According to the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC), Spain processed more than 1.7 billion card transactions via virtual point-of-sale (POS) terminals in 2024, totaling €95 billion. As ecommerce in Spain continues to grow, more companies are adopting this payment tool in their online stores to boost conversion rates.

In this article, we explain what virtual POS terminals are and how they work, analyze which businesses might find them most useful, and guide you on choosing the right one for your needs.

Key takeaways

• A virtual POS terminal is a software tool that enables the processing of online payments without the need for physical hardware.
  
• Virtual POS terminals in Spain support card payments, digital wallets, and—in some cases—Bizum and installment plans.
  
• Integrating a virtual POS terminal into an ecommerce site is generally a simple process that does not require programming knowledge.
  

What are virtual POS terminals?

A virtual POS terminal is a tool, such as an ecommerce payment gateway, that lets businesses accept payments from customers in digital environments. To complete the transaction, the software sends the request to the financial institution for authorization. Unlike physical POS terminals, this software requires just a computer and an internet connection.

The definition of a virtual POS terminal varies significantly by country. In Spain, under CNMC criteria, it is a software tool that sends card payment requests to financial institutions and explicitly identifies the operation as an ecommerce transaction. However, in the United States, the interface businesses use to enter customer payment details and process mail-order and telephone-order (MOTO) transactions is considered a virtual POS terminal.

How do virtual POS terminals work?

Virtual POS terminals operate similarly, though they might include specific features depending on the solution you choose. For example, Banco Sabadell’s system supports integration with SiteMinder to tokenize and verify cards used for hotel reservations.

Let us take a look at how virtual POS terminals generally work:

• Accessing checkout: Once the customer adds all the products or services they wish to purchase to the shopping cart, they proceed to the online store’s payment form—such as Stripe Checkout, which offers a prebuilt design that’s fine-tuned for conversion and fully customizable.
  
• Payment method selection: The virtual POS terminal displays a list of ecommerce payment methods for customers to choose from.
  
• Data entry: The customer enters payment details into the checkout interface and submits the payment.
  
• Submission of the request: The software identifies the operation as an electronic transaction and forwards the data to the financial institution for authorization.
  
• Authorization of the request: The issuer evaluates the transaction, checks for the availability of funds or credit, and—where applicable—verifies the customer’s identity before authorizing or rejecting it.
  
• Payment confirmation: When the financial institution approves the payment, the virtual POS terminal displays a confirmation message in the online store.
  
• Payment settlement: The financial institution settles the payment on an individual or batch basis at the agreed frequency.
  

Main advantages of virtual POS terminals for businesses

In Q4 2024, card transactions made via virtual POS terminals rose 10.7% year over year (YoY), according to CNMC data, driven primarily by the benefits offered to both customers and businesses.

These are the most significant benefits businesses gain from implementing this payment technology:

Improved business image

Overall, this checkout technology is seen as a modern, advanced tool. By implementing it, businesses connect better with today’s customers, who increasingly use digital-environment solutions such as Bizum.

Greater sense of security

A virtual POS terminal inspires greater customer confidence when it supports secure payment methods, including tokenization. In Spain, customers commonly use virtual POS terminals for sensitive transactions, including tax payments: government agencies accounted for 9.6% of revenue generated through these systems in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Reduced cart abandonment

Offering the most common payment methods in Spain via a virtual POS terminal helps more customers complete their online purchases—especially if the system supports digital wallets such as Bizum Pay. Currently limited to in-store transactions, this Spanish digital wallet is set to support online environments, with a one-button checkout process that eliminates the need to enter unnecessary details.

Elimination of manual tasks

Not having to verify that a transfer was received correctly or that the shipping company properly settled cash-on-delivery payments frees up time and resources for the accounting department.

Businesses that benefit most from virtual POS terminals

All ecommerce businesses can benefit from incorporating a virtual POS terminal—for instance, through increased conversion and revenue. However, some businesses can gain more from this solution.

These are the sectors that stand to gain the most from accepting payments via a virtual POS terminal in Spain:

Travel agencies

Virtual POS terminals offer a high level of security for processing high-value transactions, such as for a cruise or a long-stay hotel reservation. In some cases, they also allow payments to be split into installments.

Tourism is the private-sector industry with the highest transaction volume for virtual POS terminals. CNMC data shows that in the fourth quarter of 2024, travel agencies and tour operators accounted for 7.9% of revenue from card payments processed through these systems in the country.

Clothing stores

When shopping at online clothing stores, customers want to complete purchases quickly to avoid sizes selling out; therefore, simple, frictionless online payment options are important. To illustrate, payments made via certain virtual POS terminals that support digital wallets are very fast, as they eliminate the need to enter card details.

Clothing is also an industry that is heavily affected by the right of withdrawal. In this regard, although virtual POS terminals support refunds, the time it takes for the amount to reflect in the customer’s account depends on the provider, payment method, and issuing institution, and can range from a few days to several weeks.

Fashion ecommerce is the private-sector industry with the second-highest virtual POS terminal transaction volume: CNMC data shows that online clothing sales accounted for 6.6% of card payments processed through these systems in Spain during the fourth quarter of 2024.

