Enough disrespect toward the people, making our lives harder.
Don Martín restaurant in Vedado charged 10% extra for bank transfers, directly violating Cuba's 2023 bancarization mandate requiring free electronic payment acceptance. The problem extends nationwide: some businesses charge up to 20% surcharges, and less than 10% of private businesses in Sancti Spíritus accepted transfers as of May 2026.
- Don Martín restaurant in Vedado charged 10% surcharge for bank transfers
- Some Havana businesses charging up to 20% extra for electronic payments
- Fewer than 10% of private businesses in Sancti Spíritus accepted transfers as of May 2026
- Fines for violations range from 20,000 to 60,000 pesos; repeat offenders face business closure
- 476 businesses closed in 2024 for refusing electronic payment options
A Cuban woman publicly denounced a Havana restaurant for charging a 10% surcharge on bank transfers, violating central bank regulations mandating acceptance of electronic payments without additional fees.
Jarocha Reyes Vega went to a restaurant in Havana because she couldn't cook at home. She brought her daughter to Don Martín, a pizza place on the corner of 23rd and Crechería in the Vedado neighborhood, and asked if they took bank transfers. They said yes—but with a catch. The staff told her there would be a 10% surcharge added to her bill for using that payment method. When she pushed back, asking where this charge came from, the employee said it was the owner's decision. The owner wasn't even there; he was running another restaurant with a similar name across town on Fifth Avenue.
Reyes Vega's frustration wasn't just about her own meal. She posted about the experience publicly, and friends began telling her they'd encountered the same thing at other businesses around the city. Some places, she learned, were charging as much as 20% extra for electronic transfers. The practice infuriated her—not because she couldn't afford it, but because it was illegal.
Cuba's central bank issued Resolution 111/2023 specifically to push the country toward digital payments. The rule is clear: every business must accept bank transfers and electronic payments without any additional charges that would discourage their use. Don Martín was breaking that law. So were dozens of other establishments across Havana and beyond. In Sancti Spíritus province alone, a survey from May 2026 found that fewer than one in ten private businesses even accepted transfers at all, let alone without penalties.
The government has teeth to enforce this. Fines for violations range from 20,000 to 60,000 pesos depending on the business size. Repeat offenders face temporary suspension or permanent revocation of their operating license. In some cases, authorities can simply shut the business down. Yet the violations keep happening. Earlier that month, authorities had seized 380,000 pesos from someone running an illegal cash-exchange operation on the street, charging 20% to convert digital money into physical bills—with some street dealers demanding 30% to 50% premiums.
The deeper problem is structural. Cuba launched its bancarization push in August 2023, trying to move the economy away from cash and toward traceable digital transactions. By April 2024, the government quietly admitted the effort had partially failed. That year alone, authorities closed 476 businesses for refusing to offer electronic payment options. Yet the resistance persists, often because businesses want to hide income from tax authorities. Some use QR codes linked to personal accounts instead of official business accounts—a practice the law explicitly calls tax evasion because it keeps transactions invisible to the National Tax Administration Office.
Reyes Vega's complaint points to a citizen caught between competing pressures: a government mandate to use digital payments, and businesses that punish you for doing exactly that. She ended her post with a plea: "Enough disrespect toward the people, making our lives harder." For anyone facing similar situations, Cuba's government has set up reporting channels—a unified commerce hotline, the central bank's complaint line, an email address for consumer issues, and a citizen services department. But the fact that these channels exist suggests the problem is widespread enough to warrant them.
Notable Quotes
The instruction came from the owner, who said they charge 10% to accept the transfer.— Restaurant employee, as reported by Jarocha Reyes Vega
Where is the body of state inspectors that doesn't see or doesn't know this is happening?— Jarocha Reyes Vega, in her public complaint
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a restaurant charge extra for the payment method the government is trying to push people toward?
Because the surcharge is how they hide income. A bank transfer leaves a record. Cash doesn't. The owner gets to keep more of what comes in without the tax office seeing it.
But the law says they can't do that. So why is it still happening?
Because enforcement is thin and the fine, while real, is sometimes cheaper than the risk of exposure. If you're running a busy restaurant, 60,000 pesos might be less than what you'd owe in taxes over a year.
What about the customer? What does this do to someone like Reyes Vega?
It creates a penalty for following the rules. She's trying to use the legal system the way she's supposed to, and she gets charged for it. Meanwhile, people paying in cash face no surcharge. It's a backwards incentive.
Is this just restaurants, or is it everywhere?
Everywhere. Some businesses won't accept transfers at all. Others charge 20% or more. The government's own data shows fewer than 10% of private businesses in some provinces even accept transfers. The bancarization push is failing because businesses have found ways to make it painful.
What happens if the government actually enforces this?
Theoretically, they shut you down. But that requires inspectors to show up, catch you, document it, and follow through. That's a lot of moving parts in a system that's already stretched thin.