Paying in Porto: Cards, Cash, Couvert and Tipping

The euro, cards and cash

Portugal uses the euro. Bank cards are accepted in the vast majority of shops, restaurants and museums in Porto, even for small amounts, and contactless (card, phone, watch) is the norm. Still, keep a few euros in small notes for a coffee in a small café, a tip or a market such as the Bolhão Market. Tell your bank about your trip if it blocks payments abroad, and check your payment limit.

Withdrawing cash: Multibanco and private ATMs

The Portuguese bank network is called Multibanco, recognisable by its small white and blue "MB" logo. Its ATMs are in streets, stations and shopping centres. They generally charge no fee of their own, but your bank may apply its own for a withdrawal abroad: check its terms.

In tourist streets you will also find private ATMs, such as those of the Euronet network, whose flat fee is reported at €3 to €5 per withdrawal. A simple tip: choose a Multibanco ATM, withdraw enough in one go rather than several small withdrawals, and prefer machines inside a branch or in a busy place.

Declining conversion into your currency

If your card is not in euros, the payment terminal or ATM may offer to charge you "in your currency". This dynamic currency conversion (DCC) uses a rate that is almost always less favourable than your bank's.

• Always choose "EUR" or "without conversion" on the terminal or ATM.
• If the waiter or seller has already confirmed the conversion, ask them to cancel and start again in euros.
• If possible, use a card with no foreign payment fees.

Other, more serious traps are described in scams and safety in Porto.

The couvert in restaurants

In many Portuguese restaurants, bread, butter, olives, cheese or cured meats are put on the table before you even order: this is the couvert. It is not free.

• If you eat what is on the table, you pay the price listed on the menu, even if you did not ask for it.
• If you do not want it, tell the waiter as soon as you sit down so they take the dishes away: an unordered, unconsumed couvert cannot be charged.
• Always check the "couvert" line on the bill. If you refused it and it appears, ask for it to be removed; you can ask for the complaints book.

Couvert prices vary from one place to another: look at the price on the menu before ordering.

Tipping in Porto: the customs

In Portugal, service is included in prices and a tip is never compulsory, even if a line appears on the bill: an automatically charged service is only due if it is on the menu, visible before you consume.

• Coffee or bar: leave the change or round up.
• Restaurant: a tip of about 5 to 10% is common when service was good, never demanded.
• Taxi: rounding up to the next euro is customary.
• Tip-based tour guide: give according to the length and quality of the tour.

With a card, leave the tip in cash or ask the waiter to add an amount before paying, as the terminal does not always offer it.

Tourist tax in Porto

Accommodation comes with a municipal tourist tax. In Porto it is €3 per night per person over 13, capped at seven consecutive nights, so €21 at most per person (rate in force since December 2024). It is paid at the accommodation, on top of the room price. Some groups are exempt (stays for medical reasons, people with disabilities, pilgrims in hostels). A revision of the tax, which could go up to €4, is under study in September 2026 but is not in force: check the amount with your host when booking. To choose where to stay, see where to stay in Porto.

VAT and tax refund for visitors from outside the EU

The price shown in shops includes VAT, at the standard rate of 23%. If you live outside the European Union, you can claim a refund on purchases taken out of the EU in your luggage. Conditions vary by shop and current regulations: a minimum amount per invoice, a tax-free form issued by the shop, a customs stamp on leaving the EU within a few months, and a refund by the refund company, which deducts its fees. Ask the seller, before paying, whether the shop takes part, whether you shop on Rua Santa Catarina or in a boutique on Rua das Flores. Allow time at the airport before the check.

Summary table: paying in Porto

Amounts seen in October 2026.

Going further

To estimate the cost of your stay, see Porto on a budget. How trams, the metro and buses work is explained in getting around Porto, and the traps to avoid are in scams and safety in Porto.