With financial transactions, payment methods are divided into two main categories: one-time payments and recurring payments. In Spain, there was traditionally one instrument available for recurring payments: direct debit. However, several systems that were initially designed to make one-time payments have changed to also support recurring payments, such as cards and transfers.

Among other factors, this evolution is due to the rise of subscription business models. In fact, according to the report Online Shopping in Spain (Compras online en España) by the National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI), more than half of Spain’s citizens have at least one subscription to an online service. While recurring payments are gaining ground, one-time payments are still prevalent in Spain. In fact, cash remains the main payment method for purchases in brick-and-mortar stores.

It is important to understand which popular payment methods support one-time and recurring payments. This information can help business owners decide which payment methods to offer. In this article, we explain which methods allow you to accept recurring payments and one-time payments, the differences between the two models, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. This can help you choose the most suitable option for your business.

What’s in this article?

• What are recurring payments and one-time payments?
  
• What recurring payment and one-time payment methods are available in Spain?
  
• Advantages and disadvantages of recurring payments and one-time payments
  
• Which businesses benefit from implementing recurring payments and one-time payments?
  
• FAQs about recurring payments and one-time payments
  
• How Stripe Payments helps you accept one-time payments
  
• How Stripe Billing helps you accept recurring payments
  

What are recurring payments and one-time payments?

Recurring payments are a billing model that allows companies to charge customers for products or services repeatedly and periodically. This usually occurs on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis. In some cases, the frequency of payments can be customized.

Recurring payments can be fixed or variable. Fixed payments involve the same amount always being charged. With variable payments, the amount changes depending on factors such as usage and quantity. In all cases, the customer must authorize the automatic payments in advance.

On the other hand, a one-time payment charges a fixed amount that, once authorized, implies the end of the transaction. With this method, customers make a one-time transaction without continuous billing. If the customer wants to buy something else, they will have to start a new purchase.

Lastly, it should be noted that some businesses opt for models that combine and support both one-time and recurring payments.

What recurring payment and one-time payment methods are available in Spain?

Payment methods are classified based on whether customers pay once, regularly, or both. Below, we examine which payment methods are the most used within each category in Spain:

One-time and recurring payment methods in Spain

Recurring payment methods

Direct debit

Direct debit allows companies to periodically charge an amount to their customers’ bank accounts. This can be for the provision of services or the sale of products, according to a subscription business model.

While some Spanish banks—such as CaixaBank—allow one-time payments via direct debits, this use is limited. It is almost exclusively confined to administrative environments. Therefore, in practice, direct debit is considered a recurring payment method.

One-time payment methods

Cash

Cash is the main payment method used in Spain for one-time transactions of low or medium value. For large amounts that exceed the limit for cash payments in Spain, customers must choose an alternative payment method.

When customers pay in cash, financial institutions do not intervene as intermediaries. Therefore, in-person cash transactions can be completed quickly. According to data from the Bank of Spain’s Economic Bulletin 2025/Q2, 57% of transactions in physical stores in 2024 were paid in cash.

Cash on delivery (COD)

This in-person payment method is a type of one-time payment that allows the customer to pay for an order after receiving it at the indicated address. This is an alternative to paying for it in advance.

Although cash is mainly used for in-person purchases, it is also a valid payment method for ecommerce businesses that support this type of COD payment. According to data from ONTSI, one-time payment COD was the eighth most used payment method for online purchases in Spain in 2023.

Bank checks

Bank checks allow customers to order the bank to pay a certain amount of money. This is done without the need to use cash. Before transferring the amount to the payee, the financial institution issuing the check verifies the availability of funds in the customer’s account. This can provide a high level of security, so bank checks are often used for one-time payments of large amounts.

Although their impact on the total number of one-time payments is decreasing, several million bank checks are processed each year. For example, in 2021, the Bank of Spain recorded 24 million checks, with an average amount of €7,665.

Methods that support one-time and recurring payments

Debit or credit cards

For online transactions, cards are the most used payment method by far. According to Stripe data, 48% of purchases in online stores made in Spain were paid by card.

