Compulsory card payments: can you pay by card or with your phone in a Madrid taxi?

Yes, in Madrid you can pay by card in a taxi. Municipal taxi regulations require vehicles to have a system for accepting card payments, so the driver cannot demand cash from you or refuse to take payment by card without a justified reason (for example, a one-off fault with the terminal). If you book in advance, you can also pay online when you book and forget about paying when you arrive. For the exact detail of the obligations, the reference is Madrid City Council's Ordenanza del Taxi (taxi bylaw).

Yes. For years now, taxi regulations in the city have required vehicles to accept card payments. It is a measure designed for users: fewer and fewer people carry cash, and a large share of taxi users are tourists and business travellers who pay by card or with their phone.

• It must be possible to pay with commonly used debit and credit cards.
• The passenger chooses the payment method from those accepted: cash or card.
• Refusing card payment without a justified reason may be grounds for a complaint.

The specific conditions (cards accepted, minimum amounts if any, procedure in case of faults) depend on the bylaw in force; if you need certainty about a specific case, check it. For decades the taxi was a cash-only service; today cash is still valid, but you no longer need to carry it.

The process is the same as in any shop:

1. When you reach your destination, the driver tells you the amount.
2. Tell them you will pay by card (to avoid any doubt, mention it when you get in).
3. Hold the card to the card machine if it takes contactless payments, or insert it and enter your PIN.
4. Keep the payment slip and, if you need it, also ask for the receipt for the journey.

If the card machine does not work

Faults happen: no signal, a problem with the terminal or a declined card. If this happens:

• Try another card or paying with your phone, if you can.
• If the fault is the taxi's, the driver should offer you a reasonable solution; the sensible thing is to mention when you get in that you will pay by card, so the problem comes to light before you set off.
• If you think the “fault” is an excuse to charge you in cash, note down the licence, the time and the journey, and complain to the City Council.

Payment methods in taxis have changed a great deal in a few years. If your phone or watch has a card set up in its digital wallet, you can usually pay by holding it to the taxi's card machine, just as with a contactless card. For the terminal it is, in practice, a card payment.

• Advantage: you do not need to take out your wallet, which is handy when you have suitcases or children with you.
• Watch the battery: if your phone runs out of charge at the end of a long journey, have a physical card or some cash to hand.
• Your bank's limits: some contactless payments ask for confirmation or a PIN above a certain amount.

Digital wallets from other countries

Madrid welcomes many visitors from markets where almost everything is paid for with their own mobile apps, such as the popular ones in China. There are payment solutions that allow them to be accepted, but they are not common in every taxi. If you rely on one of those wallets, ask before getting in or carry an international card as an alternative.

Which method to choose

If you are going to or coming back from the airport, the most convenient option is to pay when you make the booking. With our airport taxi booking you choose the area, day and time, see the fixed fare and can pay online through Redsys's secure payment gateway. If you prefer, you pay the driver by card or in cash. The price is the same: for example, from inside the M-30 it is €33; the other areas are on the fares page. The conditions if you have to cancel are set out in our refund policy.

For a transfer to Barajas, paying online has two clear advantages: you know the amount from the outset and you do not have to think about paying when you arrive at the terminal in a hurry. If you are returning from an international trip and do not have any euros yet, a card or your phone gets you out of a fix on arrival. You can also start the booking on WhatsApp and specify there how you would like to pay.

Paying by card does not replace the receipt for the journey. The slip from the card machine proves the charge, but the taxi receipt records the details of the journey and the vehicle, which is what a company usually asks for to justify an expense or what you will need if you want to make a complaint. Always ask for it when travelling for work.

If you often travel to the airport for work, booking in advance and paying online lets you have every transfer identified with its date, route and amount, without relying on loose bits of paper.

Foreign cards

International travellers can pay with cards from the commonly used networks. Bear in mind that your bank may charge fees for payments in another currency; that depends on your bank, not on the taxi. If the terminal offers to charge you in your own currency when you pay, it generally works out better to pay in euros and let your bank do the conversion, but check with your bank.

• Convenience: you do not need to carry cash or worry about change.
• Keeping track of spending: the charge is recorded, which is useful for business trips and expense claims.
• Security: less cash for both passenger and driver.
• Ideal for international travellers, who do not always have euros in cash when they land.

Payments are just one part of the sector's modernisation, along with online bookings or handling bookings by messaging; we go through it in the integration of technology in Madrid's taxis. If you want to understand exactly what you are paying for in a metered taxi, read how the price of a taxi in Madrid is calculated. And to find out what else you are entitled to as a passenger, have a look at taxi passengers' rights.