If you spend more than 25,000 euros a year with your card, the PIN will not be the only information they ask for

He cash is increasingly anecdotal for consumers, not only because of the lack of concern that comes with not having to be looking for a cashier to withdraw cash from time to time, but for the convenience that the mobile payments. However, from January 1, 2026, the Treasury will have stricter control over payments made with bank cards.

If a card accumulates more than 25,000 euros in annual expenses, financial institutions will be obliged to “submit an annual informative return” on these movements to the Treasury.

Payments of more than 25,000 euros must be declared. The new measure is included in the regulatory modification introduced by the Royal Decree 253/2025allowing the State to detect possible fraud and ensure that capital movements of a certain size are transparent and justified.

This control comes at a time when most payments are made digitally and cash is increasingly used less. Therefore, the regulations that already required financial institutions to notify cash movements have been reinforced.

The scope is expanded. Until now, the regulations required notification of payments with cards and Bizum of more than 3,000 euros per year to companies and professionals. However, the scope of the measure is now extended to all charges made by card in any payment method, both in physical establishments and online, as well as through platforms linked to telephone numbers. That is, it not only affects credit or debit card payments, but also extends the measure to Bizum or other mobile payment systems.

“Banking or credit entities and other entities that, in accordance with current regulations, provide the collection management service through cards, with physical or virtual support, that offer cash, debit, deferred debit, credit and electronic money functions, in any currency, as well as through payments associated with a mobile phone number, to businessmen and professionals established in Spain,” the regulations specify.

Differentiation between companies and individuals. The new regulations establish differences between business and private use, but in both cases entities must notify movements of more than 25,000 euros annually.

For self-employed workers and companies, the new regulations eliminate the minimum limits to communicate card operationswhich implies that any payment, regardless of its amount, must be reported to the Tax Agency. This significantly increases the monitoring and traceability of all commercial operations carried out with card or mobile payment.

On the other hand, for individual consumers, only those who have a high annual spending with cards will be subject to this more exhaustive tax control.

What information is reported? In accordance with the provisions of article 38ter that modifies the new Royal Decree, financial entities must notify the Treasury of the following data about the holders and linked payment products of those who spend more than 25,000 euros per year in card spending:

• Contract number formalized by the entity for the issuance of cards.
• Identification data of the contract holders (or their authorized persons or beneficiaries), which will include name and surname or company name, tax identification number, country of residence, and date of birth for natural persons. In the absence of a tax identification number, the passport number or identity number valid in your country of origin and the country issuing the identification documentation will be provided.
• Card number (PAN) associated with the contract and type of card.
• Number of subscriptions and their total amount, registered on the card in the year, with indication of the number of cash recharges and their total amount, made on the card in the year (movements and total amount of the expense)
• Number of charges and their total amount, recorded on the card in the year, with an indication of the number of spending operations carried out with the card and their total amount, derived from payments made in establishments in the year and the number of cash withdrawals and their total amount, made with the card in the year.
• Identification of the account, if applicable, to which the card operation is linked, through its International Bank Account Code (IBAN) or, failing that, through the corresponding customer account code.

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Image | Unsplash (Nathana Rebouças)