Until recently, they were only used for one-time payments, but recurring credit or debit card payments have become increasingly common. This surge intensified significantly with the enforcement of Directive (EU) 2015/2366. This directive established mandatory authentication only for the first recurring card payment.

Bank transfers

Transfers between countries in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) allow customers to send money from their bank accounts to companies’ bank accounts. This can be used for a one-time transaction or a recurring one. To make recurring payments via bank transfer, customers must schedule the orders. This is unlike direct debit, where the company initiates the collections.

In the first half of 2024, bank transfers accounted for over 88% of the total amount of payments made with methods other than cash.

Digital wallets

E-wallets or digital wallets allow customers to complete payment transactions conveniently and easily. They can be used to pay online—without entering card details—and in physical stores—using mobile devices equipped with near-field communication (NFC) technology.

Although their primary use is for one-time payments, some digital wallets—such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal—can be selected for recurring payments during online transactions. E-wallets account for 29% of all online payments in Spain, according to Stripe data.

Bizum

This payment method is typically integrated into online banking applications. It allows bank account holders to send and receive money instantly in Spain.

Bizum does not allow scheduling for regular money transfers between individuals. However, it supports one-time and recurring payments when chosen as a payment method in an ecommerce store. In both cases, the customer only has to provide their phone number once.

While this payment method imposes some restrictions—such as maximum amounts for transactions—its advantages for customers and companies have boosted its popularity. In 2024, more than 58,000 ecommerce businesses already accepted it as a payment method.

Accepting these recurring or one-time payment methods is possible with Stripe Payments, a payment platform that supports more than 100 payment methods. These methods include credit and debit cards, digital wallets, and installment payment options. In addition, Stripe Billing can help with managing subscriptions, including customer renewals, plans, trial periods, and automated billing cycles.

Advantages and disadvantages of recurring payments and one-time payments

Each payment method has its own characteristics. Therefore, they each have advantages and disadvantages that business owners should consider. This can help with deciding whether a business should accept recurring payments, one-time payments, or both.

Advantages and disadvantages of recurring payments and one-time payments

Advantages of recurring payments

• Predictable and stable revenue
  Recurring payments can help a business know in advance the amount of revenue in each cycle and the payment date. This can help to maintain a more rigorous control over cash flow. Revenue is also more stable, which can help a business more easily plan operations, such as acquiring supplies and paying vendors.

• Fewer declined payments
  Predictable payments help optimize authorization rates and reduce the number of declined payments. In addition, Stripe Billing provides access to two built-in features that can increase the percentage of successfully processed payments. Adaptive Acceptance uses artificial intelligence tools to minimize payments rejected in error, and Smart Retries retries declined payments to process them at the ideal time.

• Customer loyalty
  Recurring payments reinforce consumption habits and can help reduce the number of customers that switch between providers. Strengthening continuity is especially important in industries with high competition or low-cost subscriptions. This is especially important in Spain because the country ranks second in Europe for decreasing brand loyalty.

Disadvantages of recurring payments

• Complex management
  The main difference between recurring payments and one-time payments is their management. While one-time payments are completed in a single step, recurring payments require more management. This includes managing active subscriptions, expired cards that prevent payment, and possible technical issues. It can also include prorated billing management, if there has been a plan change or cancellation during a billing cycle. In 2024, 24% of Spanish customers reported having technical difficulties when making online payments, according to the Bank of Spain’s Economic Bulletin 2025/Q2.

• Customer churn
  In businesses that rely on recurring payments for revenue, customer churn has a much greater impact on profits. Each loss means missing out on several payments. To reduce customer churn, it is advisable to invest in improving customer service, transparency, personalized communications, and customer perception of value.

Advantages of one-time payments

• Simple management
  When a customer makes a one-time payment, the transaction is completed in one step. This greatly simplifies the management and implementation of this payment method in online stores or physical stores.

• Immediate liquidity
  Unlike recurring payments—where revenue is received gradually—one-time payments allow the business to receive the full sale amount in a single transaction. While some one-time payment methods—such as ordinary bank transfers—can delay the receipt of funds for several days, there are now faster alternatives. These include instant bank transfers, which recorded over 1.1 billion transactions in Spain in 2024.

