Best Place to Exchange Money in Gran Canaria

Where to change money in Gran Canaria

Spanish banks and exchange businesses, supervised by the Banco de España, are free to set their own rates and commissions, so what you get depends on where you ask. Aena's currency-exchange page for Gran Canaria Airport lists only cash machines, and we could not confirm a named bureau in Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, Puerto Rico or Las Palmas from two sources.

• Euronet cash machine, Gran Canaria Airport arrivals hall - The only machine Aena lists on the arrivals floor, so it is the one to use as you land. Check the fee on screen before accepting.
• CaixaBank cash machines, Gran Canaria Airport first floor - Three machines: one in the departures hall and two airside, by gates A19-A21 and B5-B6. Handier on the way home.

Changing money at the airport

Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) has buses north to Las Palmas and south to the resorts. On arrival there is one Euronet cash machine in the arrivals hall; the three CaixaBank machines are upstairs, and Aena lists no exchange desk.

Global's airport buses leave from the first-floor departures level, and Aena publishes the fares: EUR 3.50 to Playa del Inglés on lines 66 and 90, EUR 4.05 to Faro de Maspalomas (lines 5, 36, 66 and 90), EUR 5.45 to Puerto Rico on line 91 and EUR 6.80 to Puerto de Mogán on line 1. Line 60 to Las Palmas costs EUR 2.30 to San Telmo and EUR 2.95 to Santa Catalina, with two buses an hour through the day.

ATMs and cards in Gran Canaria

The airport machines accept the main card networks, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express. Spanish rules require a cash machine to tell you whether it will charge and how much, and to let you cancel; the Banco de España adds that your own card issuer may charge for foreign withdrawals and that the rate includes a margin. We found no bank publishing a flat fee for visitors' cards.

When a reader or machine offers pounds or euros, euros are the better answer: Which? says paying in pounds puts the retailer in charge of the rate. Most shops, hotels and restaurants take cards, and wallets such as Google Pay are spreading, though small kiosks and village bars may still prefer notes.

Paying for transport in Gran Canaria

Global, which runs the island's intercity buses, has accepted cash on board again since 1 June 2021, and every bus in its fleet has a terminal for debit and credit cards and NFC phones. Fares are worked out per kilometre between fare stops, which explains why airport prices climb so quickly the further you go.

Within Las Palmas, Guaguas Municipales charge EUR 1.40 for a single trip, paid to the driver, IGIC included. Its LIVE tourist card costs EUR 5 for 24 hours or EUR 12 for 72 hours of unlimited rides on all its lines, sold at its offices, in the GuaguasLPA app or online. The company's page on new payment methods says a single fare can be paid by bank card at readers with a blue sign, first trialled on line 12 and being extended, so look for the sign before you board.

Good to know

• Nobody expects a tip in Spain; small change for a coffee, or a few euros after a good meal, is generous.
• Gran Canaria charges IGIC at a general 7 per cent, not 21 per cent VAT, and city bus fares and restaurant prices are shown with it included.
• Maspalomas beach and Playa del Inglés are in fact one stretch of sand that changes name at Punta de Maspalomas, so the two resorts run into each other.
• Cash still matters in smaller towns, so keep a few euros even if you mostly tap a card.