One of the first things you will notice in Portugal (and most of Europe) is that a server/waiter will always bring the credit card reader machine to the table and will never take your credit card away from you.
5 Tips for Paying for a Meal in Portugal:
1. Before you go to Portugal… get yourself a credit card with no international fees and use that as much as possible (best exchange rate by far). My favorite travel credit cards are the Capital One Venture card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Read More: Travel Reward Credit Cards 101
2. American Express and Discover are usually not accepted outside of hotels and large establishments. Bring a VISA/MasterCard
3. If a restaurant only takes cash, they’ll have a sign saying “não temos MB or não temos multibanco“. That means they don’t take card payments, debit or credit.
TravelerTip: Carry cash with you as some small places will not accept credit cards.
4. when the waiter runs your credit card, they will hand it back to you and you will get the option to pay in Euros or your home currency (USD or CAD). ALWAYS select Euros to get the best exchange rate (your credit card company gives you a better exchange rate than machine)
5. tips are not included and usually there isn’t a way to add it (you can ask for them to add it before you insert card). If you want to leave a tip, leave it as cash on the table. Typical tip depends on type of restaurant but can be loose change at a cafe or up to 10% at a nicer restaurant.
In conclusion
Just remember, unlike in USA and Canada, staff will never bring you the bill until you ask for it and they do this as a courtesy to let you enjoy your dinner experience.
Book Your Trip Now!
Below are my favorite companies I use time and time again when I book my travel.
- Travel Coupons & Discounts – Get Cash Back at places like Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline and many more with Rakuten. Sign up today & get $30!
- My Favorite Travel Credit Card – Chase Sapphire Prefered. This is by far the best way to book travel and earn miles/points while doing so. Use the Chase Sapphire Prefered for booking 3x travel, 3x dining and 3x on streaming services.
- My Second Favorite Travel Credit Card – In my opinion, the second best travel rewards credit card, the Capital One Venture. Use the Capital One Venture card for 2x the rewards on everyday purchases.
- Rental Cars – Search, compare and save on the best rental car company brands all in one place using DiscoverCars.
- Booking.com – Booking has the widest selection of budget accommodation in the world. In our studies, they constantly found the cheapest rooms. I also like their easy-to-use interface and no-money-down policy.
- Hotels.com – Hotels.com is my second choice for finding hotels. I love their selection and easy to navigate website. Use it often for free hotel stays with OneKeyCash.
- VRBO – The most popular vacation rental site in the US. ✓+2 million rentals worldwide ✓19+ million reviews ✓Secure online payment
- Selina Hostel – This is the best hostel accommodation in the world. Their unique CoLive stays, artwork and location are the best. Not to mention, they are a great value travel brand!
For companies, check out my favorite travel companies section that includes even more of my favorite travel companies that will help you value travel!
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