Cash is still handy for a terminal that is genuinely down, and that is the one situation the card rule excuses. Everything else on this page is about reading the bill correctly and avoiding a conversion mark-up.
Do Rome shops, bars and taxis have to take cards?
Yes. Article 15, comma 4 of decree-law 179/2012 requires everyone who sells products or provides services, professionals included, to accept payment cards: at least one debit card and one credit card, plus electronic-money instruments. The duty does not apply "nei casi di oggettiva impossibilità tecnica", where accepting is objectively technically impossible (art. 15, decree-law 179/2012, Normattiva consolidated text in force on 3 October 2026).
Comma 4-bis of the same article sets the penalty. From 30 June 2022, refusing a payment "di qualsiasi importo" (of any amount) made with one of those instruments is fined EUR 30 plus 4% of the value of the refused transaction. The report goes to the prefect of the province, and the reduced early-payment option normally available for administrative fines does not apply. The 30 June 2022 start date was set by article 18 of decree-law 36/2022 (Gazzetta Ufficiale, coordinated text), which brought it forward from 1 January 2023.
Surcharges for paying by card
A card surcharge should not appear. The same article 15 (comma 5-quater) added a rule to Italy's Consumer Code that treats as an unfair commercial practice any demand for a surcharge to complete an electronic transaction. Banca d'Italia also notes that the costs of using a card for a purchase in euro are borne by the merchant (Carta o bancomat, l'una vale l'altro?, Banca d'Italia).
Taxis in Rome
Taxis fall under the same national duty as any other service. Roma Capitale's taxi FAQ adds one practical rule: if you want to pay by card, POS, cash or cheque, you must tell the driver in advance, citing the city's 2014 code of conduct for taxi drivers (Giunta Capitolina resolution no. 3 of 2014) (FAQ servizio Taxi, Roma Capitale). Say "pago con carta" when you get in, not when the meter stops. If you are arriving by air, the Fiumicino and Ciampino transfer guide compares taxis with the train and bus.
What the coperto rule says in Rome
Lazio, the region that includes Rome, bans the cover charge. Article 75, comma 4 of regional law 22/2019 reads: "Nella somministrazione è vietato applicare costi aggiuntivi per il coperto", meaning that in food and drink service it is forbidden to apply additional costs for the coperto (legge regionale 6 novembre 2019, n. 22, Consiglio Regionale del Lazio, consolidated text).
The same article sets the price-display rules a Rome restaurant or bar must follow:
- Comma 1: prices must be shown on a table inside the premises; restaurants must also show one that can be read from outside (the wine list is excluded).
- Comma 2: a fixed-price menu may not add a service charge, and it must list the courses and drinks it includes.
- Comma 3: for table service, the price list must be available before you order and must show any service component clearly.
Article 85, comma 3 of the same law fines a breach of article 75 between EUR 2,500 and EUR 7,500, and the comune (in Rome, Roma Capitale) checks and collects the fines. Article 84 suspends the business's licence for 5 to 15 days when breaches of article 75 are repeated.
Reading the lines on a Rome bill
| Line on the bill | What it is | Where you stand in Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Coperto / pane e coperto | Per-person cover charge | Prohibited in Lazio (art. 75, comma 4) |
| Servizio | Service component | Allowed only if the price list showed it before you ordered |
| Pane | Bread as a product | Should match a price on the displayed list |
| IVA | VAT | Already included in the displayed price |
Bread causes the most disputes, because "pane" can be a real product or a cover charge under another name. Since article 75 requires the prices of what is served to be on the displayed list, bread billed at a price that appears on no list is worth querying before you pay.
VAT should never be added on top. Italy's Consumer Code defines the selling price as the final price including VAT and every other tax (art. 13, Codice del consumo, Normattiva consolidated text). For how prices differ between standing at the counter and sitting down, see how an Italian bar works.
"Carta o bancomat?" at the till
Italian staff often ask "carta o bancomat?". Banca d'Italia explains that "bancomat" is the common Italian word for a debit card, and that on Italian co-badged cards the question picks the network: "bancomat" sends the payment over the domestic PagoBancomat circuit, "carta" over an international circuit such as Visa or Mastercard (Banca d'Italia). If your card was issued abroad and carries Visa or Mastercard, answer "carta".
Withdrawing cash can cost money. Banca d'Italia lists commissions for using a cash machine of a bank other than the one that issued your card, or abroad, alongside currency conversion costs (Carta di debito, Banca d'Italia). Your own bank's fees for foreign use apply on top, so check them before you travel.
Choose euro when a terminal offers your currency
Card terminals and cash machines in Rome may offer to charge you in your home currency. This is dynamic currency conversion, and the conversion is done at the terminal provider's rate rather than your bank's. EU Regulation 2019/518 (Article 3a, applying since 19 April 2020) requires whoever offers the conversion at an ATM or point of sale to show the total conversion charges as a percentage mark-up over the latest European Central Bank euro reference rate, to show the amount in both currencies before you pay, and to tell you that your own bank can do the conversion instead (Regulation (EU) 2019/518, EUR-Lex).
How much cash to carry, and the legal limit
In Italy no cash payment of EUR 5,000 or more may be made between different people or businesses. Article 49 of legislative decree 231/2007 has set that ceiling since 1 January 2023, and splitting a larger amount into artificially smaller payments is also banned (art. 49, d.lgs. 231/2007, Normattiva consolidated text in force on 3 October 2026). Banca d'Italia adds that both payer and recipient face penalties, and that nobody has to accept more than 50 coins in one payment (Contante, Banca d'Italia). This limit applies to payments. It does not cap how much cash you may carry.
There is one tourist exception. Retailers and travel agencies that have notified the Agenzia delle Entrate in advance may accept up to EUR 15,000 in cash for tourism-related purchases from people who are not Italian citizens and live outside Italy. To do so, they take a copy of your passport and a signed declaration (art. 3, decree-law 16/2012, Normattiva). Most shops are not set up for it, so plan large purchases by card.
For everyday spending, a small cash buffer is enough: a coffee when the terminal is down, a market stall without signal, small change for a church candle. The Rome tourist tax is collected separately by your accommodation. Public transport has its own payment options, explained in the metro and bus ticket guide.
