafes/restaurants. We used cash a lot simply because we had a lot remaining from a previous trip. On upcoming trips I won’t be taking more than 200-300€ for a 3+ week trips.

Most places do take cards. That said, I use cash much more living in Portugal than I did in the States. Small markets and some coffee shops might not take the card. I also find an occasional restaurant that doesn’t take cards. I would never think of being cashless like I would in the States.

dhamilton,
I agree (as usual) with kathryn. I am sure you could complete your entire visit without needing cash, but that would preclude some little hole in the wall restaurant with the menu written in Portuguese and an older woman cooking in the back. Which, to me, is part of the joy of exploring a country.

A little bit of cash in Portugal can go a long way

Dennis

Thanks everyone for your responses. My follow-up question is for the places that accepted credit cards, did they also accept contactless payments (such as ApplePay)? If I can get away with my smart phone for ApplePay and a small amount of cash in my pocket or money belt, that would be great.

Don

I don’t use Apple Pay, but most places were tap and pay in Spain. A few gas stations were insert card.

This is a similar question that I have too. I have an Android phone ( not Samsung so no Samsung Pay) and no Apple Pay. My credit and debit cards do not have contactless payments built-in. I will be in Portugal and Spain and would like to know if regular credit and debit cards can be used as much as the contactless cards around both countries, especially for rail travel?

@ donh2 - Most places have gone contactless. Insert the card only seems to be used when charging over the allowed maximum. I suggest you contact your credit card provider and get contactless cards prior to your trip.

I was in Spain this summer.

Contactless is accepted everywhere. However we did a few activities where the organisers asked for payment in cash. So just be prepared with a decent card for use abroad.

I have an Android phone ( not Samsung so no Samsung Pay) and no Apple Pay.

What you want to look into is Google Pay, basically you load your credit cards in, and pay by tap with your phone. However, your phone does have to have NFC (Near Field Communication) capability, your provider should be able to tell you if your model has that, or you can look up your phone's capabilities on the internet.

My credit and debit cards do not have contactless payments built-in.

Nearly all major credit cards have updated to contactless. Look at your card, if it has a Wi-Fi looking symbol on it, it is contactless capable, otherwise contact your card company. As another option, if they are unable to update you, get a no fee, no Foreign Transaction Fee card just for travel. Debit cards for whatever reason were less likely to update to contactless, but I only use those for a rare (now) ATM withdrawal.