🇵🇹 Portugal: bunq Community Travel Tips

bunq

✈️ Heading to Portugal? We've gathered some tips from the bunq community to make sure your trip is the smoothest it can be. 😎

Check them out below! 🌈 👇

Using your card

💳 Do I need cash in Portugal, or can I use my card everywhere?

Your card will be accepted in most places in Portugal, especially touristy areas.

You do sometimes find a business who only accepts cash, so it's a good idea to have some on you as a backup.

💰 What currency do they use here?

The currency here is Euros! The symbol is € or EUR.

🏧 Which ATM’s can I use for free?

The bunq community has reported free withdrawals at these ATMs.

Multibanco

The bunq community has reported additional fee's for withdrawals at these ATM's.

Euronet

💵 If I want cash, how much should I take out of an ATM?

€50 should be enough for a few days, since you can use your card for nearly everything.

Staying connected

📱 Can I roam, or should I get a local SIM?

All EU mobile plans should let you roam for free.

If you don't have an EU plan, you can learn about your local SIM card options here.

Useful things to know

💁‍♀️ How does tipping work?

It is customary to leave a small tip in Portugal, which mostly means rounding up to the next euro. If you recieve excellent service, you can leave a higher tip upto 10%.

Service charges aren't usually added to the bill automatically, meaning you can choose what you tip.

🍺 How much does a 0.5L beer cost?

€1,70

🍽 How much does an average meal cost?

€8,00

🚨 What’s the emergency number?

112

🔌 What type of plug do they use?

This one! It’s the standard European plug.

🚗 What side of the road do they drive on?

They drive on the right side of the road here.

🗺 How do I navigate my way around?

Google and Apple Maps both work well in Portugal.

Otherwise, we recommend Rome2Rio as the best way to find out how to get anywhere. It even tells you the cost of each option. 🙌

👀 Any other good tips?

How could you go past a traditional Portuguese Custard Tart. They're even more delicious when you're in the country they're from!

Travel Perks

🎢 Visit famous attractions with 10% off

We've partnered with Tiqets to bring you discounts on attraction tickets in Portugal 🇵🇹. To get your discount, simply follow the link here and use our coupon code BUNQTIQETS10 at checkout. That's it! 🎊

Travel hands-free with a 20% discount on Stasher

Our partnership with Stasher will allow you to enjoy your destination to the fullest without having to worry about your luggage. You’ll be able to drop off your bags at trusted shops and hotels in Portugal with a 20% discount through this link 👌🏻.

If you've been to Portugal 🇵🇹 share your experience! The following would be really useful for other bunqers to know:

Which ATMs are free to use?
What card should I use and where?
Any other info you think may be useful.

Share your experience with us in the comments below! 🌈 👇

Filipe-Pink-Cheetah

I'm Portuguese, so I can share some info, firstly by saying most of the op is wrong or only semi accurate 😉

Something like 95% of places will indeed accept cards but you have to bear in mind that some of those places that accept cards will only accept Multibanco and not MasterCard. Even if you see people paying there using cards with Visa or MasterCard logos, Portuguese cards are virtually all dual scheme with both Multibanco + some international scheme, hence the logos. In those places they'll be using Multibanco

As for ATMs, by law, all debit withdrawals are free. What can have fees is withdrawals using credit cards. Multibanco ATMs (not to confuse with the similarly named and branded card scheme) don't charge fees for credit cards while Euronext does

When it comes to tipping, it is NOT something that exists in Portuguese custom. People know that tourists sometimes try to give tips and some may accept it, which is illegal if they pocket the tip or just further profit to the business owners if the tip goes to the till instead.

Tipping by rounding up the amount or adding an extra euro is ok tough not necessary. More than that and you're just eroding our social safety net worker's rights if tipping becomes custom and wages variable and lower as a result. Even then if you must throw tips, for everything that's sacred don't talk to wait staff about percentages as no one here will have the faintest idea what you're talking about. Is the staff supposed to do the math for you on how much you want to tip? Just doesn't make any sense not having a culture where that kind of thing is a "thing"