Bizum: how Spain's main payment service works
"Te hago un Bizum" is a phrase you hear within your first week in Spain. Splitting the dinner bill, paying rent for a room, buying trainers on Wallapop: it all runs through Bizum. Here is what the service actually is, how a newcomer sets it up, which limits apply and where the traps are for inexperienced users.
- Bizum is an instant transfer service based on phone numbers, built by Spain's banks; the money moves from account to account in seconds.
- You do not install a separate app: it is switched on inside your mobile banking. Open the Bizum section, link your Spanish number, done.
- Benchmark limits: from 0.50 to 1000 euros per transaction, receiving up to 2000 euros a day and up to 60 incoming transactions a month; banks may set their own thresholds.
- Thousands of online shops accept Bizum, and in-store payment is expanding through QR codes.
- Personal transfers are free and untaxed; regularly taking payment for work is income, and income gets declared.
What Bizum is and why it is everywhere
Bizum is an instant transfer system launched in 2016 jointly by Spain's largest banks. Tens of millions of people use it, and practically every bank in the country supports it, from CaixaBank and Santander to the online-only banks.
The key differences from the wallet apps you may be used to:
- It is not a wallet. Money is not stored "in Bizum": the transfer goes straight from your bank account to the recipient's account as an instant payment.
- The identifier is a phone number. You do not need to know an IBAN: simply pick the contact from your phone book.
- Speed. The money arrives within a few seconds, any day and any hour.
- Inside your own bank. No separate registration is needed: the service lives in your banking app and is protected by the bank's own security systems.
Bizum has caught on so completely that it has become a verb: hacer un bizum, to "do a Bizum". Private individuals, shops, charities and even the state lotteries use it.
How to set up Bizum: step by step
- Open an account with a Spanish bank if you do not have one yet. Most banks in the country will do; how a non-resident goes about it is covered in our article on the non-resident account.
- Install the bank's app and activate mobile banking.
- Find the Bizum section in the app menu (usually under "Pagos" or "Enviar dinero").
- Link your Spanish phone number and confirm it with the code sent by SMS.
- Choose the account to debit and you can send your first transfer: pick the recipient from your contacts, enter the amount and an optional note (concepto).
If the recipient is not on Bizum, they receive an invitation: the money is credited once they register, within roughly 2 days, otherwise the transfer is returned.
Bizum limits in 2026
The general framework of the service is as follows (within it, banks may set their own restrictions):
| Parameter | Benchmark limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum transaction amount | 0.50 euros |
| Maximum transaction amount | 1000 euros (500 at some banks) |
| Sending per day | Up to 2000 euros |
| Sending per month | Benchmark up to 5000 euros |
| Receiving per day | Up to 2000 euros |
| Incoming transactions per month | Up to 60 |
Limits add up: several small transfers can run into the daily ceiling. Check the exact figures for your account in your banking app or on the official bizum.es site, because banks configure the framework differently, especially for new and non-resident accounts.
Where you can pay with Bizum
- Transfers to people (P2P). The main scenario: rent, a restaurant bill, gifts, purchases on classified-ad sites.
- Online shops. Thousands of Spanish online shops accept Bizum as a checkout payment method: you enter your phone number and confirm the payment in your banking app.
- Physical shops. QR-code payment is gradually spreading and already works in a number of chains and small shops.
- Donations to non-profits. Charities have dedicated short codes for donations.
- State lotteries and public services. Some administrations and services accept Bizum as payment.
For small businesses and autónomos, Bizum acquiring is a convenient way to take payment without a card terminal: it is arranged through the bank as a separate service.
Safety and tax: what matters
Safety. The service itself is protected by banking infrastructure, but fraudsters work on the human factor. The main scam is the "reverse Bizum": instead of a transfer you are sent a request to debit your account, and an inattentive user confirms sending money to the "buyer" themselves. The rules are simple: read carefully what you are confirming (enviar means send, solicitar means request), do not accept requests from strangers, and remember that a seller on a classifieds site has no reason to "request" money from you in order to pay you.
Tax. Transfers between people close to you, chipping in for a present or paying back a loan, are not taxed. But if you regularly take payment for goods or services through Bizum, that is ordinary income and is declared like any other. Banks report account movements to the tax authority under the general rules, and reporting on payments to businesses has become more regular since 2026, so there is no such thing as "invisible" income here.
How Krepko helps
We help you set up your banking life in Spain: we choose the bank, prepare the package, go to the bank with you, help activate the card, online banking, Bizum and standing orders, help switch the account to resident status once you have your residence permit, and help resolve disputes with the bank. The legally significant steps are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.
Everything about our banking practice is on the Banks page. If you need help with an account or with payments, message us and we will review your case for free.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
As a rule you need a Spanish number: the service links payments to a mobile number, and most banks accept only numbers with the +34 prefix. A few banks allow numbers from other EU countries, but that is the exception. Practical advice: get a Spanish SIM before you go to the bank.
No. One phone number can be linked to only one account at one bank. When you activate it at a new bank, the link at the old one is switched off automatically. If you have several accounts, choose for Bizum the one you pay with most often.
There is no technical ban: if the bank has opened an account for you, given you access to the app and you have a Spanish phone number, Bizum will usually activate. But some banks restrict the service on non-resident accounts, so check when you open it. Once the account is switched to resident status the question disappears.
For private transfers between individuals, no: the service is free, which is one reason it is so popular. The bank can charge only within the general account tariff. Businesses taking payments pay acquiring fees, which are lower than or comparable to card fees and depend on the bank.
Bizum payments are ordinary bank transfers, and banks report account movements under the general rules; since 2026 reporting on payments to businesses has become more regular. Personal transfers between friends are not taxed, but systematically taking payment for goods and services is income that has to be declared.
Moving here and want your bank to just work?
Leave a request and we will help you open the account: we prepare the package, go to the bank with you, help set up the app, Bizum and standing orders, and explain how to avoid fees and freezes. Once, and it all simply works.
Discuss your caseThis material is for information purposes. Bizum limits and conditions are set by the banks and change over time, so check the current figures with your bank and on the official site of the service. The legally significant steps are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.
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