Taking payment at the property in 2026: cash limits and the duty to accept cards in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece

Updated: 10 November 2026

If guests pay at the property, you need to know two things: how much they can pay in cash and whether you must accept cards. We read the laws and the official pages of tax agencies, parliaments, central banks and EUR-Lex (links at the end). Anything we could not confirm in an official source is marked «unconfirmed». This is not legal advice: check with your accountant.

Summary

Spain: no cash payments of €1,000 or more when one party is a business or professional; €10,000 if the payer is an individual without tax residence in Spain. 25% fine. National duty to accept cards: unconfirmed (we did not find one).
Portugal: paying or receiving €3,000 or more in cash is banned; €10,000 if the payer is a non-resident individual. No duty to accept cards, according to Banco de Portugal.
Italy: €5,000 cash limit since 1 January 2023. Duty to accept cards (POS): refusing costs €30 plus 4% of the amount.
Greece: sales or services to individuals of €500 or more, no cash. Accommodation must accept cards and instant transfers: €1,500 fine.
Across the EU: you cannot surcharge consumer card payments or SEPA transfers (Directive (EU) 2015/2366, Art. 62(4)).

Spain: €1,000 in cash

According to the Spanish Tax Agency and Art. 7 of Law 7/2012, as amended by Law 11/2021:

Operations of €1,000 or more (or the foreign-currency equivalent) cannot be paid in cash when a business or professional is involved. A hotel is one.
If the payer is an individual who shows they have no tax residence in Spain and is not acting as a business, the limit is €10,000.
All payments for the same stay are added up: splitting the bill does not help.
Cash includes notes, coins, bearer cheques and other bearer instruments.
Penalty: a fine of 25% of the base (the amount paid in cash). It is halved if paid voluntarily after the proposed decision.
In force since the day after Law 11/2021 was published in the BOE, in July 2021.
Keep proof of payment for five years.
Exactly who is liable (payer, payee or both): unconfirmed on the official pages we could open.

Spain: must you accept cards?

We found no general national duty to accept cards in an official source: unconfirmed. What Banco de España does say:

You cannot charge a surcharge for paying by card.
A minimum amount for card payments would not be prohibited if shown on visible signs, though card-scheme contracts may restrict it.

Portugal: €3,000 in cash

According to Art. 63-E of the General Tax Law, added by Law 92/2017 (Portal das Finanças):

Paying or receiving €3,000 or more in cash is banned in any kind of transaction, including between individuals.
€10,000 if the payer is a non-resident individual not acting as a business.
Invoices of €1,000 or more paid by certain companies (those in Art. 63-C(1)) must be paid by a method that identifies the recipient, such as a transfer.
Split payments for the same operation are added up.
Amount of the penalty: unconfirmed (we did not check the offences regime).
Cards: according to Banco de Portugal, merchants are not obliged to accept them. If you do, show which brands and types at the desk and, online, before payment. Its leaflet for merchants says not to charge any fee for accepting a card.

Italy: €5,000 in cash and mandatory POS

According to the Italian Chamber of Deputies' documentation:

Cash limit of €5,000 since 1 January 2023 (2023 budget law), for individuals and companies.
Since 30 June 2014, businesses and professionals must accept cards (Art. 15(4), Decree-Law 179/2012), unless it is objectively technically impossible.
Since 30 June 2022, refusing a card payment of any amount is fined €30 plus 4% of the transaction value (Art. 15(4-bis), Decree-Law 179/2012). The provincial prefect decides.
Tourist exception: a 2012 Ministry of Economy circular on Art. 3 of Decree-Law 16/2012 allows up to €15,000 in cash from tourists without Italian, EU or EEA citizenship who live outside Italy, if the seller files a prior notice with the Agenzia delle Entrate, takes a passport copy and self-declaration and banks the cash on the next working day.
The exception is still in use in 2026: the Agenzia delle Entrate set 20 April 2026 as the deadline to report 2025 tourism-related cash operations of €5,000 or more.
Unconfirmed: that the exception expressly covers hotels (it refers to Art. 22 of Presidential Decree 633/1972, which we could not open) and that the €15,000 cap is unchanged.

Greece: €500 and mandatory POS

According to AADE (the Independent Authority for Public Revenue):

Sales of goods or services to individuals of €500 or more are paid by card or other electronic means, not in cash (Art. 20(3), Law 3842/2010, as worded by Art. 77 of Law 5301/2026).
That new wording applies once a ministerial decision is published, which may exempt some individuals. Penalty for taking cash: unconfirmed.
Accommodation (activity codes 55.10, 55.20, 55.30 and 55.90) must accept cards and instant transfers from consumers (joint ministerial decision 119899/2023 as amended, based on Art. 65 of Law 4446/2016).
€1,500 fine for not accepting them, halved if you pay or prove you have a terminal within 30 days. €1,000 for not declaring your business account to AADE.
If you issue retail receipts with a fiscal cash register, your POS terminals must be connected to it (€10,000 or €20,000 fine). How this ties in with myDATA in your case: unconfirmed, ask your accountant.

What changes in 2027 across the EU

Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 (Art. 80) sets a €10,000 cash limit for anyone selling goods or providing services, applying from 10 July 2027. Countries may keep lower limits, like those in this guide.

How to say it on your website and in your booking terms

List the payment methods you accept at the property: cash, cards (which brands), bank transfer.
State the country's cash limit: for example, «Cash payments up to €999 per stay (Spanish law)».
The total price does not change with the payment method. In the EU you cannot surcharge consumer cards or SEPA transfers (Directive (EU) 2015/2366, Art. 62(4)).
If you ask for a guarantee (card or deposit), say when and how much is charged.
Show separately anything not included in the price, such as tourist tax, and how it is paid.
Use the same wording on the website, in the confirmation and at reception: no surprises.

How an AI assistant will see it

Assistants read your website text and structured data. In schema.org, your Hotel entry (a subtype of LocalBusiness) supports:

paymentAccepted: text, for example «Cash, Credit Card».
currenciesAccepted: an ISO 4217 code, for example «EUR».
Say it in visible text too: «Pay at the property: cash up to €999, Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer. Same price whatever the method».
Clear data helps the information be correct. Nobody can guarantee that an AI will recommend you.

Related guides

To complete this guide:

How to take payment at the property (guarantee, cash, card): /hotel-payment-at-property-cash-limits-card-rules-2026.
Bizum, MB WAY, IRIS and instant transfers (Regulation (EU) 2024/886): /instant-payments-bizum-mbway-instant-transfer-iris-hotels-2026.

How iQuota helps

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Frequently asked questions

How much can a guest pay in cash at a hotel in Spain?

Less than €1,000; if they are an individual without tax residence in Spain, less than €10,000. All payments for the stay are added up (Art. 7, Law 7/2012).

Do accommodation providers have to accept cards?

In Italy and Greece, yes, with a fine if you do not. In Portugal, no, according to Banco de Portugal. In Spain we found no general national duty (unconfirmed).

Can I charge more if the guest pays by card?

Not for consumer cards or SEPA transfers in the EU: Art. 62(4) of Directive (EU) 2015/2366 prohibits it.

Sources

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