Banking

Opening and managing a bank account in Spain — which banks work best for foreign residents, what you need to open an account and how Spanish banking differs from the US.

July 30, 2026

The Risk Of Wire Fraud When Buying Property in Spain

Somewhere between agreeing on a price and signing at the notary, real money has to move, often hundreds of thousands of euros, wired across an ocean to a bank account we've only ever seen typed in an email. That single moment is exactly where wire fraud when buying property in Spain does its damage and it cost American buyers $275 million in 2025 alone.

It has nothing to do with someone hacking an account or stealing a password. It's about someone convincing you to send the money yourself, to the wrong place, at the one moment you're not expecting to double-check.

July 27, 2026

How Safe Is Your Money In Spain Vs The US?

Bank deposit insurance and card liability rules discussed here aren't Spain-specific, they're harmonized across the entire EU by directive. That means the figures below apply the same way whether the account is in Spain, France, Germany or anywhere else in the EU.

Investor compensation is the exception. The EU only sets a €20,000 floor there and each country decides whether to go higher. Spain chose to go well above that floor, which matters if you ever end up comparing a Spanish brokerage to one elsewhere in Europe.

June 23, 2026

The Gestore: Your Government Concierge

If you've been spending time in expat groups or reading about life in Spain, you've almost certainly run into the word "gestor" — usually in the form of someone saying "just get a gestor" without explaining what that actually means or what one costs.

We kept running into the same gap as we researched our move. The concept came up everywhere — NIE applications, car registration, annual tax filings, TIE renewals — but nobody seemed to explain the full picture in one place. So we built the page to help others who were in the same situation.

February 16, 2026

Foreign ATM and Exchange Fees

When we travel, we often use our Charles Schwab debit card to save on foreign ATM and exchange fees. We also use it because it works without issue 99% of the time. And when it doesn't, it's always been due to fraud detection alerts. One call immediately fixes the issue.

January 27, 2026

Credit Cards: US vs Spain

Credit cards in Spain work differently than in the US. In the US, credit cards are used for everyday spending and are built around rewards and flexibility. In Spain and much of the EU, daily spending is mostly debit-based, credit limits are lower, and cards are designed to be paid off in full each month.