Anthony Piovesan
Paying with cash is quickly becoming a thing of the past as more people opt to pay via card or mobile apps than ever before.
The use of cash in stores across Spain has dramatically decreased from 83% to 66% in the past three years, according to new figures.
A study conducted by the Bank of Spain found the use of digital or card payment in shops had accelerated since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
The growing use of mobile payment app Bizum had also contributed to the increase in digital payments, the data found.
Bizum, which allows a quick transfer between people from your mobile phone, represented 13% of payments between individuals.
The study found the bank card was used in 28% of purchases in then past three years, 13 percentage points more than in 2019.
People paying in-store with their mobile phones was also 3.7% more than in 2019.
Older people used cash more, the study found.
People aged over 55 made up about 70% of their purchases in stores with cash, compared to 60% in those aged under 40.
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