In Spain, Bizum's in-store payment service now reaches 20 million people, with availability across 75% of banking payment terminals and more than 1.6 million businesses. Access still depends on each customer's bank activating the feature.
Figures attributed to Bizum by Europa Press and Expansión put those 20 million people at around 60% of the platform's user base. Bizum has more than 30 million users in Spain overall, but physical-store payments currently reach only customers whose banks have activated the feature. Broad terminal coverage, then, does not mean everyone can use Bizum at checkout.
For shoppers, the process is not automatic: their bank must notify them, and the shop must allow the service on its existing payment terminal. Until both conditions are met, Bizum may be widely accepted in Spain but unavailable to many people who use the platform.
The first phase of in-store Bizum payments began on 18 May 2026, with a gradual rollout to customers and businesses. Coverage already reaches around 60% of Bizum users, and transactions are rising. In the latest weeks of this first rollout phase, active users averaged three physical payments per week.
The basic obstacle is the bank's decision to allow the service, not the infrastructure. Businesses generally do not need to replace their payment machines. A shop that wants to offer Bizum can contact its bank and request activation on the terminal it already uses. More establishments are also displaying the option at the point of sale, so customers can see it before paying. EFE, in a report carried by Infobae, also described activation on existing terminals as a condition for the physical rollout.
More than 25 major retail chains in different sectors have introduced physical Bizum payments, though the pace varies. Some have enabled the service across their entire networks; others are adding it gradually. The figures describe a market in transition, not a payment option available to everyone.
CaixaBank shows how much the rollout depends on individual institutions. The bank says 100% of its customers can download the application and activate Bizum payments in shops. It has also nearly finished deployment across its retail network, with more than 517,000 terminals already enabled.
Bizum expects banks to speed up the expansion so more customers and businesses can use the service in everyday situations. The system is designed for contactless payments and charges the user's bank account directly. Customers can pay through the banking applications of participating institutions or through Bizum Pay.
The specific channel depends on the bank. Some institutions build the function into their own applications; others use the Bizum Pay wallet. Bizum Pay is now also available in English and Spain's co-official languages.
