diff --git a/cpu/saml21/Makefile.include b/cpu/saml21/Makefile.include
index 389ec9f25b856171863dbd8b3d4e3a4be2d14946..8967988c8db2d30fae89ae4f19698b5f6eb19329 100644
--- a/cpu/saml21/Makefile.include
+++ b/cpu/saml21/Makefile.include
@@ -6,4 +6,7 @@ export CFLAGS += -DDONT_USE_CMSIS_INIT
 # use the hwtimer compatibility module
 USEMODULE += hwtimer_compat
 
+# use common periph functions
+USEMODULE += periph_common
+
 include $(RIOTCPU)/Makefile.include.cortexm_common
diff --git a/cpu/saml21/include/periph_cpu.h b/cpu/saml21/include/periph_cpu.h
index 2e2788f0c552eaa492cbc716c94c8c5e480c22ed..1c6dc5eae25a5e9ead08424881c6ecbc8aa70bc9 100644
--- a/cpu/saml21/include/periph_cpu.h
+++ b/cpu/saml21/include/periph_cpu.h
@@ -87,6 +87,15 @@ typedef enum {
  */
 void gpio_init_mux(gpio_t dev, gpio_mux_t mux);
 
+/**
+ * @brief declare needed generic SPI functions
+ * @{
+ */
+#define PERIPH_SPI_NEEDS_TRANSFER_BYTES
+#define PERIPH_SPI_NEEDS_TRANSFER_REG
+#define PERIPH_SPI_NEEDS_TRANSFER_REGS
+/** @} */
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/cpu/saml21/periph/spi.c b/cpu/saml21/periph/spi.c
index 846a818ac0f45f056732f3b382c369320e1e532c..0f9e7f73780d117ab2e1418d147d4ec8904393f0 100644
--- a/cpu/saml21/periph/spi.c
+++ b/cpu/saml21/periph/spi.c
@@ -219,41 +219,6 @@ int spi_transfer_byte(spi_t dev, char out, char *in)
     return 1;
 }
 
-int spi_transfer_bytes(spi_t dev, char *out, char *in, unsigned int length)
-{
-    int transfered = 0;
-    int ret = 0;
-
-    DEBUG("out*: %p out: %x length: %x\n", out, *out, length);
-    while (length--) {
-        if ((ret = spi_transfer_byte(dev, *out, in)) <  0) {
-            return ret;
-        }
-
-        transfered += ret;
-
-        if (out) {
-            out++;
-        }
-        if (in) {
-            in++;
-        }
-    }
-    return transfered;
-}
-
-int spi_transfer_reg(spi_t dev, uint8_t reg, char out, char *in)
-{
-    spi_transfer_byte(dev, reg, NULL);
-    return spi_transfer_byte(dev, out, in);
-}
-
-int spi_transfer_regs(spi_t dev, uint8_t reg, char *out, char *in, unsigned int length)
-{
-    spi_transfer_byte(dev, reg, NULL);
-    return spi_transfer_bytes(dev, out, in, length);
-}
-
 void spi_poweron(spi_t dev)
 {
     SercomSpi* spi_dev = spi[dev].dev;