Disadvantages of one-time payments

• No predictability
  Revenue from one-time payments is less predictable. Businesses can’t know if customers who have previously made purchases will make more in the future.

• Need to re-engage customers
  Recurring payment models maintain ongoing connections with customers. However, one-time payments require businesses to win back the customer after each purchase.

Which businesses benefit from implementing recurring payments and one-time payments?

The implementation of recurring and one-time payments should be based on the nature of your business and your commercial relationship with your customers. Below, we present a list of companies that could benefit from each payment method.

Businesses that could benefit from recurring payments

If your business offers ongoing access to products and services, it could be helpful to accept recurring payments. This model is most commonly accepted by the following businesses:

Subscription-based companies

Through recurring payments, companies that offer subscription services are able to generate stable revenue streams and improve customer retention. Here are some examples:

• Software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers
  These companies typically charge recurring fees in exchange for access to online programs and platforms. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in the first quarter of 2024, close to 12.5% of businesses with fewer than 10 employees used cloud computing services such as those offered by SaaS providers.
  
• Streaming platforms
  These companies typically offer monthly recurring payments for ongoing access to their catalogs of multimedia content. This can include movies, TV shows, and music. According to the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC), paid streaming platforms are used in 6 out of 10 homes with internet access in Spain.
  
• Media outlets
  As a result of the digital transformation, many traditional media outlets have had to reinvent themselves and adopt new digital models. These models require media outlets to accept payments directly from readers. More and more newspapers and magazines operate with a subscription-based model and generate steady revenue by providing access to their content in exchange for recurring payments. For example, the French newspaper Le Monde was one of the pioneers of this payment model and achieved great success in its transition.
  
• Sports centers
  Monthly or annual membership fees allow sports centers to maintain a steady cash flow. They provide customers with ongoing access to facilities and services. According to the report The sports and fitness industry (La industria del deporte y el fitness) , these businesses have 5.4 million customers in Spain.
  

Ecommerce stores that offer recurring purchases

Recurring payments are common among ecommerce stores that sell products customers replenish periodically. These can include household cleaning supplies or office supplies. According to an ONTSI report published in 2024, cosmetic products and food deliveries are third and fourth, respectively, on the list of the products or services purchased most frequently online.

Online courses and educational platforms

Online learning platforms that offer ongoing access to courses, webinars, or training materials can benefit from a recurring payment model. According to a 2024 ONTSI study, online training was one of the most consumed digital products in Spain. In 2023, 25.5% of Spaniards acquired services of this type.

Subscription box services

Companies that offer subscription boxes—such as food packages, beauty products, or clothing—typically use recurring billing models. These models can generate continuous revenue and simplify inventory management. According to a market research study from IMARC Group, this industry generated $600 million USD in revenue in Spain in 2024.

Nonprofits

For charity organizations, a recurring donation model can offer donors a convenient way to contribute regularly. According to the study Reality of Partners and Donors (Realidad del Socio y Donante), direct debit was the preferred payment method for financial contributions to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in 2023.

Utility companies

Utilities are offered on an ongoing basis, and recurring payment methods provide the best way to pay for the associated costs. For example, most customers make recurring payments to electricity companies to pay their bills. Although the average for Spanish households was €47.8 per month in 2024, the amount of these payments varies each month. This type of recurring payment can be the ideal solution for companies with usage-based billing models.

Businesses that could benefit from one-time payments

One-time payments are ideal for simple transactions that do not require ongoing services or deliveries. They can be the most suitable payment method for the following types of businesses:

Retail businesses

One-time payments are common in retail businesses that sell physical goods on a nonrecurring basis. This can include clothing, electronics, books, and furniture. In 2024, the most purchased online product category was clothing, shoes, and accessories. This indicates that the number of one-time payment transactions in Spain is high.

Professional services

Self-employed workers—such as designers and consultants—often charge per project, delivery, or meeting. For example, they can issue invoices for a logo design or an hour of legal advice. This type of work has a well-defined beginning and end, so one-time billing is the most appropriate method. In March 2024, almost 74% of self-employed workers belonged to the services industry, where it is common to charge for one-off jobs.

