One of the questions I always ask before traveling internationally is:

“How much cash do we actually need?”

I don't love carrying a lot of cash when we travel. It's one more thing to keep track of, and if it gets lost, stolen, or accidentally left behind somewhere, there's no handy little "freeze card" button for it.

On the other hand, I also don't want to be standing at a tiny tapas bar with a plate of delicious food in front of me while someone tells me, “Cash only.” 😳

So as we prepare for our fall trip to Barcelona, Spain, I decided to investigate.

And the good news?

🇪🇸 Barcelona looks VERY credit-card friendly.

Spain's official tourism site says Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, and cards or mobile payments are accepted at most shops, restaurants, hotels and museums.

Even better, Spain has been moving strongly toward contactless payments. The Bank of Spain reports that contactless transactions accounted for 93.7% of face-to-face card payments in the first half of 2024.

So perhaps we don't need to turn ourselves into walking ATMs after all!

💳 Can We Basically Use Credit Cards Everywhere?

Probably. But we're not going completely cashless.

That seems to be the consensus.

Barcelona is a modern, very tourist-friendly city, and credit cards are accepted in most of the places we're likely to visit:

🍽️ Restaurants
☕ Cafés
🛍️ Stores
🏨 Hotels
🏛️ Museums
🎟️ Major attractions
🚕 Taxis
🚇 Public transportation
🛒 Grocery stores
🥐 Bakeries
🍷 Bars

Barcelona's public transportation system has also embraced contactless payment. TMB says its readers accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express, as well as contactless cards, phones and watches.

That makes me very happy because I love the idea of just tapping my phone and getting on with my day.

💶 But We're Still Bringing Some Euros

We're not going to Barcelona with zero cash.

That just seems like tempting fate.

Instead, we're planning to carry a small amount of euros, mostly in smaller denominations.

Why?

Because there are still situations where cash can be useful.

Think:

🥐 Tiny bakeries or cafés
🥘 Small food vendors
🛍️ Some market stalls
🧺 Flea markets
🍷 Traditional little bars
🎭 Street performers
💰 Small tips
🚻 Unexpected little expenses
💳 A business with a minimum card purchase
📡 A card terminal that happens to be down

Barcelona's consumer authority notes that businesses can choose whether to accept cards, while cash is generally required as a payment method, and businesses may set a minimum amount for card payments as long as the condition is clearly posted.

So that €4.50 snack might become:

“Sorry, minimum €10 for cards.”

And that's exactly the kind of situation where having a few euros in your wallet saves the day.

🚕 What About Taxis?

Another thing I wanted to check was transportation.

Barcelona's official taxi information says taxis can accept cash or credit cards, as long as the vehicle indicates that card payment is accepted. Some also support mobile/contactless payments.

So we're feeling pretty comfortable about using cards for transportation.

Still, I like having a little cash as backup.

And there's another good tip from the official taxi service:

Ask for a receipt.

The receipt should include information such as the fare, origin and destination, date, license information and vehicle registration.

That's one of those little travel habits that costs nothing and could be very useful if something goes wrong.

🥖 What About Markets?

This is where I think we'll actually use some cash.

We LOVE wandering through markets.

And Barcelona has some fantastic ones.

I'm imagining us walking around, seeing something delicious, pointing at it and saying:

“How much?”

Then discovering we absolutely need it.

😂

While many market vendors now accept cards, smaller stalls and tiny purchases can still be more cash-friendly. So I'm planning to have some €5, €10 and €20 notes available rather than carrying a giant wad of money.

💶 How Much Cash Should We Bring?

I don't think we need hundreds and hundreds of euros sitting in our wallets.

For The Trekking Pawns, I'm thinking something along the lines of:

€40–€60 in cash to start

Mostly in smaller bills and coins.

That's enough to handle those little situations without making cash our primary payment method.

Then, if we actually find ourselves using cash more than expected, we can get more euros from an ATM.

The idea is:

Credit card = primary payment method
Cash = backup and small purchases

That feels like the right balance for us.

🏧 What If We Run Out?

Barcelona has plenty of ATMs, so I'm not worried about running out of cash.

But I don't want to walk up to the first random ATM we see and blindly accept whatever exchange rate it offers.

One important thing to remember when withdrawing money internationally:

If the ATM asks whether you want to be charged in U.S. dollars or euros...

Choose euros.

That generally lets your card issuer handle the currency conversion rather than accepting the ATM's own currency conversion offer.

And if we're getting cash, I'd rather use an ATM associated with a legitimate bank than a random standalone machine in the middle of a tourist area.

💳 Visa, Mastercard or Amex?

This is another thing we're going to think about.

Visa and Mastercard appear to be the safest bets. Spain's tourism information specifically identifies both as widely accepted.

American Express can be more hit-or-miss, particularly at smaller establishments.

So I'm not planning our entire Barcelona trip around Amex acceptance.

Visa/Mastercard = primary.

And we'll have a second card as a backup.

Because the worst time to discover your card isn't working is when you're standing at the checkout counter with a hungry stomach and a bag full of souvenirs.

📱 And Yes, We're Bringing Our Phones

Another advantage of Barcelona's contactless payment system is that we don't necessarily have to pull out a physical card every time.

Phones and watches can be used for contactless payments in many places, and TMB specifically supports contactless cards and mobile devices for its transit system.

That means we can potentially do:

Tap → beep → walk away.

Perfect.

Although I will still carry a physical card.

Because technology is wonderful...

...until it isn't.

🧳 Our Barcelona Money Strategy

So after doing the research, here's what we're thinking:

💳 Use cards for:

Hotels
Restaurants
Major attractions
Shopping
Transportation
Larger purchases
Online tickets
Most everyday expenses

💶 Use cash for:

Small market purchases
Tiny snacks
Street vendors
Small cafés that have a card minimum
Tips
Street performers
Backup emergencies

📱 Use our phones for:

Contactless purchases
Transit where supported
Backup payment

🏧 Use ATMs only when:

We actually need more cash.

💰 One More Important Thing: Don't Forget the Currency!

The currency in Spain is the euro (€).

And no, we can't show up with a pocket full of U.S. dollars and expect everyone to happily take them. 😆

We're going to get some euros before or during the trip, but we're definitely not planning to exchange a huge amount of money at the airport.

We'd rather let our cards do most of the work.

🐾 The Trekking Pawns' Verdict

After researching this, I'm feeling pretty comfortable with a mostly credit-card Barcelona trip.

We're not going completely cashless, but we also don't need to carry a giant stack of euros.

Our plan:

Bring a small amount of euros, use our credit cards for most purchases, and keep a backup card somewhere separate.

That sounds like the sweet spot.

And honestly, this is exactly how I like to travel.

I want enough cash to buy a random pastry from a little bakery if necessary...

…but I don't want to spend my vacation doing math in my head every time I buy a sandwich.

I'd much rather tap the card, grab the food and keep walking.

Because there are neighborhoods to explore.

Markets to investigate.

Gaudí architecture to stare at.

And, most importantly...

TAPAS TO EAT. 🇪🇸🥖🍷

— The Trekking Pawns 🐾✈️

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💶 Cash or Card in Barcelona? The Trekking Pawns Investigate!