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1. Flexible compensation for restaurant vouchers
How does it work?
The employee chooses to allocate part of their gross salary to receive a balance on a restaurant voucher card that can be used exclusively in restaurants, cafes, bars or food delivery platforms such as Uber Eats or Glovo.
Tax benefits: These amounts are exempt from personal income tax up to a limit of 11 euros per working day, which allows the employee to save on taxes.
Where can it be used: Restaurants, cafes, and online food delivery services, provided they are identified with an economic activity code (CNAE) related to food.
2. Flexible remuneration for transport
How does it work?
The employee allocates a portion of his or her gross salary to the purchase of public transport tickets (transport cards, monthly passes, etc.). This amount is loaded onto a virtual card that is used exclusively to pay for public transport.
- Tax benefits: In Spain, the amount allocated to public transport is exempt from personal income tax up to a maximum of 1,500 euros per year, which allows the employee to pay less income tax.
- Where can it be used: Public transport services (metro, bus, train) and, in some cases, shared mobility services such as bicycles or electric scooters, depending on the service provider.
Meals and Transport benefits are offered through a Virtual Visa card. This card is virtual and works differently depending on each market:
- In Spain, cards come with a forced limit of 220€ for Meals, and 136,36€ for Transport, according to law regulations.
FAQs
As a company, how can I start offering Meals and Transport benefits?
Companies that want to offer Meals and Transport benefits need to create a cards account, since these benefits are card-based. This means they need to create an account and add funds to it to allow employees having a card and making card payments that are taken off this balance.
Where can I use the restaurant voucher card?
You can use the card at any establishment that accepts VISA payments and is registered with an economic activity code (CNAE) related to food or transport. This includes restaurants, bars, cafes, food delivery platforms (such as Glovo, Uber Eats) and physical and online food stores.
Does the card balance expire, or does it accumulate from month to month?
The card balance does not accumulate from one month to the next, so it is ideal to spend it within the same month. The limits are renewed monthly, at the beginning of each month.
How do I activate my virtual card?
Employee cards are activated through the registration process with employers. Employees will be able to access the card and connect it to mobile payment applications such as Google Pay or Apple Pay, as well as use the card details to make online payments.
What do I do if my card does not work at an establishment?
If the card does not work, check if the establishment accepts VISA payments. Also make sure that the business's economic activity code (CNAE) is linked to the food category. If the problems persist, contact our card support to check if there is a technical or balance issue.
What are the card spending limits?
The card has a set limit of €220 per month for the restaurant consumption benefit, and €136.36 per month for the public transport consumption benefit. These are renewed monthly.
How do I check the balance of my restaurant voucher card?
You can check the balance of your card through the mobile application or the web platform.
Can I use the card abroad?
Payments with the cards for meals and transport can only be used in national territory.
Can employees in Spain use the card outside business hours?
Right now the platform doesn’t restrict the use of cards outside business hours. According to the Article 45 of the Personal Income Tax Regulation, the exemption for flexible compensation in the form of meals applies as long as the service is provided on working days for the employee. That is, the benefit is generated and can only be used on the days the worker is actively working.
If the company has already informed the employee of this usage method and the daily limit of €11 for the tax exemption to apply, the responsibility for using the card falls on the employee.
What happens if the company’s wallet runs out of funds?
If funds drop below €1,000, we’ll notify the client. If funds run out entirely, Benefits card transactions (including childcare) will be declined until the account is topped up.
Can employees use the benefits cards on non-working days?
The law refers to an exemption limit per working days in the case of meals From Benefits encourage flexibility on its usage to drive adoption. If you prefer to enforce a more strict usage, you can always communicate your usage policies internally. Once those policies or best practices to the employees, they are liable for the compliance.
What happens if a transaction is rejected?
Transactions are allowed currently for all merchants located in Spain and inside the following categories: Bars, Restaurants, Bakeries or Transport Terminals (Bus, Ferries, Underground or Trains).
What happens if a cell phone doesn’t have NFC and can’t use a virtual card?
Right now physical cards are not available. The user can use the card details to perform transactions. In the near future we will include the possibility of issuing physical cards to support some cases.
Can I pay in UberEats?
Right now it’s not possible to buy in UberEats as this merchant is located in the Netherlands, not in Spain.