Who needs to do what
Tourist from Germany / UK / Ireland / anywhere outside Spain: nothing. Bizum needs a Spanish IBAN. Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay work as before.
Expat with a Spanish account: wait until your bank turns Bizum Pay on. Today CaixaBank, BBVA, Sabadell and Bankinter go live. The rest follow between June and October. Santander joins in autumn.
Bizum Pay app in the store: from 1 June. If your bank integrates Bizum directly (BBVA, CaixaBank), you do not need the separate app.
Mass launch: September/October 2026 with a major campaign.
Contents
Sunday evening on Calle Triana
Sunday evening at the cafetería on Calle Triana in Las Palmas, the waiter sets down the café cortado and rings up the bill. A woman from Düsseldorf, four days on the island with her husband, taps her phone with Apple Pay. Behind her, a young man, eight months here on a nomad visa, Spanish account at Sabadell. He read this morning that Bizum Pay starts today and wonders whether he can already try it. Short answer: yes, but. Long answer: it's worth knowing the difference.
What starts today, Monday 18 May
What begins today, Monday 18 May, is the second phase of Bizum. Until now, Spaniards have known «¿Te hago un Bizum?» as the default line for money among friends — splitting a pizza, chipping in on a group gift, settling the class reunion bill. 31 million accounts are registered for it. From today the system jumps into the shop. El Español reported on Thursday that CaixaBank, BBVA, Sabadell and Bankinter are taking the first step. Others — Unicaja, Santander, the entire Caja Rural network — will join between June and October. The actual mass wave is expected in September or October, with a big advertising push.
Why it is yesterday's news for tourists
For the Düsseldorf tourist, this is yesterday's news. Bizum requires an IBAN starting with «ES» — or, since 2022, with «AD» (Andorra). A German IBAN won't do, an account with N26 or Revolut helps only partly (Revolut integrated Bizum in 2024, but with its own quirks). In plain English: anyone here for a week's holiday will pay just as before — card, contactless or wallet. And that's fine, because nobody at the till is forcing Bizum on anyone. The terminals still take every card.
For the Sabadell nomad it gets interesting
For the young nomad at Sabadell, it gets interesting. Sabadell is already on board today, though via the separate Bizum Pay app, which only hits the store on 1 June. Those with CaixaBank or BBVA get the function directly in the bank app. As soon as the account shows the activation — Bizum section in the app, a new «Pago presencial» tab or similar — the nomad can walk up to any terminal, unlock the phone, hold it to the device, confirm biometrically. Done. No PIN, in under five seconds, says Bizum.
Apple Pay, Visa and the real difference
The practical difference from Apple Pay or Visa contactless is small but real. With Visa the payment runs through the international card networks — the shop sees the money 24 to 48 hours later, with a commission. With Bizum Pay it's an instant bank transfer, account to account: the shop has it in seconds, no Visa commission. For small businesses on the Canaries — the corner bakery in Vegueta, the hairdresser in Puerto del Rosario — the commissions could end up lower than card fees, which is real margin if the bank offers decent terms. The business press expects banks will have to undercut card-industry fees for the effort to pay off.
Cross-border: Italy, Portugal, Wero
For the long-term resident family in Telde, the interesting question is whether Bizum Pay will finally cross borders. Bizum is already interoperable with Italy, Portugal and Andorra — anyone with relatives in Lisbon or Milan can send money free of charge today, provided their local bank is on MB WAY (Portugal) or Bancomat (Italy). The next stage is Wero, the pan-European equivalent currently being built out. France and Germany are connected — the question is when Wero and Bizum will embrace.
What you will see in the Canaries tonight
Realistically, very little will be visible in the Canarian routine tonight. No poster at Mercadona, no sticker on the terminal at Hiperdino. Anyone who simply keeps holding their iPhone to the terminal will notice nothing. The turning point comes in autumn, when Santander joins and the campaign kicks off. Until then: for tourists, business as usual. For expats with a Spanish account at one of the four first-mover banks: have a go. It'll work, or it'll tell you politely what's still missing.
Spain's answer to Visa
And Spain's answer to Visa? Picks up speed today. Whether it wins the race depends on whether the banks can build, in five months, an incentive scheme that convinces customers to trade their habitual Apple-Pay-on-iPhone for their bank's app. At the moment, nobody does that voluntarily.
Questions and answers
- Can I use Bizum Pay as a tourist from the UK or Germany?
- No. Bizum requires a Spanish (ES) or Andorran (AD) IBAN. A UK, German or other foreign IBAN does not work. Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay continue to work as before.
- Which banks are live from today, 18 May 2026?
- CaixaBank, BBVA, Sabadell and Bankinter go live on 18 May 2026. Sabadell customers initially need the separate Bizum Pay app, which becomes available in the App Store on 1 June 2026. CaixaBank and BBVA have the function built into their own bank app.
- When do Santander and other banks join?
- Santander joins in autumn 2026. Unicaja, the Caja Rural network and other banks come between June and October 2026. The full mass launch with a major advertising campaign is planned for September or October 2026.
- What is the difference compared with contactless Visa or Apple Pay?
- With Visa, payment runs through the international card networks over 24 to 48 hours with a fee. Bizum Pay is an instant bank transfer from account to account, in seconds, with no Visa fee. For merchants it can be cheaper; at the till the customer barely notices.
- Does Bizum work abroad?
- Bizum is currently interoperable with Italy (Bancomat), Portugal (MB WAY) and Andorra. Sending money to relatives in Lisbon or Milan is free. Wero, the pan-European equivalent for Germany and France, is not yet connected — as of 18 May 2026.