Money isn’t the sexiest aspect of travel, but without it you don’t get very far. Get acquainted with Spain’s notes and coins, plus a few other crucial bits of information, and you’ll minimise the chances of awkwardness, theft or abuse. Here’s what you need to know.
The Euro
In Spain, as in 11 other EU countries, local money have been replaced by European currency, the euro.
There are 7 euro notes. In different colours and sizes they are denominated in 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5
euros. There are 8 euro coins denominated in 2 and 1 euros, then 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Euro notes and coins came into circulation on 1 January 2002. It is still possible to convert the pesetas into euros at national central banks.
One (1)euro equals 166.386 pesetas ($USD 0.874202)
For euro-information in Spain, call 901 11 20 02.
Spain is one of Europe's more affordable countries. If you are particularly frugal it's just about possible to scrape by for around EUR30 a day. This would involve staying in the cheapest possible accommodation, avoiding eating in restaurants or going to museums or bars, and not moving around too much. A more comfortable budget would be EUR50 a day, allowing for a basic hotel room, set meals, public transport and entry to museums. With EUR100 a day you can stay in excellent accommodation, rent a car and eat some of the best food Spain has to offer.
Travellers cheques can be cashed at banks and exchange offices, and usually attract a slightly higher exchange rate than cash. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted at hotels and restaurants, especially from the middle range up, and also for long-distance train tickets. These days, even small towns have an ATM (cajero automático) where you can withdraw pesetas from credit and debit accounts. Be careful carrying your money, whether it's jingling or plastic, as tourists are a major target of theft - hundreds of thousands of credit cards go missing in Spain every year.
In restaurants the law requires menu prices to include service charge, and tipping is a matter of personal choice - most people leave some small change if they're satisfied and 5% is usually plenty. It's common to leave small change at bar and cafe tables. Markets and cheap hotels are the only places in Spain where you are likely to bargain.
Credit cards
American Express 91 5720303, 91 5720320
Visa nacional, Eurocard, Mastercharge, Servired y Master Card Nacional
933152512
Master Card International 900 971231
Diners Club 91 5474000
Thomas Cook 900 994403
Caixa de Cayalunya 93 4845000
Caixa de Pensions 93 3307009
Caja Madrid 91 5193800
Visa International 900 974445
