Best Place to Exchange Money in Alicante

Where to change money in Alicante

Spain's tourist board says bureaux, banks and most hotels and travel agencies can change money. No named bureau in Alicante or Benidorm was backed by two sources, so we list none. In Benidorm the official visitor site says banks open only 08:30 to 14:00 on weekdays.

• Global Exchange, Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC) - Aena shows four exchange points: by baggage claim and in arrivals (both floor 0), and in the boarding area and towards the non-Schengen gates (floor 2). Listed hours include 08:00 to midnight in the arrivals hall and 05:00 to 22:30 in the boarding zone.
• Tourist Info Benidorm Centre, Plaza de Canalejas 1, Benidorm - Not an exchange office, but staff can point you to a bank or machine. Open weekdays 09:00 to 21:00 from March to November (to 19:00 in winter), and 10:00 to 17:30 at weekends.

Changing money at the airport

Aena lists 14 cash machines at Alicante-Elche: ten Euronet units in arrivals, the floor 2 boarding zone and the P1 car park, and four Global Exchange ones. Which? suggests using bank-branch machines instead; Spanish rules say any machine must show its fee first.

The C6 runs every day of the year from the terminal to the centre, stopping at the Renfe station, Alfonso X El Sabio and Plaza de los Luceros, where it meets the TRAM. The tourist board gives a single as EUR 4.70, sold on the bus; it advises exact change and sets EUR 10 as the limit if you lack it. Vectalia, the operator, has announced contactless card payment for the C6, but we could not confirm it is running. For Benidorm, Alsa runs more than 32 coaches a day, direct with no stops, from floor 2 (departures); the first leaves at 07:00 and reaches Benidorm bus station at 07:45. Alsa generally takes cards; its fare did not display. Taxis leave from the arrivals roadway, with a EUR 4.25 airport supplement on top of the metered fare.

ATMs and cards in Alicante

Spain.info says card payments, chiefly Visa and Mastercard, are very common, but a minimum of about EUR 10 may apply. Visit Benidorm lists Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Diners and suggests not carrying the big 200 and 500 euro notes, since many businesses cannot change them.

Use another bank's machine and, says the Banco de España, your card issuer is allowed to pass on that owner's charge, and your UK bank may add a foreign-use fee. If offered a choice between sterling and euros, take euros; Which? warns that pounds hand the exchange to a local bank, often with a charge.

Paying for transport in Alicante

Alicante city buses have a base fare of EUR 1.45, the tourist board says, and the same advice on exact change applies. Its page does not say whether ordinary buses take cards, so carry coins.

TRAM line 1 runs along the coast from Luceros to Benidorm, but we could not open a fare table, so check the TRAM d'Alacant site or a station machine. With luggage, the Alsa airport coach is simpler. Ask taxi drivers whether they take cards before setting off.

Good to know

• No tourist tax: the Valencian Community has none. A regional law passed in 2022 was repealed by decree in November 2023 before any town applied it (eldiario.es, The Olive Press), and in May 2026 the regional government rejected opposition bills to bring it back, eldiario.es reported. Check again before travel, as it remains a live political issue.
• Benidorm bank branches open Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 14:00, but its visitor site says 24-hour cash machines are found across town, so there is no need to draw a large sum at the airport.
• Tipping is up to you. Spain.info says service is included; a TheFork survey reported by the Majorca Daily Bulletin in August 2026 found 63 per cent of Spanish diners tip under 5 per cent.