Taking payment at your property: cash, cards and instant payments, the rules in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece (2026)

Updated: 9 November 2026

If guests pay you at the property, taking payment properly is part of the service: they can pay the way they expect, and you do not break a cash limit or a card acceptance rule without knowing it. These are the rules we checked in each country's official sources (links at the end). This is not legal or tax advice: check unclear cases with your accountant.

Cash payment limits

When one party is a business, such as a hotel, the law caps cash payments:

Spain: a transaction of EUR 1,000 or more cannot be paid in cash. The cap rises to EUR 10,000 if the payer is a private individual without tax residence in Spain. The fine is 25% of the cash paid, and payer and payee are both liable; whoever reports it to the tax agency within 3 months is exempt.
Portugal: you may not pay or receive EUR 3,000 or more in cash (EUR 10,000 if the payer is a non-resident private individual). All payments for the same stay are added up, so splitting does not help.
Italy: the Bank of Italy states that cash payments of EUR 5,000 or more are banned, with penalties for both payer and payee.
Greece: we have not found the cash limit in a citable official source; ask your accountant.
The limit applies per transaction: count the whole stay, not each night.

Must you accept cards?

Italy: yes. Since 30 June 2022, failing to accept electronic payments is penalised (art. 15 of Decree-Law 179/2012, as amended by Decree-Law 36/2022).
Greece: yes, and also instant account-to-account payments. Joint Ministerial Decision 119899/2023 covers hotels, short-stay accommodation, campsites and other accommodation (activity codes 55.10, 55.20, 55.30 and 55.90). The fine is EUR 1,500, halved if fixed within 30 days. Since 1 December 2025 the tax authority (AADE) requires IRIS to be accepted in consumer sales, through the card terminal or the e-receipt provider, and the terminal must be linked to the cash register (fine of EUR 10,000 or 20,000 for using an unlinked one).
Spain and Portugal: we found no general duty to accept cards. Even so, many travellers, especially from abroad, take it for granted: say it clearly on your website and listings.

Do not add a card surcharge

The EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2, art. 62(4)) bans surcharges for paying with ordinary consumer cards, whose fees are regulated. If your website or front desk says "+2% by card", remove it.

Instant transfers and mobile payments

Instant transfer: since 9 January 2025, euro-area banks must be able to receive them at no higher charge than a normal transfer, and since 9 October 2025 send them and warn if the payee's name does not match the account. It is a convenient way to take a deposit or a long stay without cash.
Portugal: MB WAY for businesses lets you take payment at the Multibanco terminal by QR code or the guest's mobile number, online, with your phone as a terminal, or with Multibanco references without an online shop.
Greece: IRIS works at every card terminal and online shop since 1 December 2025.
Spain: ask your bank which mobile payment options it offers merchants.

Say it before they book

Guests should know how they will pay before booking. Write the same thing on your website, your iQuota listing and every platform: "Payment at the property by card, instant transfer or cash (up to the legal limit)". If you ask for a card guarantee, read our guide /hotel-card-guarantee-no-show-fee-pay-at-property-2026.

10-minute check

List the payment methods you accept and check they match your website and listings.
Remove any card surcharge.
If a stay exceeds your country's cash limit, take the total by another method.
In Italy and Greece, check your card terminal works; in Greece, that it accepts IRIS and is linked to the till.

Related guides

To complete this guide:

Cash limits by country, duty to accept cards and the ban on surcharges: /cash-payment-limits-card-acceptance-hotels-2026.
Bizum, MB WAY, IRIS and instant transfers (Regulation (EU) 2024/886): /instant-payments-bizum-mbway-instant-transfer-iris-hotels-2026.

How iQuota helps

With iQuota, guests book without giving their card and pay the property directly, under the payment terms you publish. Clear, lawful terms avoid surprises at check-in.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a guest pay me EUR 1,500 in cash in Spain?

Not if they are resident: from EUR 1,000 it is banned. For a private individual without tax residence in Spain, the cap is EUR 10,000.

Can I charge 2% more for card payments?

Not for ordinary consumer cards: PSD2 (art. 62(4)) bans that surcharge.

Must a Greek property accept IRIS?

Yes: in consumer sales, since 1 December 2025, according to AADE.

Sources

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