The Ayuntamiento de Castalla has approved €207,506 in public funding for a 2026 gift-card programme that matches residents’ contributions and directs the resulting balances to participating local businesses. The mayoral resolution is dated October 1 and was registered in Spain’s national grants database on October 2. [S01][S02]
The scheme offers cards with face values of €100, €200, €400 or €600. Residents pay €50, €100, €200 or €300 respectively, with the municipality providing the other half. Each person may request one card, choosing the value within the available allocation. [S02]
The decree projects approximately €415,000 reaching local commerce when public funding and resident payments are combined. That is a planned spending amount, dependent on take-up and use of the cards, rather than reported sales or an estimate of additional purchases that would not otherwise occur. [S02]
A defined window for spending and reporting
The official grants record sets the resident application period at October 7 to October 22, subject to the budget lasting that long. Cards must be spent by December 27, 2026. The decree identifies Caixa Popular as the bank receiving residents’ acquisition payments. [S01][S02]
Local businesses have five working days after publication of the official extract to apply to participate. Participating merchants must submit the relevant invoices to the council before January 15, 2027, providing documentation of purchases made with the cards. [S02]
The decree gives residents a maximum of ten working days and merchants five working days after publication of the official extract. This compares the two actual application windows, not processing speeds. Resident applications can end earlier if the budget is exhausted. [S02]
Castalla application windows after the official extract
October 1, 2026 mayoral decree, clauses4 and6.
working days
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Prescribed application windows, not actual processing, redemption or settlement time. Resident window may close early when funds run out.
Show data tableHide data table
| Category | working days |
|---|---|
| Resident card application maximum | 10 working days |
| Merchant participation application | 5 working days |
The funding comes from the Diputación de Alicante, the provincial government, through its 2026 programme supporting municipal consumption campaigns. Castalla’s new call applies an existing local regulatory framework, rather than creating an entirely new type of aid. The operative change is the allocation and timetable for this year’s cards. [S02]
For merchants, the card combines a customer’s own payment with a public contribution that can be spent only within the participating local network. The spending deadline and invoice requirement make redemption and record-keeping part of the programme’s delivery. The published call does not yet report the number of cards issued, enrolled shops or completed transactions.
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Suzie Elis
Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News.