Have you ever seen a cash point at a height that is accessible to people in wheelchairs? Or with headphones or audio guides?
You may do in Spain in the future. From June 28th 2025, withdrawing cash in Spain will change, with modifications made to cash points intended to help the elderly, people with physical or mental disabilities or those with fewer digital skills.
Unlike other, more cashless countries, paying in efectivo remains the most common form of payment in Spain, according to data from the Bank of Spain.
For this reason, cajeros (ATMs or cash points in Spanish) are still very popular here, especially with older people, who tend to pay more in cash.
Often, however, this can present some practical problems for them, as well as for disabled people.
Fortunately, changes in line with Spain’s Accessibility Law come into force from 28th June.
The changes will be carried out gradually as the law distinguishes between new and existing cash points.
Banks have been notifying their customers about which ATMs are already adapted and which ones are still awaiting improvements, so that customers know in advance and can avoid unnecessary trips.
Changes to Spain’s “accessible ATMs”
In line with Spain’s accessibility legislation, the following improvements will be made to cash points in Spain.
- The text on screen will be larger, especially for people with visual impairments
- The brightness of the screen will be adjusted to ensure better visibility
- The icons and interface, i.e. the design of the menus and what we see on the screen, must be as intuitive as possible
- The buttons must be raised
- Headphones for voice instructions designed for blind people
- Accessible height for wheelchair users, including platforms if necessary
- Staff trained in providing assistance to people with “functional diversity”
It will be up to the banks or ATM operators such as Servired, 4B or Euro 6000 to implement the changes or face fines if they do not.
All new ATMs must include these improvements, while existing ATMs have to be modified by 2030.
According to Ángel Sánchez, a lawyer and partner at Golden Partners, a firm specialising in real estate and financial law, these changes "require the user to receive, before entering their PIN, clear and detailed information about the transaction: the exact amount, fees, responsible entity, and applicable conditions.
"Until now, this information "was not always displayed in advance or in full," Sánchez told El Debate.
It therefore "reinforces the principle of banking transparency and protects the financial consumer's right to make fully informed decisions."
However, not all of the ATM are necessarily desirable. "Without a doubt, this regulation is part of a broader strategy—although not always stated—of progressively reducing the use of cash in favour of electronic payments," warns Sánchez.
"The truth is that it helps normalise a completely digital banking experience, even for those who don't want it or can't afford it."
In Sánchez's opinion, "the main legal and social risk lies in the erosion of the right to financial anonymity, the increasing surveillance of consumer habits, and the potential exclusion of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with little digital knowledge, or residents of rural areas without access to adapted banking services."
ATMs and bank branches in Spain are also disappearing at an alarming rate, especially in rural areas, with 2,000 cash points being lost every year. This has also been blamed on Spanish banks shift to digital as a means of cutting costs.
Around 300,000 people spread across 2,500 villages in Spain have no ATMs in their municipalities.
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