Ecommerce businesses that sell abroad

Virtual POS terminals boost foreign customers’ confidence, especially when they rely on technology developed by internationally renowned financial institutions. In many cases, this system also lets international buyers pay in their own currency.

The CNMC reported that in the fourth quarter of 2024, Spanish virtual POS terminals generated over €2.8 billion from card payments originating abroad, a YoY increase of 14.3%.

If you decide to expand your business outside Spain and offer your products or services to customers in other countries, you need to accept payments in other currencies—a feature available through certain banks’ POS solutions. Alternatively, you can implement a payment gateway such as Stripe Payments, which also converts prices and currencies. With Adaptive Pricing, customers can choose to pay in their preferred currency in over 150 countries.

How to choose the best virtual POS terminal

All major Spanish banks offer virtual POS terminal services, so you have plenty of options. Choosing the right solution helps you balance conversion, security, and fees.

Here is a list of factors to consider when choosing the most suitable solution for your business:

Payment methods

Your virtual POS terminal has to support the payment methods Spanish customers prefer. Alongside debit and credit cards, look for a system that accepts Bizum payments. This local option is growing rapidly in the country: in 2025, 105.6 million online purchases were made using Bizum, an 82.1% increase from the previous year.

In addition, if the virtual POS terminal accepts digital wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, customers can use saved card details to complete checkout more quickly.

It is also becoming increasingly valuable for your checkout system to offer installment payment options. For example, “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) methods are growing in Spain: between 2021 and 2024, the BNPL market recorded a compound annual growth rate of 19.5%.

Compliance with legal requirements

The virtual POS terminal and the payment services provider must meet legal requirements, including Royal Decree-Law 19/2018 on payment services, the Law on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce (LSSI), and Spain’s anti-fraud law. It must also comply with security protocols, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Security

The virtual POS terminal must include tokenized payment systems and other security measures. These safeguards are particularly relevant in Spain, where the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute reported 122,000 cybersecurity-related incidents in 2025.

Payment provider terms

Banking institutions’ technological solutions (including software that sends online payment requests) often require complementary services under contract. To avoid this, choose a virtual POS terminal from a financial institution with business-friendly contractual terms, such as no requirement to open a new business bank account.

Transparent costs

Virtual POS solutions typically carry small fees for processed payments. The service provider needs to be transparent and clearly explain its fee structure.

Typical costs include:

• Initial payment upon contracting virtual POS terminal services
  
• Virtual POS terminal payment processing fees
  
• Extra fees for other payment methods, such as charges for cards not issued within the European Economic Area (EEA)
  

For instance, Kutxabank clearly states that it charges a monthly maintenance fee of €7, plus another €25 if no payments are processed via the contracted virtual POS terminal during the month.

Ease of use

Before signing up for a virtual POS terminal, test its checkout form from the customer’s perspective: check how many steps it takes, whether the amount is clearly broken down, and whether each step is intuitive up to purchase confirmation.

Also check what happens when a customer makes a mistake (e.g., enters incorrect data) or when a transaction is rejected. A user-friendly checkout interface needs to help customers understand what happened and what they can do next.

Integration and compatibility

The virtual POS terminal needs to integrate smoothly into your ecommerce site without requiring programming knowledge. Abanca’s solution offers some of the highest compatibility, integrating with numerous platforms for selling online in Spain, such as Shopify.

To make it easier for customers, choose a system compatible with the devices they use most. Banco Sabadell’s terminal, for instance, supports televisions through native integration. At the same time, most solutions work with mobile device screens—which is particularly relevant in Spain, where mobile commerce plays such a significant role.

Integration of in-person and online sales

If your business operates both in a physical location and online, choose a virtual POS terminal that lets you manage both channels from a single platform for a unified commerce experience.

Handling payments through a virtual POS terminal isn’t complicated, but it can be challenging if you manage these transactions separately from those made at your physical store.

Checklist: Key questions for choosing your virtual POS terminal

How Stripe Payments can help you accept payments for your ecommerce business

Stripe Payments provides a unified, global payments solution that helps any business—from scaling startups to global enterprises—accept payments online, in person, and around the world.

Stripe Payments can help you:

• Optimize your checkout experience: Create a frictionless customer experience and save engineering time with prebuilt payment UIs, access to 125+ payment methods, and Link, Stripe’s consumer network.
  
• Expand to new markets faster: Reach customers worldwide and reduce the complexity and cost of multicurrency management with cross-border payment options, available in 195 countries across 135+ currencies.
  
• Unify payments in person and online: Build a unified commerce experience across online and in-person channels to personalize interactions, reward loyalty, and grow revenue.
  
• Improve payments performance: Increase revenue with a range of customizable, easy-to-configure payment tools, including no-code fraud protection and advanced capabilities to improve authorization rates.
  
• Move faster with a flexible, reliable platform for growth: Build on a platform designed to scale with you, with 99.999% historical uptime and industry-leading reliability.
  

Learn more about how Stripe Payments can power your online and in-person payments, or get started today.

FAQs about virtual POS terminals in Spain