Mastering Money and Payments in Spanish: A Practical Guide

By Lingobi, Published on 03/20/2025

When traveling or living in a Spanish-speaking country, knowing how to talk about money and payments is essential. Whether you’re shopping, dining, or booking accommodations, you’ll need to be comfortable with financial vocabulary. Let’s break it down into practical categories with examples you can use right away.

💵 Basic Currency Terms

Knowing how to refer to different currencies is crucial when handling money abroad. Here are some common terms:

Dollars: dólares
Euros: euros
Pesos: pesos
Cents: centavos

💳 Payment Methods

When paying for goods or services, you’ll need to know the right terms for various payment methods:

Cash: efectivo
Credit card: tarjeta de crédito
Debit card: tarjeta de débito
Bank transfer: transferencia bancaria
Check: cheque

🏦 Banking Terms

Understanding banking vocabulary will help you with financial transactions:

Bank: banco
ATM: cajero automático
Account: cuenta
Deposit: depósito
Withdrawal: retiro

🛒 Practical Phrases for Payments

Here are some useful phrases for making payments or asking about prices:

How much does it cost? ¿Cuánto cuesta?
Can I pay with a card? ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Do you accept cash only? ¿Aceptan solo efectivo?
Where is the nearest ATM? ¿Dónde está el cajero automático más cercano?

🛍️ Negotiating Prices

In some markets, negotiating is common. These phrases will help you haggle politely:

Can you give me a discount? ¿Me puede hacer un descuento?
That’s too expensive. Es muy caro.
I’ll take it. Me lo llevo.

Learning these money-related terms and phrases will make your financial interactions in Spanish-speaking countries much smoother. Download Lingobi to practice real-world conversations with interactive activities and improve your Spanish skills today!