Can I use contactless or card to pay for public transport in Spain?

I was in Valencia in May and used both trams and city buses. The EMT Valencia buses now accept contactless bank cards and I used my Indian SBI debit card with no problem. Just tap on entry and you get charged the flat fare. The metro still uses a reloadable Mobilis card which you can buy at stations using cash or card. I got one at the airport using my Revolut card. I never carried coins and didn’t need them once during the entire trip. If you’re traveling across multiple cities it’s best to check the local transport system but in general cards are widely accepted now.

I was traveling through Seville and used city buses almost every day. Unlike Madrid and Barcelona, not all buses had working contactless readers. The official way is to buy a travel card called Tarjeta Multiviaje at tobacco shops or kiosks. I bought one using cash but reloaded it with my French Visa card. Some buses still accept exact change in coins if you don’t have the card, but they don’t give change. So coins can be handy in Seville but most people use the local bus card. Just make sure to check ahead because not every city in Spain has full card integration yet.

I just got back from Barcelona and rode the metro and buses using the T-mobilitat card, which is their new rechargeable card. You can top it up online or at vending machines, and they accept Visa, Mastercard, and even some mobile wallets. The bus also lets you tap a contactless card or phone directly at the door. I used my Canadian credit card with no problem. I never used a single coin for transport. The only time I saw people using cash was at smaller train stations buying Cercanías tickets. Even then they had card options too.

I spent a week in Madrid in June and used the metro and city buses daily. You don’t need coins at all if you get a Multi Card, which you can buy and load at ticket machines in most metro stations. I used my UK Mastercard debit to buy and top it up with no issues. Even the airport metro line took card at the machine. On buses I did see people using contactless bank cards directly on the reader, but I preferred using the loaded transit card. No coins needed at all. Madrid’s system is very digital-friendly now.