Events, travel, and ticket sale agencies

Flights, hotel stays, concerts, and other similar events involve one-time transactions. Customers pay for a specific experience or booking, which is tied to a specific date or a limited access window. In 2024, the second most purchased product category online was event tickets. This demonstrates the great reach of one-time payments in Spain.

Digital products

Many companies sell digital products in Spain that can be purchased with one-time payments. For example, ebooks and design templates can be offered as one-time purchases where the customer pays once and owns the product forever. One-time payments are especially attractive when the product is fully finished and does not depend on regular updates or cloud support. According to the Digital Book Annual Report 2024 (Informe anual del libro digital 2024), one-time sales of ebooks are much more common in Spain than subscriptions to ebook platforms.

FAQs about recurring payments and one-time payments

Can a business accept both recurring and one-time payments?

Yes. In fact, it is quite common for businesses in Spain to accept both. For example, companies that develop information technology (IT) solutions allow customers to obtain a license for their software through a one-time payment. In addition, they offer access to periodic updates and maintenance services through recurring payments.

The combination of both payment methods is also common in businesses such as language schools and sports centers. These businesses typically charge initial registration fees through one-time payments and monthly fees as recurring payments.

How does Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) affect recurring payments compared to one-time payments?

With recurring payments, SCA is usually applied on the first charge, specifically when the customer starts a subscription or authorizes the payment. After this initial verification, the business can issue subsequent charges as merchant-initiated transactions without needing to repeat the authentication. Exceptions include transactions where the amount to be paid or the terms of the contracted plan are modified.

For one-time payments, SCA almost always requires authorization—such as that of 3D Secure—for each transaction. There can be exemptions, such as the customer adding the business to their “trusted beneficiaries” list or for low-value transactions. In Spain, the low-value transactions exemption is regulated by Regulation (EU) 2018/389, which specifies that a transaction is a low amount if it does not exceed €30. However, the bank can request authentication if the exemption is applied more than five times in a row or if an amount greater than €100 has been accumulated since the last exemption.

Which methods for accepting one-time payments and recurring payments have the lowest costs?

The methods with the lowest costs are those that do not entail direct bank fees. They only require payment of a small fee charged by the payment gateway. Examples of these methods include bank transfers, e-wallets, and Bizum.

Credit cards typically have higher fees, but they are widely used internationally. Therefore, it is advisable to accept credit cards, especially if the business will expand outside of Spain. In that case, keep in mind that Bizum is limited to Spain and a few other countries, and transfers are limited to the SEPA zone. However, with the help of an international payment provider such as Stripe, you can easily set up Automated Clearing House (ACH) direct debits, which are ideal for companies selling to US customers.

How Stripe Payments helps you accept one-time payments

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 thousands of engineering hours with prebuilt payment UIs, access to 125+ payment methods, and Link, a wallet built by Stripe.
  
• 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% uptime and industry-leading reliability.
  

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

How Stripe Billing helps you accept recurring payments

Stripe Billing lets you bill and manage customers however you want—from simple recurring billing to usage-based billing and sales-negotiated contracts. Start accepting recurring payments globally in minutes—no code required—or build a custom integration using the API.

Stripe Billing can help you:

• Offer flexible pricing: Respond to user demand faster with flexible pricing models, including usage-based, tiered, flat-fee plus overage, and more. Support for coupons, free trials, prorations, and add-ons is built-in.
  
• Expand globally: Increase conversion by offering customers’ preferred payment methods. Stripe supports 100+ local payment methods and 130+ currencies.
  
• Increase revenue and reduce churn: Improve revenue capture and reduce involuntary churn with Smart Retries and recovery workflow automations. Stripe recovery tools helped users recover over $6.5 billion in revenue in 2024.
  
• Boost efficiency: Use Stripe’s modular tax, revenue reporting, and data tools to consolidate multiple revenue systems into one. Easily integrate with third-party software.
  

Learn more about Stripe Billing, or get started today.