The cashless operations in Spanish tourism have experienced a rise of 17.1% during the summer of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to data from the Cashless Tourism Observatory prepared by the fintech SumUp.
This advance is largely explained by the boost in small amount purchases. Transactions under 10 euros accounted for 62.1% of the total digital payments made in these months, with an increase of 30.5% compared to the previous year.
If we add the range of 10 to 20 euros, which groups 18.4% of the operations, more than 8 out of every 10 digital payments made in the summer of 2026 do not exceed 20 euros. In parallel, payments above 50 euros are losing prominence and barely account for 6.1% of the total transactions.
The rise of these micropayments is behind the reduction of the national average digital ticket, which falls by -15.3%, from 18.6 euros in 2025 to 15.7 euros in 2026.
Leisure, culture, and hospitality lead cashless adoption
The implementation of cashless technology has been particularly intense in leisure activities and cultural services. Businesses linked to music, concerts, and cinema lead the advance after recording a 54.5% increase in their digital payments.
Also noteworthy are the increases in toy and leisure stores (+36.8%), souvenir shops (+33.9%), and the hotel sector (+28.4%). This is complemented by the dynamism of the restaurant industry, with increases in fast food (+15.9%), cafes and restaurants (+14.2%), food trucks (+10.7%), and bars (+10.6%). Closing this Top 10 are grocery stores and supermarkets (+9.1%), along with catering and delivery services (+8.4%).
Domestic tourism boosts card and mobile use
Geographically, the greatest advances in the use of cards or mobile devices have concentrated in inland destinations, mountainous areas, and cultural tourism sites.
By autonomous communities, Castilla y León leads the growth with an increase of 47.4%, followed by Asturias (+38.8%), Extremadura (+32.1%), and Castilla-La Mancha (+31.5%). Next are Murcia and Aragón, both with a +29.2%. Completing the list are Galicia (+28.5%), Catalonia (+20.2%), Andalusia (+16.1%), and the Basque Country (+15.7%).
Provinces with the highest growth and lower weight of coastal tourism
Among the provinces with the highest increase in the volume of digital payments, Soria tops the ranking with a notable +95.3%. In second place is Albacete (+92.3%) and, in third place, Córdoba, with a +73.1%. Cáceres records a solid advance of +65.7%, while Teruel adds a +55.2%. San Sebastián is in sixth place (+52.1%), ahead of Valladolid (+51.1%) and Logroño (+48.9%).
In ninth and tenth position are Segovia, with an increase of +40%, and Cuenca (+39.8%). The list confirms that the digital transition is having less impact on traditional sun and beach tourism: within the national Top 25, only 8 coastal towns appear. In addition to San Sebastián, destinations such as Gran Canaria (+18.8%), Bilbao (+17.7%), Barcelona (+16.3%), and Valencia (+15.4%) sneak in.
According to the fintech, this ranking highlights the good moment of inland destinations compared to coastal or mass vacation spots: the four communities that top the table embody the model of rural, mountain, cultural, and art tourism. "This new dynamic offers a digitalization opportunity for thousands of small local businesses located in geographically historical areas outside of tourist flows," concludes the report.