Can an establishment make you pay a minimum amount with your credit card?

Cash is becoming more common. The most convenient and widely used method of payment in Europe is by card, contactless, or through applications like Bizum. Is it possible to perform these actions in every type of business? Is it possible to buy any product with cash? This is the law.

Everyone has experienced it. Oder, when we asked for the phone number to make payment, the person who attended us claimed that they could only transfer a certain amount.

Is this real? Yes. First, there are no Spanish regulations that require businesses to accept cards payments. There are exceptions, however, that depend on the sector it is in, as there are ordinances that require it to accept card payments. According to OCU, the taxi sector is an example.

When it comes to setting a minimum amount that can be paid by credit card, the law is clear. Every business has the right to set a minimum amount that it accepts payment by dataphone. Only one thing is required by the regulations: the minimum amount that can be charged by credit card must be clearly posted in front of customers. The only reason we can pay with credit card, regardless of the price, is if it's not posted on a prominent and visible place.

However, Royal Decree-Law 19/2018 of November 23 warns that if the amount to be paid is more than 30 Euros, establishments must offer other payment options than cash.

Another problem is the issue of commissions payable by card. Many establishments used to charge a small fee when customers paid with their cards years ago. The Organization of Consumers and Users has declared that surcharges for card payments are illegal as of 2014, according to Royal Decree Law 8/2014.

A survey by the Bank of Spain in 2020 found that 54.1% of Spanish citizens preferred to pay with a card rather than 35.9% who keep cash. It is interesting to note that the two extremes of cash preference are over 65-year-olds and 18-24 year olds.