Most common payment methods in Portugal

Cheryl Moderator

16969POSTS

Yesterday

Hello everyone,

Moving to Portugal, even simple things like paying for groceries or a coffee can feel different. In order to help fellow expats and soon-to-be expats better prepare for their daily transactions, we invite you to share your insights and experience:

What are the most common payment methods today in Portugal: cash, debit/credit cards, bank transfers, mobile apps or digital wallets?

Is contactless payment (card, phone, smartwatch or via QR code) common and widely accepted?

Is there a popular local payment app that everyone uses?

How safe and secure do you feel using digital payments in Portugal?

Do you still need to carry cash for small shops, markets, taxis or administrative services?

Are there any particularities in payment habits or methods in Portugal that surprised you?

Thank you for your contribution,

Cheryl
Expat.com Team

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TGCampo Serial expat

373POSTS

Yesterday

@Cheryl

What are the most common payment methods today in Portugal: cash, debit/credit cards, bank transfers, mobile apps or digital wallets? From my experience cash and debit/credit cards are most common. Plus MBway.

Is contactless payment (card, phone, smartwatch or via QR code) common and widely accepted? Yes, it is widely accepted, but it is always good to have some cash

Is there a popular local payment app that everyone uses? Only MBway comes to mind.

How safe and secure do you feel using digital payments in Portugal? I feel pretty safe. However, to me MBway can be unsafe because it depends on the payer to type in the correct phone number. I would also prefer using cash with unfamiliar street vendors or the like.

Do you still need to carry cash for small shops, markets, taxis or administrative services? I think it is very smart to have some cash for smaller payment to completely unknown people. Or for a coffee or a beer. And after the 100% power outage all over Spain and Portugal I would always have cash available.

Are there any particularities in payment habits or methods in Portugal that surprised you? Almost all banking transaction and tax payments can be made at an ATM.